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From: tommy meehan tmeehan0421 AT gmail DOT com
Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2016 22:13:21 -0500
Subject: Lackawanna's Passaic River Bridge at Newark
"RRG2_DLW_Newark_Bridge_010404.jpg" - image/jpeg, 822x738 (24bit)

Pat McKnight's recent photo of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western bridge
over the Passaic River reminded me that this bridge has a very interesting
history. The original low level drawbridge was replaced in April 1901 by a
bi-level bridge, however only the lower level was used until December 1903.
Then the new elevated M&E line between Harrison and Newark was ready to be
put in service and the bridge was moved 35 feet north to the location of
the new main line.

The changeover was made on Sunday December 20, 1903. After the last
scheduled late night passenger train went through (about 1:30 AM) the crews
went to work. They used a combination of two barges, four sand jacks and a
rising tide to hoist the new bridge free of its supports. According to a
story in the January 1, 1904 RAILROAD GAZETTE, the 221-foot long bridge
weighed 1,017 tons. The lifting and support apparatus on the barges weighed
936 tons making the total weight on the barges 1,953 tons.

At 7AM the bridge was free floating having been raised 20 inches. By 9 AM
the crews were ready to float the bridge north. This was accomplished
through the use of shore-mounted winches-and-cables and the help of a
couple of tugboats. The barges were slowly floated north, reaching the new
location in just twenty minutes at about 9 AM. Now the bridge had to be
lowered 10.5 feet. This was accomplished by releasing sand from the jacks
and water from the barges' ballast tanks. The crews used a 'see-saw
motion,' lowering one end of the bridge a foot and then the other end a
foot. The bridge was free of the barges and resting on the newly
constructed piers by late afternoon. The line was re-opened to traffic at 8
PM.

The work was done under the supervision of DL&W Chief Engineer Lincoln
Bush. An all-day driving rain storm made the work much more difficult. Once
put in service the previously unused upper level became the new M&E
double-track main line and the lower level was reduced to one track and
used for local freight service.

I am attaching several photos of the project from RAILROAD GAZETTE. If
anyone is interested, there are two good articles about the bridge and move
in the 1) November 27, 1903 issue of RAILROAD GAZETTE, page 879, and 2) the
January 1, 1904 issue of GAZETTE on page 4. Both are available on-line at
the HathiTrust website.

The attached photos are:

1. RRG1 Shows the approach to the bridge in Harrison (I believe the GAZETTE
caption has a typo) with the original ground level route at right, Railroad
Gazette, 11/27/03.
2. RRG2 A photo taken from the deck of a barge during the December 20, 1903
move. Railroad Gazette, 01/04/04
3. RRG3 A photo of the bridge in the new position but not yet lowered into
alignment. Railroad Gazette, 01/04/04

tommy meehan


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