Monday, September 21, 2015

Western Maryland Railroad bridges

Here are two photos of Western Maryland Railroad bridges vintage 1922.

The first photo shows a long plate girder metal bridge crossing what I believe is the upper Potomac river in Cumberland Maryland.  For me the buildings in the photo are more interesting than the bridge.  It appears that this was a popular location for laundries, perhaps due to the river.


The water level in the river is low, but being an upper branch of the main river perhaps it was often like this.  Those buildings offer some interesting modeling ideas.

The next photo shows a Western Maryland two-span through truss bridge near Cumberland Maryland.  The bridge crosses what was then known as the National Highway (or National Road) - the first major improved highway in the U.S. built by the federal government.  That road is now part of several highways including U.S. rte 40.  The bridge also crosses B&O railroad tracks.  The river in this photo is probably also the Potomac River.



I am guessing the National Road is to the left and the B&O tracks cross the stone arch bridge.

I have decided what industry I will model next and will post something on it in a few days.



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2 comments:

  1. Galen GallimoreOctober 5, 2015 at 4:08 PM

    Cumberland has to be one of the most interesting cities for placement of structures, due to the hilly, mountainous topography. That first picture is indeed a beautiful shot of the backside of buildings - perhaps the most interesting angle! Thank you for sharing these great finds.

    Galen

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  2. AnonymousNovember 7, 2015 at 9:23 AM

    The stone arch bridge in the picture is the conduit for the C & P Railroad. The railroad is long gone, and the bridge was demolished after a devastating flood maybe twenty? years ago. The bridge acted as catch-all for debris floating down Will's Creek and became a dam that backed up water for miles.

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