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Harpers Ferry Truss Railroad Bridge

Winchester and Potomac Railroad Bridge, B&O Railroad Bridge

Harpers Ferry Truss Railroad Bridge

Primary Photographer(s): Marc Scotti

Bridge Documented: May 3, 2021

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Location
Harpers Ferry: Jefferson County, West Virginia and Washington County, Maryland: United States
Structure Type
Metal 6 Panel Pin-Connected Pratt Through Truss, Fixed and Approach Spans: Metal Deck Girder, Fixed
Construction Date and Builder / Engineer
1894 By Builder/Contractor: A. & P. Roberts and Company of Pencoyd, Pennsylvania (Pencoyd Iron Works) and Engineer/Design: William Lee Sisson
Rehabilitation Date
Not Available or Not Applicable
Main Span Length
140.0 Feet (42.7 Meters)
Structure Length
896.5 Feet (273.3 Meters)
Roadway Width
Not Available
Spans
3 Main Span(s) and 5 Approach Span(s)
Inventory Number
Not Applicable

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)
View Information About HSR Ratings

Bridge Documentation

Note: HAER documentation is for the previous bridge at this location.

This is a notable multi-span pin-connected truss located at an important, historic crossing. The railroad bridge is a rare example of a shared railroad-pedestrian deck as well.

At the time this bridge was built, Pencoyd Iron Works was using the name Pencoyd Bridge and Construction Company.

Next to this bridge are ruined substructures of two previous bridges: First bridge east of this bridge, and second bridge east of this bridge. Also see HAER Documentation for the abandoned piers. This bridge itself also replaced a previous bridge a large, impressive and unusually configured "Y" Bollman truss bridge (with an extra-wide span at the "Y"), and spans featuring three truss lines, AND all built on a curve... perhaps one of the most unusual truss bridges ever constructed in American history. See the National Register nomination linked on this page for a good photo of the "Y" portion of the Bollman truss, and additional photos are on BridgeHunter.

This bridge's pedestrian deck was damaged in 2019 by a derailment, and was repaired and reopened shortly after.

View Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Documentation For This Bridge

HAER Drawings, PDF

View Historic Bridge Inventory Sheet For This Bridge

View National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form For This Bridge


This bridge is tagged with the following special condition(s): Unorganized Photos

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Photo Galleries and Videos: Harpers Ferry Truss Railroad Bridge

 

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Unorganized Photos

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A collection of overview and detail photos, presented as an unorganized and unlabeled collage and gallery. This gallery offers photos in the highest available resolution and file size in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
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Unorganized Photos

Mobile Optimized Photos
A collection of overview and detail photos, presented as an unorganized and unlabeled collage and gallery. This gallery features data-friendly, fast-loading photos in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
Alternatively, Browse Without Using Viewer

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Maps and Links: Harpers Ferry Truss Railroad Bridge

Coordinates (Latitude, Longitude):

Search For Additional Bridge Listings:

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

2021 National Bridge Inventory: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

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