Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge
| Company type | Bridge |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1866 |
| Founder | Connecting Railway (affiliate of Pennsylvania Railroad) |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
Area served | Northeast Corridor rail services |
| Products | Rail bridge supporting Amtrak, SEPTA, New Jersey Transit |
Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge is a stone arch bridge situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It supports Amtrak's Northeast Corridor along with commuter rail services operated by SEPTA and New Jersey Transit, spanning the Schuylkill River. Positioned within Fairmount Park, the bridge is located just upstream of the Girard Avenue Bridge.
This structure is also identified by several names including Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Division, Bridge No. 69, as well as Connecting Railway Bridge, Connection Bridge, New York Connecting Bridge, New York Railroad Bridge, and Junction Railroad Bridge.
Original bridge
Built between 1866 and 1867 by the Connecting Railway, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) which acquired it in 1871, this bridge linked PRR’s southern and northern routes, establishing a direct connection from Washington, D.C. to New York City. Prior to its existence, PRR trains navigated a longer, indirect route between West Philadelphia and North Philadelphia Stations.
The engineering design is credited to John A. Wilson of Wilson Brothers & Company, who conducted the initial survey in 1863. After Wilson’s departure in 1864, PRR's First Vice-President and engineer George Brooke Roberts, who later ascended to PRR president, assumed responsibility. The stonework was constructed by mason contractor Thomas Seabrook.
When it opened on June 2, 1867, the bridge accommodated two tracks and featured a mid-river iron truss: a double-intersection Whipple truss reinforced with cast and wrought iron arches.
In 1873, PRR slightly expanded the stone piers, which shortened the truss span and led to the removal of its reinforcing arch. Later, in 1897, the original Whipple truss was substituted with a Pratt truss of identical length to improve structural integrity.
Bridge expansion
From 1912 to 1915, PRR significantly increased the bridge’s width to support five tracks by replacing the central iron truss with two substantial stone arches. Alexander C. Shand designed this largely rebuilt bridge to maintain the appearance of the original structure. Masonry work was completed by Eyre, Shoemaker, Inc., while Reiter, Curtis & Hill were responsible for constructing reinforced concrete bridges over Lansdowne Drive and West Girard Avenue, along with the viaduct encircling the Philadelphia Zoo.
Artistic representation
The stone-arched Connecting Railway Bridge has been a popular subject among artists including Carl Philipp Weber, Edmund Darch Lewis, Thomas Moran, and most notably Thomas Eakins in his painting Max Schmitt in a Single Scull (1871).
See also
- List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania
- List of crossings of the Schuylkill River
- List of Northeast Corridor infrastructure
Further reading
External links
- by Jack Boucher, 1995.
- Bridges in Philadelphia
- Bridges completed in 1867
- Bridges completed in 1915
- Railroad bridges in Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania Railroad bridges
- Bridges over the Schuylkill River
- Historic American Engineering Record in Philadelphia
- Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia
- 1867 establishments in Pennsylvania
- Viaducts in the United States
- Stone arch bridges in the United States
- Pratt truss bridges in the United States
- NJ Transit bridges
- SEPTA
- Amtrak bridges
- Northeast Corridor