Fairmont Railroad Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Fairmont Railroad Bridge is a truss bridge
that carries the Norfolk Southern Railway
across the Monongahela River
just north of Fairmont, West Virginia
. The bridge was built in 1853 as one of the early works of Albert Fink
, the engineer who popularized the use of iron structures as opposed to those that are made of stone masonry or wood. It was reconstructed in 1912 and continues to serve as a major industrial route.
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
that carries the Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
across the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
just north of Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...
. The bridge was built in 1853 as one of the early works of Albert Fink
Albert Fink
Albert Fink was a German civil engineer. He is best known for his railroad bridge designs, and devising the Fink truss....
, the engineer who popularized the use of iron structures as opposed to those that are made of stone masonry or wood. It was reconstructed in 1912 and continues to serve as a major industrial route.