Wells Creek Bollman Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Wills Creek Bollman Bridge originally served the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
's Pittsburgh Division main line.
Designed by the renowned self-taught engineer Wendel Bollman
in 1871, this truss bridge
is the last remaining span of the Pittsburgh Division line associated with Bollman. Around 1910 it was moved from Wills Creek to a location 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania
after it was no longer able to carry safely the newer and heavier locomotives. It served as a vehicular bridge crossing CSX
tracks on Summit Township Road. The bridge was relocated east of Meyersdale at Scratch Hill Road, Summit Township, on the Allegheny Highlands section of the Great Allegheny Passage.
The bridge employs a Warren truss design, rather than a Bollman truss
, with which its designer Wendell Bollman was widely associated. It is 81 feet (24.7 m) long and 13 feet (4.0 m) wide. The east abutments are constructed of concrete, while the west are earthen with wood ties. This bridge has a wood deck, and ornate cast iron
end pieces, lacework, and compression member
s. End posts and tension member
s are constructed of wrought iron
.
The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on November 8, 1978.
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
's Pittsburgh Division main line.
Designed by the renowned self-taught engineer Wendel Bollman
Wendel Bollman
Wendel Bollman was an American self-taught civil engineer, best known for his iron railway bridges. Only one of his patented "Bollman truss" bridges survives, the Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge in Savage, Maryland...
in 1871, this truss bridge
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...
is the last remaining span of the Pittsburgh Division line associated with Bollman. Around 1910 it was moved from Wills Creek to a location 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania
Meyersdale, Pennsylvania
Meyersdale is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, on the Casselman River, southeast of Pittsburgh. In the past, its chief industry was the mining of coal. Meyersdale was first settled as early as 1776, but the growth of the town dates from the advent of the first railroad in 1871. Coal...
after it was no longer able to carry safely the newer and heavier locomotives. It served as a vehicular bridge crossing CSX
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
tracks on Summit Township Road. The bridge was relocated east of Meyersdale at Scratch Hill Road, Summit Township, on the Allegheny Highlands section of the Great Allegheny Passage.
The bridge employs a Warren truss design, rather than a Bollman truss
Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge
The Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge at Savage, Maryland is the sole surviving example of a revolutionary design in the history of American bridge engineering. The double-span truss bridge is one of the oldest standing iron railroad bridges in the United States. It was the first successful all-metal...
, with which its designer Wendell Bollman was widely associated. It is 81 feet (24.7 m) long and 13 feet (4.0 m) wide. The east abutments are constructed of concrete, while the west are earthen with wood ties. This bridge has a wood deck, and ornate cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
end pieces, lacework, and compression member
Compression member
A compression member is a general class of structural elements of which a column is the most common specific example.-Description:For a compression member, such as a column, the principal stress comes mainly from axial forces, that is forces that fall along one line, usually the centerline.The...
s. End posts and tension member
Tension member
Tension members are structural elements that are subjected to axial tensile forces. They are usually used in different types of structures. Examples of tension members are: bracing for buildings and bridges, truss members, and cables in suspended roof systems....
s are constructed of wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
.
The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on November 8, 1978.
External links
- Bollman Bridge, Meyersdale, Pa.
- Listing and photographs at the Historic American Engineering Record