Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 13:12, 14 July 2010

The Newark Bay Bridge of the Central Railroad of New Jersey was a four track railroad bridge that had four main lift spans. It opened in 1926, replacing an outdated two track bascule span built in 1901, that in turn had replaced a wooden draw bridge that originally opened on July 29, 1864. The bridge connected Elizabethport and Bayonne at the southern end of Newark Bay. The designer of this bridge was J.A.L. Waddell. On September 15, 1958, a commuter train plunged off the south span which had been opened for marine traffic, killing 48 people, including former New York Yankees second baseman Snuffy Stirnweiss. In 1966 the French freighter S.S. Washington collided with the north east lift span, rendering two tracks unusable. When the Aldene Plan went into effect in May of 1967 the only passenger service on the bridge was the Bayonne-Cranford shuttle, known commonly as the "Scoot". The last freight train crossed the bridge in 1976 just prior to the formation of Conrail, and the last passenger train left Bayonne's Eighth Street Station on August 6, 1978. Despite Bayonne's efforts to save the bridge, demolition of the central lift spans began in July 1980 after the United States Coast Guard declared the structure a navigational hazard to ships. The trestle and approaches were removed in 1987-1988 when it became apparent that a replacement span was no longer feasible.

Bridges of the Newark Bay
Upstream Lehigh Valley Railroad Bridge Newark Bay Bridge Downstream CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge (demolished) Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge (Arthur Kill) Bayonne Bridge (Kill Van Kull)

See also

• Newark Bay, New Jersey rail accident
• List of bridges, tunnels, and cuts in Hudson County, New Jersey

References

1. ^ Baugn, James (2009). "Newark Bay Lift Bridge". Retrieved 2009-04-20.
2. Bianculli, Anthony J. (2008). Iron Rails in the Garden State: Tales of New Jersey Railroading. Indiana University Press. p. 106–107. ISBN 9780253351746.
3. Conway, Neal J. "Jersey Central: Newark Bay Bridge". Retrieved 2009-04-18.
4. "TheDeadballEra.com :: SNUFFY STIRNWEISS' OBIT". Retrieved 2009-04-18.
5. Heininger, Claire (September 15, 2007). "Looking Back: 48 killed as train plunges off Newark Bay drawbridge - NJ.com: Star-Ledger updates". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2009-04-18. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
6. Haine, Edgar A. (1993). Railroad Wrecks. Associated University Presses. p. 134. ISBN 0845348442. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
7. ^ Thorpe, Steve. "CONRAIL/NJ D.O.T. Draws the Curtain on the Bayonne Shuttle". Retrieved 2009-04-23.
8. "X. HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN ELEMENT" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-04-18.

External links

• 40°39′16″N 74°09′00″W / 40.6545°N 74.15°W / 40.6545; -74.15
• "CNJ Newark Bay Draw Wreck (book for sale)". Tri-State Railway Historical Society, Inc. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
• "Remnants of demolished CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge, Bayonne New Jersey". Retrieved 2009-04-18.
• "Central Railroad of New Jersey, Newark Bay Lift Bridge, Spanning Newark Bay, Newark, Essex County, NJ". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
• CRRNJ Newark Bay crossings

This article about a specific rail bridge in the United States is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Railroad bridges in New Jersey
• Bridges completed in 1864
• Bridges completed in 1926
• Central Railroad of New Jersey
• United States railway bridge stubs