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| First Snow of the Season! |
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| PRR HH-1 Loco lugging mineral train over the ravine |
PRR, BIG VIADUCT, built 1836'
Model BV-1-2-HO
HISTORY: Originally, prototype single arch, two
(2) track, "BIG VIADUCT was built in 1836' crossing the Conemaugh River at Staple Bend, near
Mineral Point, PA, refer map. The beautiful Single Roman Arch design replaced a stone, wood & Iron design as
part of the Pennsylvania Railroads ongoing infrastructure upgrades along the line keeping pace with booming freight
& passenger traffic.
The single arch
Big Viaduct was Massive! Built of blue granite stones averaging 25 - 30 cubic feet in size each, quarried
locally, it appeared the viaduct would endure forever...
Unfortunately, the BIG VIADUCT experienced a SHORT LIFE!
The entire bridge was swept
away, a causality of the terrible Johnstown flood of 1889. A massive wall of water and debris descended upon
Johnstown, PA and surrounding communities in the Conemaugh river valley when the reservoir burst during a torrential
rain storm. Some reports indicate the Wave, millions of gallons of water and hundreds of thousands of tons of debris, was
over Ninety (90) feet high and was traveling in excess of fifteen (15) miles an hour.
Model BV-1-2-HO, replicates the original viaduct design
pre flood...
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| Viaduct crosses the Conemaugh River at the Staple Bend |
Immediately after the flood a temporary
timber trestle was erected to carry rail traffic while a permanent replacement bridge was built.
The
Big Viaduct II, a massive two arch, multiple track, cut stone design was completed in 1891.
Today,
the Big Viaduct II carries the famous "Broadway" mainline over the Conemaugh near Mineral Point, PA. This
viaduct continues to be a intregal component of NS - Norfolk Southern operations in Western PA.
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