Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge
The Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge is a rail bridge across the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.
Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge | |
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 The bridge at low tide | |
| Coordinates | 40.2082°N 74.7672°W |
| Carries | Amtrak Northeast Corridor, SEPTA Trenton Line, and NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line (non-revenue/deadhead to NJT's Morrisville Yard) |
| Crosses | Delaware River |
| Locale | Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and Trenton, New Jersey |
| Maintained by | Amtrak |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Stone arch bridge |
| Total length | 1,220 feet (370 m) |
| Width | 54 feet (16 m) |
| Longest span | 60 feet (18 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1903 |
| Location | |
The bridge carries the Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains and SEPTA Trenton Line as well as non-revenue trains for NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor Line that have terminated at the Trenton Transit Center bound for the Morrisville Yard.
History
A series of Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) predecessors operated trains across the nearby Lower Trenton Bridge from 1834 until 1903, when PRR completed a grade separation project through Trenton, including this stone arch bridge on a new alignment.[1]
In 1953, the Morrisville approach to the bridge was blocked when eight cars of an eighty-three-car freight train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad derailed at 11 p.m. on January 13. No one was injured in the incident; however, four of the derailed cars were described in news reports as "smashed across the four tracks," along with a steel pole that "was knocked across the tracks, tearing down the lines feeding current to express and local trains." As a result, the railroad's main line to New York was inoperable for five hours, forcing the cancellation or delay of more than twenty passenger trains.[2]
See also
- List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New Jersey
- List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania
- List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
- List of crossings of the Delaware River
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Mercer County, New Jersey
References
- Spivey, Justin M. (April 2000). "Pennsylvania Railroad, Delaware River Bridge" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 3. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- "Wreck Blocks PRR Main Line." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 14, 1953, p. 1 (subscription required).
Further reading
- Messer, David W. & Roberts, Charles S. (2002). Triumph V. Barnard, Roberts & Co., Inc. ISBN 0-934118-27-2.
External links
Media related to Trenton-Morrisville Railroad Bridge at Wikimedia Commons
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA-512, "Pennsylvania Railroad, Delaware River Bridge, Spanning Delaware River, South of U.S. Route 1, Morrisville, Bucks County, PA", 11 photos, 5 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- "An Icy Delaware River" (photo of the Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge). Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania: Press Enterprise, January 31, 2014, p. A3 (subscription required).
Crossings of the Delaware River | ||||
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