Before it was the Blue Bridge...

[MQT1223]

Any pictures out there of the GR&I bridge before it was painted blue? I've seen pictures of the bridge in the steam era, and pictures of the tracks leading up to the bridge in the PC days (which were very rough and overgrown) but nothing regarding the bridge itself. When were the rails lifted off the bridge?

[J T]

http://www.historygrandrapids.org/photo ... lue-bridge

http://www.historicbridges.org/bridges/ ... grandrail/

http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/B ... Rapids.htm

Somewhere in the GR area, in the attic of someone old dude's house, is a dusty, long-forgotten box of slides that contain photos from a half century ago with trains crossing this bridge.

Outside of that possibility, I've never seen pics online of trains (with diesel units) crossing that bridge . Even pics with the rails still in place are hard to come by. Aerial shots are easier to find, but something from ground level seems to be on the same level as finding a unicorn.

[MQT1223]

http://www.historygrandrapids.org/photo ... lue-bridge

http://www.historicbridges.org/bridges/ ... grandrail/

http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/B ... Rapids.htm

Somewhere in the GR area, in the attic of someone old dude's house, is a dusty, long-forgotten box of slides that contain photos from a half century ago with trains crossing this bridge.

Outside of that possibility, I've never seen pics online of trains (with diesel units) crossing that bridge . Even pics with the rails still in place are hard to come by. Aerial shots are easier to find, but something from ground level seems to be on the same level as finding a unicorn.

Those are the same pics I've seen. It is nice that we have such an old, and historic remnant that survived the "Urban Renewal Projects" of the 60's and 70's when everything else was destroyed.

[cdressel]

I went quickly looking through photos posted on https://www.flickr.com/groups/historicgr/.
Here's a few photos from there:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/18412933@ ... historicgr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/18412933@ ... historicgr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/amtrak100 ... historicgr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/amtrak100 ... historicgr

Perhaps, if you look through the primary site, listed above, you may find additional photos.

Chuck

[J T]

Thanks for the links, Chuck. I forgot about the last one with the train crossing the bridge.

[MQT1223]

The last and second pictures are money. I'm guessing the second pic and the first aerial shot were taken around the same time as the tracks are pretty weedy at the time. Any clue as to where I could get a good copy of that last picture? I would love to frame it.

[J T]

In the first aerial shot, the curve through the BOB's parking lot looks pretty sharp. Does anyone know if it was restricted to certain locomotives or does it just look sharp from this perspective? Also, the BOB's former self looks oddly shaped compared to how it is now.

[amtrak1007]

Might try by contacting the person who posted the photo...

[kenN]

The curve couldn't have been too sharp because PRR ran long-wheelbase N-class 2-10-2 steam engines on that line regularly, even on passenger trains.

[MQT1223]

The curve couldn't have been too sharp because PRR ran long-wheelbase N-class 2-10-2 steam engines on that line regularly, even on passenger trains.

The photo of the bridge with a train on it shows a 2-10-2 leading.

[J T]

The curve couldn't have been too sharp because PRR ran long-wheelbase N-class 2-10-2 steam engines on that line regularly, even on passenger trains.

Must have been some good flange squealing.

[Saturnalia]

The curve couldn't have been too sharp because PRR ran long-wheelbase N-class 2-10-2 steam engines on that line regularly, even on passenger trains.

Must have been some good flange squealing.

Well, they weren't running 60+ foot cars around it in 5000 foot trains back then, either...

[J T]

Well, they weren't running 60+ foot cars around it in 5000 foot trains back then, either...

All it takes is one 2-10-2 to get some good squealing.

[kenN]

The N-class 2-10-2s had lateral-motion journals on the first and fifth driver axles, and the third (center) set of drivers were blind, i.e. had no flanges. Thus it could negotiate sharper curves than you'd expect.

[J T]

The N-class 2-10-2s had lateral-motion journals on the first and fifth driver axles, and the third (center) set of drivers were blind, i.e. had no flanges. Thus it could negotiate sharper curves than you'd expect.

Good to know. I wish I could have been alive during the time of steam to witness those incredible machines on a daily basis.

[MQT1223]

The N-class 2-10-2s had lateral-motion journals on the first and fifth driver axles, and the third (center) set of drivers were blind, i.e. had no flanges. Thus it could negotiate sharper curves than you'd expect.

Good to know. I wish I could have been alive during the time of steam to witness those incredible machines on a daily basis.

I wish I could've seen Grand Rapids with rails in the downtown area. Granted the Blue Bridge sees better care then it ever did under railroad ownership, but it's support piers and design are very nice to look at. Its not an ugly structure. The stones that make up the piers are really nice rock. I wonder if one went in the river under the water's surface one would find codeline poles cut off? In the one picture with the locomotive and train the codeline poles look to be in the water AND fastened to the bridge itself.

[Saturnalia]

If and when they do that River re-engineering project, I'm sure they'll find lots of "goodies" on the bottom!

[MQT1223]

If and when they do that River re-engineering project, I'm sure they'll find lots of "goodies" on the bottom!

I'll take the railroad ones.

[C&O6084]

The Grand River downtown is really just a rectangular channel with square corners and no sediment. Any pole remnants are long gone -- the Spring ice breakup pretty much scours everything in its path. Remember, several years ago, Hudson (the big blue rock), simply disappeared, and it weighted some 20+ tons. It's always been a big no-no to drill more than a foot into the river bottom (see below), so not much actually held the poles, just concrete. If it was there, it ain't there now.

FYI, the first major gypsum mine was downtown, with its entry a couple hundred feet WEST of the westernmost stone pier if the Blue Bridge. From just below the dam to somewhere north of Wealthy, Downtown is pretty much hollow. All the bug buildings had to account for this when built; the big buildings were required to punch through the three mile levels.