![]() ![]() And so it was that the NYLE&W contracted with famed engineer Octave Chanute and the Phoenix Iron Works to build the first Kinzua Railroad Bridge. Despite the vast size of the valley, the railroad determined that bridging the valley was better than building 8 miles of complex tracks. The railroad had two options: build 8 miles of track that wound through challenging terrain or construct a bridge over the Kinzua Valley. ![]() Coal powered everything from the locomotives that pulled freight to the massive steel mills that turned iron ore into usable materials.Īccess to coal was critical for industry to thrive, and so it was that in 1882, the New York, Lake Erie, and Western Railway – also known as the NYLE&W – found itself looking for a way to connect the rich coalfields of Elk County with their main lines near Bradford. These massive developments were fueled by coal. The second industrial revolution saw significant developments in manufacturing and rail technology. ![]() The state’s rich natural resources and growing population of ready-to-work immigrants contributed to massive growth in industry, especially as the second industrial revolution took hold. In the late 1800s, Pennsylvania was booming. So how long and tall was the Kinzua Railroad Bridge? Why did trains stop using it? Why was it never rebuilt? In the following sections, you’ll find the answers to these questions and more about this remarkable bridge. The tornado generated winds of almost 100 miles per hour, which struck the bridge broadside, destroying several support towers and collapsing the bridge. This large storm spawned an F1 tornado just up the valley from the Kinzua Railroad Bridge. In 2003, a mesoscale convective system struck the Kinzua Valley. So what happened to the Kinzua Railroad Bridge? But, unfortunately, now a majority of it lays crumpled on the valley floor. For decades, the Kinzua Railroad Bridge was a vital piece of railroad infrastructure in northcentral Pennsylvania. ![]()
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