And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Montana, 1883. The engineering that went into planning and building that is impressive.
When built by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883, the Marent Trestle near Evaro (pop. 329) was, at 226 feet, the highest wooden railroad trestle in the world. The trestle was torn down two years later and replaced with a steel structure still used today. Man! That is Yuge! Shame they had to do it over. But what an accomplishment to get all that wood in there and get it built.
The book "Nothing Like It In the World" by Stephen Ambrose is a very good read. Some of the engineering they did without modern machinery is amazing and is a testament to the ingenuity of the engineers and the resilience and toughness of the laborers.
It's a fantastic book. I found it most interesting how the Chinese laborers earned the respect and admiration of both their boss at the time, James Harvey Strobridge and Charles Crocker. The building of the grade around Cape Horn and the Summit Tunnel from four different directions were all amazing accomplishments that couldn't have been done without the 'Celestials' and their knowledge in the use of black powder, which the CPRR used by the boxcar load.
There's a CPR bridge in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada that was in the TV series The Last Of Us. It's just over 5327' long and 314' above the river. Construction was finished in 1909.
When built by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883, the Marent Trestle near Evaro (pop. 329) was, at 226 feet, the highest wooden railroad trestle in the world. The trestle was torn down two years later and replaced with a steel structure still used today.
ReplyDeleteMan! That is Yuge! Shame they had to do it over. But what an accomplishment to get all that wood in there and get it built.
The book "Nothing Like It In the World" by Stephen Ambrose is a very good read. Some of the engineering they did without modern machinery is amazing and is a testament to the ingenuity of the engineers and the resilience and toughness of the laborers.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fantastic book.
DeleteI found it most interesting how the Chinese laborers earned the respect and admiration of both their boss at the time, James Harvey Strobridge and Charles Crocker. The building of the grade around Cape Horn and the Summit Tunnel from four different directions were all amazing accomplishments that couldn't have been done without the 'Celestials' and their knowledge in the use of black powder, which the CPRR used by the boxcar load.
The one over the Hudson river in Poughkeepsie is 212’. Converted to a walkway now.
ReplyDeleteComputations by hand with log tables and maybe a slide. The design was determined by the largest pieces the rolling mills of the day could make.
ReplyDeleteThe real problem is the trestle had to be nearly perfectly vertical. A major achievement for the surveying transits of the data.
It was probably riveted, a high skill job. Nuts and bolts and torque wrenches since the 1960’s, or so, otherwise welding.
There's a CPR bridge in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada that was in the TV series The Last Of Us. It's just over 5327' long and 314' above the river. Construction was finished in 1909.
ReplyDeleteCar Guy blogged about it:
ReplyDeletejustacarguy.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-marent-gulch-bridge-at-one-time-was.html
https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/KinzuaBridgeStatePark/Pages/default.aspx
ReplyDeleteOne (silly) question - are the circled spots where there is a banana for scale?
ReplyDeleteWait, did they even have bananas in 1883?
Some kids never outgrew their erector set.
ReplyDeleteThey just upped the scale.