The P&WV Hi-Line

[CuriousGeorge]

Greetings,

I am trying to get information about the P&WV bridge over the Monongahela river near Charleroi. This is the bridge that parralels Interstate 70 over the river.



This is the only picture I can find of this bridge. I-70 is just to the right, slightly below this bridge.

Anyway, I live near the area, and have viewed the occasional freight train passing the bridge, mostly carrying coke and freight. One day, about a month ago, I noticed a passanger train, with just two cars, stopped on the middle of the bridge.

Is anyone aware of passanger service running on this line? If so, I would sure like to take a ride. Also, any additional information or pics about this bridge would be really great!

Thanks
Dan

[Fla. Mike]

That two car special train would be called a "directors special" for company officials and high ranking people that are with or associated with customers of the railroad. The past few years the group in Orrville Ohio has run quite a few public excursions from Ohio points to Rook Yard near Greentree, but if I am correct it has been at least 6 or more years since any type of ticket sales public excusion has gone to Connellsvile which would traverse that bridge. Help me out gang when was the last fantrip on the WLE Rook to Connellsville? I rode one when the Wheeling was only about three years old, but I am sure there has been at least a few in the past 10 years or so! How about someone giving the guy some info on that big Mon River bridge, I will say that it was built with the Connellsville extension about 1920 or so?

[PWVJer]

The big bridge project was completed in late 1929. The first revenue trip was on 2-5-31. No scheduled passenger trains operated on the C-ville Div. About the time this new rail-link with the W.M. was completed the P&WV finished abandonment of all regular passenger service on 9-31-31.


Interesting thing, a story has been told that this bridge was desigined to be two tiers. The top was to be the main line and the bottom was the connection to the PRR river line @ Speers. If you look close today you can clearly see that it would connect off the spiney bridge on the Belle Vernon side, run across the lower level, make a hard curve down to the Speers side and connect to the Pennsy. You must keep in mind that the Penn-Road Corp. controlled the P&WV at this time. Soooo...you see why this design may have worked. Although never fully completed to the PRR tracks.

If you can get a copy "The Story of the High & Dry" this will explain in detail the Passenger Service and building the Eastern (Connellsville) Extention.

[ple1556]

Hey guys, I have some info this trestle. It is part of the Connellsville extension, but I think the time period of construction was closer to 1929-1930--I think---Also, Did you know that bridge was originally intended to be a double-deck structure? Pittsburgh Steel wanted to build a connection to the Allenport Plant but I believe the depression stopped them from doing so. It connected to the bottom of main span of the PWV trestle right where the MSW trestle passes under & starts to turn parrallel to it. The connection was removed about 10 years or so ago but if you walk up to it you can see reminants, such as railings & pieces of the girders where they were removed & cut. You can also see the "roadbed" that was laid across the main span of the PWV trestle. I have pics but I have to find them. Also, there's a guy floating around on the internet somwhere by the name of Carsten Lundsten-- There's a pic on this link to his website: http://www.lundsten.dk/railfan_pa/we/ There's also a few pics on the http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ website. I think the last W&LE excursion was in August 2001. But I think a longer 1 was in April 1998. Again I am not sure of the dates but I do have a video called "The Monessen Flyer" that was taped 4/1998. I think it began in Orville, OH but ended at the Monessen Interchange. It didn't go all the way to C'ville. I myself thought it was pretty interesting--lots of action shots from all parts of the train. The begining had a "trip down memory lane" with lots of old footage of the Nickel Plate, WM, old W&LE and even a few seconds of P&WV FMs on the C'ville trestle. Hoped this helped.
_________________
High green!!

[CuriousGeorge]

Ok, it's interesting that two of yins mentioned the lower level span with this bridge . . . I somewhat purposely didn't even bring it up, because I am trying to confirm if it exsisted or not.

(OK, some of you may have caught me, I'm trying to settle a bet with a friend!)

There seems to be a lot of circumstantial evidence to support the lower deck theory. In just looking at the bridge, it definately appears that there might have been design for a lower deck, but I wonder if that design was neccessary for the long, high span over navigable waters.

On the other hand, there is a slight design modification between the Monongahela Bridge and the Yough River Bridge. What is most telling to me is the cross supports that run between the trusses. If you notice on the Yough River bridge, the angles pieces run the entire way from the top of the structure to the bottom. But on the Mon River bridge, there is a horizontal support about half way up. Above this support, there is an angled piece, but below it is open, for what seems to be enough for a train to pass through.

So, can anyone get me a picture of this connection between the MSW and the bottom of the PWV? I've only been in the valley snce about 1999, so I don't remember ever seeing it there. And, any idea why it was removed?

[Guest]

The Monessen Southwestern side of the "Speers River Bridge" was in fact connected to the bottom deck. In the early 1990's, I walked out onto the bottom span of Speers River Bridge using the MSW connection bridge. I believe I have a back & white image of the structure connecting the MSW and the P&WV bridges, shortly before it was removed. If memory serves me correctly, Canistrale Dock employees removed the bridge using their crane that worked directly below Speers River Bridge. I think part of the reason for its removal, Canistrale Dock was expaning and one of the supports for the bridge connection needed removed, so the entire bridge connection was removed.