From: M00209@MBVM.Mitre.Org
Subject: Re: NEC
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA 01730
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 17:31:11 GMT

In article <1993Jan21.030226.718@walter.cray.com>
rl@ferris.cray.com (Randy Lambertus) writes:
 
>
>  Very nice article Len. About the Poughkeepsie bridge, what was
>the extent of the fire. In all the literature I read they allude to
>the damage by the fire, but never describe the circumstances or
>the actual results. Was this a wooden bridge that was completely
>burned or a steel structure that warped and feel. If it was steel
>how could a fire destroy it unless it was the ties that contributed
>to the blaze.
>
>  Just where was the bridge located in relation to the Bear Mountain
>auto bridge? North or south, and could you see the old New Haven
>bridge fom there? I am interested because I feel the demise of
>the Erie-Lackawanna was probably accelerated due to the loss of
>New England traffic from/to Maybrook.
>
Man, you're really taxing my memory!
 
Yes, it's a steel bridge and it's still standing.  The track structure was
pretty well destroyed on the western half of the bridge - ties burned, rails
bent out of shape, etc.  By the time it burned, service to Maybrook had been
reduced to nearly nothing - in fact, I think I remember that the line was
already out of service before the fire.  Penn Central management had decided
that it was more economic to route traffic into and out of New England via
Selkirk than via Maybrook.  Although I share your opinion that the dry-up of
the Maybrook gateway was a significant factor in the decline of the E-L, and
although the E-L was my favorite U.S. railroad after my home B&M and MEC, I am
of the opinion that this was one of the few intelligent decisions made by the
Penn Central management.  I think the E-L could have survived without Maybrook
(though the L&HR probably could not have) and I agree with the generally
accepted thesis that Hurricane Hazel (or was it one of her sisters) was the
real cause of the E-L's death.  I think that without that storm, they could
have survived and trudged the long road back to solvency just as the B&M did.
(This is not the place to decry the B&M's later inclusion in the Guilford mess)
 
Getting back to Poughkeepsie, the bridge is way north of Bear Mountain.  It is
on the north side of the City of Poughkeepsie.  As I said, it's still standing.
I think I remember that there is also a highway bridge in Poughkeepsie, and if
there is, the railroad bridge would be north of it and I am sure would be
visible from the road.
 
The fire did little if any damage, as I recall, to the bridge structure itself.
Just destroyed the railroad on it.  There was some talk, never proven, that the
fire was deliberately set.  Certainly by the time it happened, the PC would
have been glad to be rid of the Bridge by any means, but I seriously doubt that
they would have deliberately torched it, though some vagrant may have set it on
fire.  Did you know that prior to the completion of the Hell Gate Bridge Route
some through passenger train service between Boston and (at least) Harrisburg
and Baltimore was operated over the Poughkeepsie Bridge?
 
 
Len Bachelder        Archives Committee, Boston and Maine RR Historical Society
MITRE Corp.           Secretary, Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts
Bedford MA 01730      Member, 470 Railroad Club
<M00209@mbvm.mitre.org>
 
"Amazing love, how can it be that Thou, my God, should'st die for me!"
                                                 - Charles Wesley