The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-01-17
Belt LINE BRIDGE.
To 30 Opened February 1st-A Minute
Description.

To 10 Opened February 1st-A Minute
Description.
The Belt Line or James river branch Of
the Richmond, fredericksburg and Potomac
railroad, connecting with the Atlantic Coast
Line beyond Manchester, will be opened
February lst. The road has been completed
about two months, but nothing as yet but
work trains have run over it. The junction
on the Richmond, Fredericksburg ana PO-
tOmac is just one mile and eighty-fiye hum
dretbs beyond the Richmond, Frederieks-
burg and Potomac shops. near the EXPOSE
ton. This junction station is called Acca.
The junction station on the Coast Line (the
Richmond and Petersburg railr0ad) is
called Clopton. The distance between Acca
and ClOptOn is 7S4 miles. There will be a
telegraph station at each end Of the branch
road.
The bridge over the James, which is the
most important part in the branch road,
crosses the river at Grants Dam at about
ninety feet above the water, and about
seventy feet above the level Of the Richmond
aud Allegheny and Richmond and Danville
railroads. There are eleven spans TO the
bridge, of one hundred and sixty-seyen feet
each, and the approach to the structure on
eli her side is by means Of girders of shorter
spans.
WROUGHT IRON TOW EkS.
The trusses are not supported upon piers
Of masonry, but upon wrought ir0n-tOwers,
which rest upon cut-stOne pedestals, the
| tops Of which are above the highest freshet
mark. The bottoms rest on the granite bed
OF the river. These towers are nine feet
wide when measured parallel with the
bridge, and in the other direction are as
wide on top as the bridge itself-namely
about sixteen feet-and they spread out
ward growing larger as they descend, until
they are thirty feet wide at the bottom.
The pedestals are fOrty-three and half
feet long, and fourteen and a half WIDE
some of them being about twenty feet high
above the bottom. The interior Of these
pedestals are filled with concrete so that
they are practically moDOiths.
/ TWO THOUSAND FEET LONG.
The bridge IS almost two thousand feet in
length. The top Of the rails upon il are one
hundred and eghty-siX feet above the tide
something over n hundred feet higher than
the rails on the Petersburg bridge. the
bridge is more than strong enough to carry,
besides its own weight, and that of heavy
floor, two locomotives coupled together,
each weighing one hundred tons, followed
by a train weighing two tons TO lineal
loot. A freight train Of the heavy class,
such as mineral or coal trains, weighs
about ton and a quarter TO the lineal foot.
The bridge cost 100000. 1t occupies
very picturesque position and can be seen
to great advantage from the hills near the
New pump-house as well as from the Rich
mond and Danyille railroad, on the Ches-
terrified side of the river.
The contractors for the masonry were
Mason, Holt n Co., and for the iron work,
the Edgea.our Bridge Company, Whining
ton. Del. The type OF the bridge is what is
known as the Triangular or Warren truss.
Steel and wrought iron were used TO the eX
clusiOn Of cast iron. The whole of the
branch line is just about eight miles, and
is an excellent piece of work throughout.