The Point Pleasant register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, W. Va.) 1909-1939, 1909-09-29
new BRIDGE
OF The K. & n. ACROSS THE OHIO
RIVER AT POINT pleasant.
BY ). A. srockm.

S - sSl- -
of The Spencer Hotel, We reproduce
the following article, from the En-
gineering News
The Kanawha & Michigan Railway
crosses the Ohio River at Point Pleas
ant, W. Va, on a single-track bridge
three-quarters, of mile long with a
vertical clearance over the channel
of 90 feet above low water. This
bridge was rebuilt during the past
three years.
The original bridge. built in 1882
4, consisted of a steel yiaduct ap-
proach on the north end $50 #. long,
FIVE whipple truss spans over the
river and steel viaduct approach on
the south end l.5l6 #. long. The
greater portion of the latter was On
a 5 degree curve. The channel span
was level, the four other river spans
were on o.5 per cent grade and
both viaducts had /! per cent grades
reduced to II per cent on the 5 de-
gree curve. These grades have al
ways required pusher service, three
engines being required to handle a
train which one engine was able to
handle elsewhere on the division.
When it became necessary therefore
to rebuild the bridge on account of
heavier train loads, it was decided to
relocate the line for three miles
south of the bridge and obtain the
standard gradient of the K. & NJ.
Ry. against northbound traffic, O.s
compensated for curvature.
The new bridge and south ap-
proach have been rebuilt on o.s
per cent grade. The north approach
has been rebuilt on the original /!
per cent grade, but both masonry
and steel work are 50 designed and
built that the viadssct may at any
time be easily raised to the standard
grade against southbOund traffic,
namely, o.5 per cent. Span No. /,
the northerly span of the river bridge,
has been built on the standard O.5
per cent grade; No. has been re-
built level; spans s, 4 and were
first rebuilt on the original o.5 per
cent grade and then were jacked up
to the final o.e per cent grade when
the south viaduct was rebuilt. a year
afterward. The south waduct and
the revised approach location and
grading were completed two months
ago.
The new river crossing, which uses
the old piers, consists of FIVE spans; !;
four Pratt trusses with inclined top
chord and one AIS! foot Baltimore
truss. They were designed for a
live-load of 5000 lbs per lin. #. plus
concentration of SC, COO lbs, while
>the approach viaducts were designed
for 5000 and 10000 lbs. The old
structure which the new bridge re-
places had been designed for two ST.
ton consolidation locomotives follow
ed by s,s4o lbs. per lin. #.
The channel span (No. q was re-
built in the summer of 1907. The
other spans were rebuilt (in the order
Nos. 5, 4, 5, y in 1905. All of the
rebuilding was done on timber false
work resting on piles. The false
work was built, the floor of the bridge
wedged up on it, the old trusses
taken down, the floor system ex-
changed panel by panel, and finally
the new trusses erected and swung.
While the new bridge affords the
same clearance over the river that
the old one had, it is so designed
that it was necessary to cut down the
piers by about eight feet.
one-half mile north of the bridge
the Kanawha & Michigan Ry. con-
meets with the Hooking Valley Ry.
/, by Y. Between the legs of the Y
is plot of ground that was furnished
with spur tracks and utilized for a
material yard. An falsework and
bridge material was handled from