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Coordinates: 39°58′57″N 75°04′09″W / 39.98250°N 75.06917°W / 39.98250; -75.06917 (Delair Bridge)
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|caption= The Delair Bridge viewed from the Pennsylvania side
|caption= The Delair Bridge viewed from the Pennsylvania side
|official_name= Delair Memorial Railroad Drawbridge
|official_name= Delair Memorial Railroad Drawbridge
|carries= Trains of [[New Jersey Transit]] [[Atlantic City Line]] and [[Conrail]]
|carries= Trains of [[New Jersey Transit]] [[Atlantic City Line]] and [[Conrail Shared Assets Operations|Conrail]]
|crosses= [[Delaware River]]
|crosses= [[Delaware River]]
|locale= [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania|PA]], and [[Pennsauken Township, New Jersey|Pennsauken Township]], [[New Jersey|NJ]]
|locale= [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania|PA]], and [[Pennsauken Township, New Jersey|Pennsauken Township]], [[New Jersey|NJ]]
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|mainspan= {{convert|542|ft|m}}
|mainspan= {{convert|542|ft|m}}
|length= {{convert|4396|ft|m}}
|length= {{convert|4396|ft|m}}
|open=April 19, 1896<ref>{{cite news |title=New Delaware River Bridge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31736876/delaware_river_bridge_april_18_1896/ |access-date=May 19, 2019 |work=The Lewisburg Chronicle |date=April 18, 1896 |location=[[Lewisburg, Pennsylvania]] |page=1|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>
|open= 1896
|coordinates={{coord|39|58|57|N|75|04|09|W|name=Delair Bridge|type:landmark_region:US-PA|display=inline,title}}
|coordinates={{coord|39|58|57|N|75|04|09|W|name=Delair Bridge|type:landmark_region:US-PA|display=inline,title}}
}}
}}


The '''Delair Bridge''' (officially the '''Delair Memorial Railroad Bridge'''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/04/12/2017-07287/drawbridge-operation-regulation-delaware-river-pennsauken-township-nj |title=Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Delaware River, Pennsauken Township, NJ |publisher=Office of the Federal Register |date=April 12, 2017}}</ref>) is a railroad bridge with a [[vertical-lift bridge|vertical-lift]] section that crosses the [[Delaware River]] between [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[Pennsauken Township, New Jersey|Pennsauken Township]], [[New Jersey]], just south of the [[Betsy Ross Bridge]].Its two tracks are [[Conrail Shared Assets Operations|jointly used]] by [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] and [[CSX Transportation]] freight trains, as well as by the [[New Jersey Transit]] [[Atlantic City Line]] service.
The '''Delair Bridge''' (officially the '''Delair Memorial Railroad Bridge'''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/04/12/2017-07287/drawbridge-operation-regulation-delaware-river-pennsauken-township-nj |title=Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Delaware River, Pennsauken Township, NJ |publisher=Office of the Federal Register |date=April 12, 2017}}</ref>) is a railroad bridge with a [[vertical-lift bridge|vertical-lift]] section that crosses the [[Delaware River]] between [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[Pennsauken Township, New Jersey|Pennsauken Township]], [[New Jersey]], just south of the [[Betsy Ross Bridge]]. The two-track bridge is part of [[Conrail Shared Assets Operations]] and is jointly used by [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] and [[CSX Transportation]] freight trains, as well as by the [[New Jersey Transit]] [[Atlantic City Line]] service.


==History==
==History==
[[File:Lift span, from SW. - Pennsylvania and New Jersey Railroad, Delaware River Bridge, Spanning Delaware River, south of Betsy Ross Bridge (State Route 90), Philadelphia, HAER PA,51-PHILA,720-7.tif|thumb|left|The lift span of the bridge in 1999]]
[[File:Lift span, from SW. - Pennsylvania and New Jersey Railroad, Delaware River Bridge, Spanning Delaware River, south of Betsy Ross Bridge (State Route 90), Philadelphia, HAER PA,51-PHILA,720-7.tif|thumb|left|The lift span of the bridge in 1999]]


The Delair Bridge, built by the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] (PRR) in 1895–1896, was the first bridge of any sort between Philadelphia and New Jersey. The steel span connected PRR tracks in North Philadelphia to southern New Jersey. It consisted of three fixed [[Pennsylvania truss]] spans and a through-truss [[Swing bridge|swing-span]] [[Drawbridge (American English)|drawbridge]] totaling {{convert|1943|ft|m}}. Approach trestles of {{convert|2129|ft|m}} on the Pennsylvania side and {{convert|324|ft|m}} on the New Jersey side bring its total length to {{convert|4396|ft|m}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/pa/pa3700/pa3755/data/pa3755data.pdf |title=Pennsylvania &amp; New Jersey Railroad, Delaware River Bridge |last=Spivey |first=Justin M. |date=April 2001 |website=Historic American Engineering Record |publisher=Library of Congress |location= Washington, D.C. |page=3 |accessdate=February 1, 2014}}</ref>
The Delair Bridge, built by the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] (PRR) in 1895–1896, was the first bridge of any sort between Philadelphia and New Jersey. The steel span connected PRR tracks in North Philadelphia to southern New Jersey. It consisted of three fixed [[Pennsylvania truss]] spans and a through-truss [[Swing bridge|swing-span]] [[Drawbridge (American English)|drawbridge]] totaling {{convert|1943|ft|m}}. Approach trestles of {{convert|2129|ft|m}} on the Pennsylvania side and {{convert|324|ft|m}} on the New Jersey side bring its total length to {{convert|4396|ft|m}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/pa/pa3700/pa3755/data/pa3755data.pdf |title=Pennsylvania & New Jersey Railroad, Delaware River Bridge |last=Spivey |first=Justin M. |date=April 2001 |website=Historic American Engineering Record |publisher=Library of Congress |location= Washington, D.C. |page=3 |access-date=February 1, 2014}}</ref>


Starting in 1958, the PRR converted the bridge into a [[vertical-lift bridge|vertical-lift span]] to increase clearance for river traffic. The {{convert|542|ft|m}} movable link was floated into place in one piece to facilitate installation and minimize delay.<ref>{{cite news |title=PRR Bridge Will Set a Record |journal=Railway Age |volume=145 |number=3 |date=July 21, 1958 |pages=18-33 }}</ref> Work was completed in 1960. The Delair Bridge was the longest and heaviest double-track lift bridge in the world at the time. Note that the single-track [[Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge]] is {{convert|2|ft|m}} longer.<ref>{{cite news |first=David B. |last=Steinman |title=The World’s Most Notable Bridges |journal=Engineering News-Record |volume=141 |number=24 |date=December 9, 1948 |pages=92-94}}</ref>
Starting in 1958, the PRR converted the bridge into a [[vertical-lift bridge|vertical-lift span]] to increase clearance for river traffic. The {{convert|542|ft|m}} movable link was floated into place in one piece to facilitate installation and minimize delay.<ref>{{cite news |title=PRR Bridge Will Set a Record |journal=Railway Age |volume=145 |number=3 |date=July 21, 1958 |pages=18–33 }}</ref> Work was completed in 1960. The Delair Bridge was the longest and heaviest double-track lift bridge in the world at the time. Note that the single-track [[Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge]] is {{convert|2|ft|m}} longer.<ref>{{cite news |first=David B. |last=Steinman |title=The World's Most Notable Bridges |journal=Engineering News-Record |volume=141 |number=24 |date=December 9, 1948 |pages=92–94}}</ref>


The bridge was also electrified in the late 1930s,<ref>The line to Pavnoia Yard or Atlantic City is not listed in [http://prr.railfan.net/ElectricTraction.html Drawing ET-1], June 10, 1935. Electrification was likely after this, although the Richmond Substation was installed by 1932.</ref> allowing freight trains hauled by [[electric locomotive]]s to access the [[Pavonia Yard]] in [[Camden, New Jersey]] from the [[Northeast Corridor]]. Electrification was removed by January, 1967<ref>{{cite web |title=PRR Interlocking Diagram for JERSEY |date=January 1, 1971 |url=http://www.sjrail.com/wiki/images/9/9b/Jersey_map.gif |accessdate=December 26, 2010}}</ref> but was restored in May 1973.<ref>{{cite web|last=Baer|first=Christopher T.|title=PRR Chronology 1973 |url=http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1973%20Jun%2005.pdf |publisher=Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society |accessdate=2 September 2012}}</ref> However, Conrail ceased electric freight operations in 1981 and removed the wires several years later.
The bridge was also electrified in the late 1930s,<ref>The line to Pavnoia Yard or Atlantic City is not listed in [http://prr.railfan.net/ElectricTraction.html Drawing ET-1], June 10, 1935. Electrification was likely after this, although the Richmond Substation was installed by 1932.</ref> allowing freight trains hauled by [[electric locomotive]]s to access the [[Pavonia Yard]] in [[Camden, New Jersey]], from the [[Northeast Corridor]]. Electrification was removed by January 1967<ref>{{cite web |title=PRR Interlocking Diagram for JERSEY |date=January 1, 1971 |url=http://www.sjrail.com/wiki/images/9/9b/Jersey_map.gif |access-date=December 26, 2010}}</ref> but was restored in May 1973.<ref>{{cite web|last=Baer|first=Christopher T.|title=PRR Chronology 1973 |url=http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1973%20Jun%2005.pdf |publisher=Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society |access-date=2 September 2012}}</ref> However, Conrail ceased electric freight operations in 1981 and removed the wires several years later.


Passenger train traffic on the bridge ceased in 1969 when [[Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines]] service was cut to [[Lindenwold station]] after the completion of the [[PATCO Speedline]], but was restored in 1989 when Amtrak began the ''[[Atlantic City Express (Amtrak train)|Atlantic City Express]]'' service. Amtrak service ended in 1995, but [[New Jersey Transit]] [[Atlantic City Line]] service has used the bridge continuously since 1993.
Passenger train traffic on the bridge ceased in 1969 when [[Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines]] service was cut to [[Lindenwold station]] after the completion of the [[PATCO Speedline]], but was restored in 1989 when Amtrak began the ''[[Atlantic City Express (Amtrak train)|Atlantic City Express]]'' service. Amtrak service ended in 1995, but [[New Jersey Transit]] [[Atlantic City Line]] service has used the bridge continuously since 1993.
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The bridge's southern track was formerly reserved for freight traffic, and the northern track only used for the Atlantic City Line. As part of the [[Pennsauken Transit Center]] project, a station complex where the [[River LINE]] passes under the Delair Bridge's eastern approach, platforms were built on both tracks. Both tracks are now used by both passenger and freight trains.
The bridge's southern track was formerly reserved for freight traffic, and the northern track only used for the Atlantic City Line. As part of the [[Pennsauken Transit Center]] project, a station complex where the [[River LINE]] passes under the Delair Bridge's eastern approach, platforms were built on both tracks. Both tracks are now used by both passenger and freight trains.


==21st Century update==
==21st century rehabilitation==
[[File:NJT 6013 coming off the Delair Bridge, May 2015.jpg|thumb|left|An NJT Atlantic City Line train on the bridge in 2015]]
[[File:NJT 6013 coming off the Delair Bridge, May 2015.jpg|thumb|left|An NJT Atlantic City Line train on the bridge in 2015]]
In December 2011, an $18.5 million [[Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery]] (TIGER) grant was awarded to South Jersey Port by the [[United States Department of Transportation]] for rehabilitation of the bridge.<ref> http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/us-invests-62-million-in-ports/20017927100.htm {{dead link|date=December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.dev/files/docs/TIGER_2011_AWARD.pdf |title=TIGER 2011 Awards: South Jersey Port Rail Improvements, DelAir Bridge |year=2011 |accessdate=December 30, 2018 |publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation }}</ref> The improvements were completed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://hiddencityphila.org/2016/11/making-connections-in-new-jersey-with-the-delair-bridge/ |title=Making Connections in New Jersey with the DelAir Bridge |date=November 9, 2016 |last=Ricereto |first=Mick |work=Hidden City Philadelphia }}</ref>
In December 2011, an $18.5 million [[Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery]] (TIGER) grant was awarded to [[South Jersey Port Corporation]] by the [[United States Department of Transportation]], partially for rehabilitation of the bridge.<ref>http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/us-invests-62-million-in-ports/20017927100.htm {{dead link|date=December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.dev/files/docs/TIGER_2011_AWARD.pdf |title=TIGER 2011 Awards: South Jersey Port Rail Improvements, DelAir Bridge |year=2011 |access-date=December 30, 2018 |publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation }}</ref> The improvements were completed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://hiddencityphila.org/2016/11/making-connections-in-new-jersey-with-the-delair-bridge/ |title=Making Connections in New Jersey with the DelAir Bridge |date=November 9, 2016 |last=Ricereto |first=Mick |work=Hidden City Philadelphia }}</ref>


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==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Commons category}}
*{{HAER |survey=PA-545 |id=pa3755 |title=Pennsylvania &amp; New Jersey Railroad, Delaware River Bridge, Spanning Delaware River, south of Betsy Ross Bridge (State Route 90), Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA |photos=23 |color=2 |data=6 |cap=2}}
*{{HAER |survey=PA-545 |id=pa3755 |title=Pennsylvania &amp; New Jersey Railroad, Delaware River Bridge, Spanning Delaware River, south of Betsy Ross Bridge (State Route 90), Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA |photos=23 |color=2 |data=6 |cap=2}}
*{{Structurae |id=20031745 |title=Delair Bridge (1896)}}
*{{Structurae |id=20031745 |title=Delair Bridge (1896)}}
*[http://www.workshopoftheworld.com/richmond_bridesburg/delair.html Delair Bridge] at "Workshop of the World"
*[http://www.workshopoftheworld.com/richmond_bridesburg/delair.html Delair Bridge] at "Workshop of the World"
* [http://michaelfroio.com/commissionedwork/2015/4/29/delair-bridge-project Video of rebuilding by Michael Froio 2015]
* [http://michaelfroio.com/commissionedwork/2015/4/29/delair-bridge-project Video of rebuilding by Michael Froio 2015]{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}


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{{New Jersey Transit Rail}}
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[[Category:Railroad bridges in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Railroad bridges in New Jersey]]
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[[Category:Pennsylvania truss bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania truss bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Interstate railroad bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Interstate railroad bridges in the United States]]
[[South Jersey Port Corporation]]
[[Category:South Jersey Port Corporation]]

Revision as of 20:46, 25 January 2024

Delair Bridge
The Delair Bridge viewed from the Pennsylvania side
Coordinates39°58′57″N 75°04′09″W / 39.98250°N 75.06917°W / 39.98250; -75.06917 (Delair Bridge)
CarriesTrains of New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line and Conrail
CrossesDelaware River
LocalePhiladelphia, PA, and Pennsauken Township, NJ
Official nameDelair Memorial Railroad Drawbridge
Characteristics
DesignSteel Lift Bridge
Total length4,396 feet (1,340 m)
Longest span542 feet (165 m)
History
OpenedApril 19, 1896[1]
Location
Map

The Delair Bridge (officially the Delair Memorial Railroad Bridge[2]) is a railroad bridge with a vertical-lift section that crosses the Delaware River between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, just south of the Betsy Ross Bridge. The two-track bridge is part of Conrail Shared Assets Operations and is jointly used by Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation freight trains, as well as by the New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line service.

History

The lift span of the bridge in 1999

The Delair Bridge, built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1895–1896, was the first bridge of any sort between Philadelphia and New Jersey. The steel span connected PRR tracks in North Philadelphia to southern New Jersey. It consisted of three fixed Pennsylvania truss spans and a through-truss swing-span drawbridge totaling 1,943 feet (592 m). Approach trestles of 2,129 feet (649 m) on the Pennsylvania side and 324 feet (99 m) on the New Jersey side bring its total length to 4,396 feet (1,340 m).[3]

Starting in 1958, the PRR converted the bridge into a vertical-lift span to increase clearance for river traffic. The 542 feet (165 m) movable link was floated into place in one piece to facilitate installation and minimize delay.[4] Work was completed in 1960. The Delair Bridge was the longest and heaviest double-track lift bridge in the world at the time. Note that the single-track Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge is 2 feet (0.61 m) longer.[5]

The bridge was also electrified in the late 1930s,[6] allowing freight trains hauled by electric locomotives to access the Pavonia Yard in Camden, New Jersey, from the Northeast Corridor. Electrification was removed by January 1967[7] but was restored in May 1973.[8] However, Conrail ceased electric freight operations in 1981 and removed the wires several years later.

Passenger train traffic on the bridge ceased in 1969 when Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines service was cut to Lindenwold station after the completion of the PATCO Speedline, but was restored in 1989 when Amtrak began the Atlantic City Express service. Amtrak service ended in 1995, but New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line service has used the bridge continuously since 1993.

The bridge's southern track was formerly reserved for freight traffic, and the northern track only used for the Atlantic City Line. As part of the Pennsauken Transit Center project, a station complex where the River LINE passes under the Delair Bridge's eastern approach, platforms were built on both tracks. Both tracks are now used by both passenger and freight trains.

21st century rehabilitation

An NJT Atlantic City Line train on the bridge in 2015

In December 2011, an $18.5 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant was awarded to South Jersey Port Corporation by the United States Department of Transportation, partially for rehabilitation of the bridge.[9][10] The improvements were completed.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "New Delaware River Bridge". The Lewisburg Chronicle. Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. April 18, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved May 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ "Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Delaware River, Pennsauken Township, NJ". Office of the Federal Register. April 12, 2017.
  3. ^ Spivey, Justin M. (April 2001). "Pennsylvania & New Jersey Railroad, Delaware River Bridge" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 3. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  4. ^ "PRR Bridge Will Set a Record". Railway Age. Vol. 145, no. 3. July 21, 1958. pp. 18–33.
  5. ^ Steinman, David B. (December 9, 1948). "The World's Most Notable Bridges". Engineering News-Record. Vol. 141, no. 24. pp. 92–94.
  6. ^ The line to Pavnoia Yard or Atlantic City is not listed in Drawing ET-1, June 10, 1935. Electrification was likely after this, although the Richmond Substation was installed by 1932.
  7. ^ "PRR Interlocking Diagram for JERSEY". January 1, 1971. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  8. ^ Baer, Christopher T. "PRR Chronology 1973" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  9. ^ http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/index/us-invests-62-million-in-ports/20017927100.htm [dead link]
  10. ^ "TIGER 2011 Awards: South Jersey Port Rail Improvements, DelAir Bridge" (PDF). U.S. Department of Transportation. 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  11. ^ Ricereto, Mick (November 9, 2016). "Making Connections in New Jersey with the DelAir Bridge". Hidden City Philadelphia.
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