Thomas Viaduct, 1835, Patapsco River, world's oldest multiple-arched stone railroad bridge, by Benjamin Latrobe, Relay, Maryland
From Wikipedia: "The Thomas Viaduct spans the Patapsco River and Patapsco Valley between Relay and Elkridge, Maryland, USA. It is the first multi-span masonry railroad bridge in the United States to be built on a curve. Construction of the bridge commenced on July 4, 1833, and was completed on July 4, 1835. The Thomas Viaduct was the largest bridge in the nation in its day and today it remains the world's largest bridge of its kind,[1] as well as the world's oldest multiple arched stone railroad bridge. It was named for Philip E. Thomas, the first president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). Until after the American Civil War, the B&O was the only railroad into Washington, thus the Thomas Viaduct was essential for supply trains to reach the capital of the Union during that conflict. To prevent sabotage, the bridge was heavily guarded by Union troops stationed along its length. The viaduct is now owned and operated by CSX Transportation and still in use today, making it one of the oldest railroad bridges still in service. .... During design and construction, the Thomas Viaduct was nicknamed "Latrobe's Folly" after the designer Benjamin Latrobe, because at the time many doubted that it could even support its own weight. Yet it has proved them all wrong, the Thomas Viaduct survived the great flood of 1868 as well as Hurricane Agnes in 1972, two floods that wiped out the Patapsco Valley and destroyed nearly everything in their path; and to this day it continues to carry 300-ton (270 tonne) diesel locomotives passengers and heavy freight traffic. The bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 28, 1964, and administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The bridge has also been named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)."
Size: 4367px × 2911px
Location: Maryland, USA
Photo credit: © Philip Scalia / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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