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I was traveling on the 80-90 turnpike a few days ago and near Toledo there was an old RR bridge just north of the highway bridge over the Maumee. Can anyone here tell me about it? Looks like it has been a very long time since any trains used it.

Thanks, Todd

Former Toledo Terminal "upper" bridge. Last used until the late 1970s when an N&W derailment took it out of commission.

Thanks for that info railohio. Looks to me like they started to dismantle the bridge but stopped for some reason?

The approach spans are removed to keep unwanted guests from using the bridge. I don't know what else has been removed off the top of my head. I rarely drive the turnpike through there.

Thanks "Train Man", ( yes, I know very limited Japanese, stress the VERY ). But, from what I could see the track supports and bridge ties had been removed leaving just the skeleton steel framework left. It appears that the local electric utility company has a medium voltage line attached to the south side of the bridge. That is one HEAVY DUTY support for a 440/880 VAC line! Actually, when I saw those electric lines there I thought it might have been an old interurban RR bridge. Thanks for telling me about the Toledo Terminal RR heritage of that bridge. Now I have to research the TTRR to satisfy my curousity. Do you know of any good websites to look for info on the TTRR?

Thanks, Todd

I know of another abandond bridge. Its in grand rapids ohio.

conrailfan wrote:I know of another abandond bridge. Its in grand rapids ohio.

The bridge is not abandoned, it is out of service. B-F-D.

If I am not mistaken, the old DT&I bridge in Napoleon that crossed over the Maumee River is still intact?

conrailfan wrote:I know of another abandond bridge. Its in grand rapids ohio.

Umm excuse me if i seem out of line, but Todd was asking about the old TT Upper Bridge in Toledo. Thats what i thought this thread was about.

NYC3001 wrote:If I am not mistaken, the old DT&I bridge in Napoleon that crossed over the Maumee River is still intact?

Yup, still intact. Go by it almost every day. It could possibly become a road in the future though.

From west to east, here's the status of rail crossings across the Maumee River that I can think of (corrections & additions are welcome!)
NS (Wabash) Detroit District - New Haven IN. Single track Through Truss Bridge Active.
Cincinnati Northern - Near Sherwood OH. Single Track Through Truss Bridge removed in early 1990s (was just east of US127 bridge)
CSX (B&O) Garrett Sub - Deleware Bend OH. Double Track Combination Truss and Girder Active (portions heavily rebuilt with return of double track in 1990's)
Maumee & Western (Wabash) - Defiance OH. Single Track Through Truss Bridge Active
DT&I (Old Line) - Napoleon Ohio. Single Track Through Truss Bridge, in place but no longer used for rail service (Abandoned by GTW in 1980's)
DT&I (Malinta Cutoff) - Near Liberty Center OH. Double track girder bridge, in use by I&O as part of their former DT&I operations (second track on bridge was used as siding - removed by GTW in 1980's)
NKP (Clover Leaf) - Grand Rapids OH. Single Track Through Truss Bridge. in place, trackage owned by TLE&W tourist RR.
Cincinnati & Lake Erie (interurban) - Waterville OH. Single Track Concrete Arch. Still standing and owned by State of Ohio.
Toledo Terminal (upper river crossing)- Rossford/Toledo OH (bridge visible from I80/90) Single track combination through truss and "over truss" (with rails being on top of through truss structure) standing, out of service. Train service on bridge ended with grain train derailment on bridge in early 1980's.
NS (Conrail/NYC) - Toledo OH Double Track through truss with center pivot for river navigation - in use as NS's portion of former NYC "Water Level Route"
PRR - Toledo OH. Not sure of type or configuration, was used to gain access to PRR passenger station from south - no longer there.
Wheeling & Lake Erie - Toledo OH. Single Track through truss (pivioting for navagation access) still in use primairly by current day W&LE to gain access to Ann Arbor RR.
CSX (Toledo Terminal) Lower River Bridge - Toledo OH. Double Track Through Truss ( pivots for navigation access)
Used by CSX as part of Toledo Terminal Sub.

What I have always wondered is why the TT bridge was ever built with provisions to be made into a pivot bridge, I can't imagine a time when they ever thought Freighters would head that far south. The river gets very shallow very fast.

The DT&I bridge in Napoleon is currently used for utilities in case anyone cared. A road would not be built using that bridge but maybe the abutments if it ever happens. Its a long way from the six bridge to the Florida bridge and Napoleon really does need another river crossing.

MSchwiebert wrote:PRR - Toledo OH. Not sure of type or configuration, was used to gain access to PRR passenger station from south - no longer there.

Neat site it came from:

http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/M ... _main.html

Oh! Found a neat picture!:

http://books.google.com/books?id=BdcjEG ... prr+toledo

The river used to be classified as navigatable to Perrysburg. At one time there were docks in Perrysburg where the boat launch and yacht club (behind the statue at the intersection of Louisana Ave. and River Road) are currently. My guess is that the river was still classified as such when the TT bridge was built. What would be interesting to know is if other than the pivot mechanisim - were any other mechanicals ever installed to make the bridge able to pivot, or if the thought was that if it became necessary they could be installed later? Obviously the Ohio Turnpike bridge (constructed in the 1950's) and what became the I-75 bridge (constructed in the 1960's) rendered it a moot point.

As for the second Napoleon bridge, I really hope that someone has the forsight to build a new structure that would give a direct shot from the industrial drive interchange on US6/24 down to Campbell's Soup. That would make the most sense - but Napoleon leadership has not always been noted for doing the sensible thing. In my opinion, if the piers from the DT&I bridge were used for a new highway bridge, they would end up with a narrow (it'd make the Damascus bridge seem wide by comparison) structure that would be hamstrung by poor connections to streets on either end.

MagnumForce wrote:What I have always wondered is why the TT bridge was ever built with provisions to be made into a pivot bridge, I can't imagine a time when they ever thought Freighters would head that far south. The river gets very shallow very fast.

The DT&I bridge in Napoleon is currently used for utilities in case anyone cared. A road would not be built using that bridge but maybe the abutments if it ever happens. Its a long way from the six bridge to the Florida bridge and Napoleon really does need another river crossing.

MagnumForce wrote:
The DT&I bridge in Napoleon is currently used for utilities in case anyone cared. A road would not be built using that bridge but maybe the abutments if it ever happens. Its a long way from the six bridge to the Florida bridge and Napoleon really does need another river crossing.

Is it possible or safe to walk across that bridge?

It's gated and locked.

HERE IS A LINK TO INFO ABOUT THE TOLEDO TERMINAL BRIDGE.

http://michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Bridg ... Bridge.htm