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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 11:03 am 

Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:22 am
Posts: 7
New news from Delaware. Sad, but not unexpected. Hopefully they will choose to preserve the right-of-way for potential future use and build a trail next to it, rather than on top of it.

http://www.capegazette.com/article/cool-spring-lewes-railroad-be-decommissioned/137466

In case the link doesn't work here is the text. From the Cape Gazzette, July 11, 2017 article by Nick Roth:

"The section of railroad that runs from Cool Spring to Lewes will be decommissioned after it was determined that repairs to the swing bridge over the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal in Lewes would be too costly.

C.R. McLeod, Department of Transportation’s director of community relations, said the cost to repair the bridge would be more than $3 million.

SPI Pharma, located just outside Cape Henlopen State Park, was the lone entity along the short stretch beyond the bridge that the railroad serves. Delaware Coast Line Railroad operates the railroad and had averaged two to three transports to SPI Pharma per month. The company has been trucking its product since the bridge was closed in September.

“We’ve met with SPI Pharma and Delaware Coast Line Railroad and informed them of our decision,” McLeod said.

Lewes Mayor Ted Becker said there are still three railway cars at SPI Pharma, and they will have to be pushed back over the unstable bridge before the railroad is officially decommissioned. The bridge will be jacked and stabilized to accommodate one last use.

Use of the 100-year-old hand-cranked bridge was halted after it was discovered it had dropped 7 to 8 inches due to settlement of the structure in the canal below.

When the train leaves town with the last three cars, it will end a 144-year history of railroad use in Lewes.

“The train has been an important part of our community in the past, and we’re sad to see it go,” Becker said.

According to an excerpt from Lewes historian Hazel Brittingham in the Journal of the Lewes Historical Society, the original bridge was constructed with arrival of the Junction and Breakwater rail line in Lewes in 1869. It was modernized in 1916 by the Pennsylvania Railroad due to a need for a moveable bridge when the canal was built. It was important at that time because of Fort Miles in modern-day Cape Henlopen State Park as well as the menhaden industry along Lewes Beach. The bridge underwent a major reconstruction in 1997.

It is not yet known if the railroad decommissioning will impact the planned rail-with-trail slated to run along the railroad from Lewes to Georgetown. A public workshop is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 17, to discuss the next phase, which will extend the trail 3.2 miles from Savannah Road, under the Route 1 Nassau bridge and beyond to Minos Conaway Road. Work is slated to begin in the fall of 2018.

See more coverage in the Friday, July 14 edition of the Cape Gazette"


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 9:46 pm 

Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:22 am
Posts: 7
And, the end...

http://www.capegazette.com/article/last ... wes/147993

CAPE GAZETTE, by Nick Roth, Dec 19, 2017

UPDATE: Last train to Lewes
Delaware Coast Line Railroad makes final trip to town

After nearly 150 years of service to Lewes, the final train has left town.

Just after 9:30 a.m., Dec. 15, an engine from Delaware Coast Line Railroad pulled three tanker cars from the shadow of the Lewes water tower, past the Lewes Public Library and over Savannah Road one last time.

“What’s sad to me is that history will be lost,” said Dan Herholdt, general manager of Delaware Coast Line Railroad. “The railroad has been in Lewes since the early 1870s, and now it’s done. It’s closing a chapter.”

Until last year, Delaware Coast Line Railroad hauled materials to and from SPI Pharma, a pharmaceutical plant near Cape Henlopen State Park, a few times a month. That all changed when it was discovered the historic swing bridge over the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal was unsafe. After further study, DelDOT determined it would be too expensive to repair the bridge and decided to decommission the railroad line from Cool Spring to SPI Pharma.

The train had to come back to Lewes one last time to haul out three tanker cars stranded at SPI Pharma when the bridge was deemed unsafe. In November, the cars were lifted off the track and onto trailers. They were towed over the Freeman Bridge and placed back on the tracks near the Lewes water tower.

The final train left Lewes with little fanfare. The trip was unannounced and, Herholdt said, there were only a few onlookers as word began to spread. Many people commented on social media that they could hear the train whistle as the train came into town.

Delaware Coast Line Railroad began service to Lewes in October 1982 and averaged about 60 trips per year until 2013. Herholdt estimates his company had made about 650 trips to Lewes.

Despite losing the SPI Pharma as a customer, Herholdt said the railroad increased business by 18 percent this year. He said his company has already added another new customer for 2018.

Customers include two gas companies and Allen Harim.

“We’re fine,” he said. “We’ll have less track to maintain. Now we can focus on what we have to do to make it better.”

The Department of Transportation, which owns the railroad right of way, expects to begin removing the rail line in the spring, with a targeted start in April. Before that can occur, DelDOT must first receive approval from the Surface Transportation Board of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and then the project will be advertised, said Bob Perrine, DelDOT’s railroad program manager. Due to the size and scope, Perrine said, the project should attract national companies and affordable estimates.

The railroad track will end just west of Fisher Road in Cool Spring. The section between Allen Harim in Harbeson and Fisher Road may be used for storage of rail cars, engines and other materials, Herholdt said.

Lewes Mayor and City Council voted 3-1 Dec. 11 to seek preservation of a small section of railroad track between the library and the Rollins Community Center, between Kings Highway and Adams Avenue.

Herholdt said he is happy to see Lewes embrace the town’s long relationship with the railroad.

“If nothing else, it preserves history,” he said. “They could always put static displays on that rail. I’m glad they’re keeping part of it.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:51 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:51 pm
Posts: 11482
Location: Somewhere east of Prescott, AZ along the old Santa Fe "Prescott & Eastern"
See also:

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/641326/

The operators have been discussing a final "farewell" caboose hop and speeder run over the line before the track is removed with at least two railfan groups, I understand, but nothing is guaranteed.


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 2:42 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:51 pm
Posts: 11482
Location: Somewhere east of Prescott, AZ along the old Santa Fe "Prescott & Eastern"
Seven Years Later:

https://www.capegazette.com/article/lew ... ome/197238

Quote:
The Lewes railroad swing bridge is still in need of a home, but officials have found a place to temporarily store it along Gills Neck Road.

Landowner Robert Kennedy has tentatively agreed to lease land adjacent to the bridge for at least three years.

“This is going to give us some time to find a final resting place for the bridge,” said Gary Wray of the Lewes Junction Railroad and Bridge Association, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving railroad history in Lewes. “This gives us time to build consensus on a place, raise money and plan adequately rather than force something down someone’s throat.”

The association has offered several potential homes for the historic bridge, one of only two of its kind left in the country, Wray said. Recent suggestions are Great Marsh Park near the dog park and George H.P. Smith Park as a pedestrian bridge across Blockhouse Pond to its center island.

When a permanent home is found, it will be up to the association to pay for transportation and assembly. Wray said he’s confident the association will receive Community Transportation Funding from legislators and raise whatever else is needed through donations.

Removal of the bridge will be paid for by Delaware Department of Transportation.

The bridge was built in 1916, and over the years it’s served the menhaden fish factory, Cape Henlopen State Park, Fort Miles and, more recently, SPI Pharma.

The railroad from Cool Spring to Lewes was decommissioned in 2017 after it was discovered the bridge had dropped 7 to 8 inches as the structure sank into the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal below. Significant erosion has taken place in the canal bank around the bridge structure, which DelDOT believes will be remedied by removing the bridge.


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 1:57 am 

Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2008 11:21 am
Posts: 473
I think this was about 1994 or 1995? Anyways, the state didn't award a contract to spray the line, and by mid summer it was tall grass to the point that you could not see the rails in some spots. The "Tuscan Red" on the coaches had already faded to a purple, and one wheelset on one car had a flat spot courtesy Conrail, and we had a piston packing leaking and a slight rod knock. Ain't nuthin' like runnin' a railroad on a nickel........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWTVpeSB3j8


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 11:54 am 

Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:32 pm
Posts: 344
To comment on the original 2013 post, cool that something that big was hand operated.
The old Hennepin Canal in Illinois still has quite a few manually operated bridges. However I don’t think any still operate. Most are abandoned or lost, some open to very light single lane rural traffic, or just the bike trail that follows the canal. Nice to see them preserved, if somewhat improved for trail safety.
My favorites…
https://bridgehunter.com/il/bureau/bh51148 hand cranked roller bridge
http://bridgehunter.com/il/bureau/6995213567 hand cranked lift bridge

You can search all including the viaducts here…
https://bridgehunter.com/category/water ... al/exhibit


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 11:30 pm 

Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 2:31 pm
Posts: 71
This isn't about the Delmarva but in the mid 90's the W&LE still went to LTV steel in the flats in Cleveland OH. And we had a lift bridge over the Cuyahoga river. I was waiting on a locomotive to inspect and was BSing with the bridge operator. Well here comes a laker up river. I got to ride the bridge as it opened and closed from the equipment room top center of the span. And off in a corner was a mechanism to manually operate the bridge. The operator said "you have to crank the damn thing a million times".


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:32 am 

Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm
Posts: 1227
The Northern Pacific had a hand cranked swing bridge on a branch line out of Everett, WA. It didn't get much boat traffic so the railroad hired a local farmer to tend the bridge. One day the government snag boat showed up and blew for the bridge. They blew again and again with no response. Finally a crew member climbed up and opened the bridge. It turned out that the farmer had gone to town for the day.


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:52 am 

Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:22 am
Posts: 7
Bringing us back to the Lewes, DE bridge... a new article in the local newspaper was published April 24, 2020.
My father is on the board of the local preservation group working to save the bridge and [separately] construct a railroad display for the City of Lewes. I can report the group has had a strong start with good organization, planning and community support.

On a personal note, I (along with another poster on this thread) worked on this line in the 1990s during the short-lived Queen Anne's tourist operation. Returning home to visit my parents and riding my bicycle down the same ROW I used to mark up on is certainly an interesting experience. I'm proud my father and other locals are working to preserve the local RR history.

From the Cape Gazzette
Friday April 24, 2020
Historic Lewes railroad swing bridge finds a home
Will be displayed along bike trail at end of American Legion Road
By Nick Roth
nickroth@capegazette.com
After an extensive search, the Lewes Junction Railroad and Bridge Association has found a home for the historic swing bridge in the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal.
Lewes Mayor and City Council has agreed to place the bridge on a long, narrow strip of land zoned open space that’s only a few thousand feet from where it stands. The new location is at the end of American Legion Road, between Freeman Highway and the bike path.
Randy Voith, a retired engineer and spokesman for the association, says his group intends for the bridge to remain on the city land permanently, serving as a monument similar to the Lightship Overfalls in Canalfront Park. “From our standpoint, this is the perfect location for the bridge,” Voith said.
Council’s action April 13 provided the Department of Transportation the certainty it needed to move forward with plans to remove the bridge. Had the association not found a location, temporary or permanent, DelDOT was planning to scrap the bridge. Just where within the 5.25-acre parcel the 91-foot bridge will be placed is yet to be worked out between the association and city staff.
Councilwoman Bonnie Osler said she did not like the proposed placement, at a T where the bike path from American Legion Road meets another section of the trail that extends out to the canal to the west and to Cape Henlopen State Park to the east.
“It basically cuts off any alternative use of this land,” she said. “It’s across from basically the only access point.”
Voith said the location was chosen because it has the highest elevation of the parcel, but the group is open to finding other areas within the parcel to place the bridge. The bridge will be surrounded by a fence and landscaping, Voith said. The site will be easily accessible by foot or bicycle – 12 head-in parking spaces are available nearby on American Legion Road.
The bridge was built in 1916, and over the years it has served the menhaden fish factory, Cape Henlopen State Park, Fort Miles and, more recently, SPI Pharma.
The railroad from Cool Spring to Lewes was decommissioned in 2017 after it was discovered the bridge had dropped 7 to 8 inches as the structure sank into the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal below. Significant erosion has taken place in the canal bank around the bridge structure, which Del-DOT believes will be remedied by removing the bridge.
Once it is removed, DelDOT Director of Community Relations C.R. McLeod said, the shoreline will be replaced with rip-rap.
Saving the bridge is only one goal of the Lewes Junction Railroad and Bridge Association. The group also has plans to procure several railroad cars, including an engine, passenger car and caboose, and relocate them to a 210-foot section of track between the Lewes Public Library and the Lewes History Museum. The group’s interest prompted DelDOT to leave a small section of track in place when removing the railroad in 2018.
The railroad cars would be part of a larger outdoor museum aimed at honoring Lewes’ nearly 150-year railroad history, ending Dec. 15, 2017, when the last train left town.


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Mon Apr 27, 2020 2:04 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:51 pm
Posts: 11482
Location: Somewhere east of Prescott, AZ along the old Santa Fe "Prescott & Eastern"
Oddly, this story is NOT appearing on the Cape Gazette website, even after a search.

Got a URL for confirmation?


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Mon Apr 27, 2020 3:49 pm 

Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:22 am
Posts: 7
Article is behind newspaper's paywall so no public URL is available. Sent you a PM.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:
Oddly, this story is NOT appearing on the Cape Gazette website, even after a search.

Got a URL for confirmation?


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 11:01 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:25 pm
Posts: 2329
Location: The Atlantic Coast Line
The bridge move scheduled for December 1 has been postponed.

https://www.capegazette.com/article/lar ... dge/231690

Wesley


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 Post subject: Re: Neat Old Manual Crank Swing Bridge, Lewes, DE
PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 8:16 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:51 pm
Posts: 11482
Location: Somewhere east of Prescott, AZ along the old Santa Fe "Prescott & Eastern"
Finally happened today:

https://www.capegazette.com/article/lew ... nal/235046

https://www.facebook.com/ljrba/posts/147861997710477


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