Brilliant Branch Railroad Bridge

Bridge in Pittsburgh and Aspinwall
40°29′12″N 79°54′19″W / 40.4866°N 79.9053°W / 40.4866; -79.9053CarriesBrilliant BranchCrossesAllegheny RiverLocalePittsburgh and AspinwallCharacteristicsDesignTruss bridgeLongest span396 feet (121 m)Clearance below56.5 feet (17.2 m)HistoryOpened1904LocationMap

The Brilliant Branch Railroad Bridge is a truss bridge that carries Allegheny Valley Railroad's Brilliant Branch across the Allegheny River between the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Highland Park and the borough of Aspinwall, Pennsylvania.

History

The bridge is seen in this photograph from the early 20th century.

The Brilliant Branch, along with the Port Perry Branch along the Monongahela River was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad as part of a bypass of the narrow tracks around Downtown Pittsburgh.[1] After the collapse of the Penn Central Transportation Company (the PRR's successor company) in 1976, the Brilliant Branch was abandoned. In 1995, they were purchased by the fledgling Allegheny Valley Railroad and in 2003, the Brilliant Branch Bridge was reopened. It generally served one train per day in each direction.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bridges & Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, PA - Brilliant Branch RR Bridge". April 2, 2003. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brilliant Branch Railroad Bridge.
  • Brilliant Cutoff Bridge at bridgehunter.com
Bridges of the Allegheny River
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Jonathon Hulton Bridge
Brilliant Branch Railroad Bridge
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Highland Park Bridge
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