White Deer Bridge

PYZedd · **Posted:** Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:58 am

Pier 2 will be close to the road. Note white(berm) line in picture!

RSwinnerton · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:32 pm **Posts:** 198

Ahh the fire less wonder. Brother Mitchell is almost correct on the story. The guy who acquired it used the CRHS name to do so and paid for the move using money borrowed from an NRHS Chapter (not sure which one). PP&L thought it was coming to CRHS, but our group was in a dormant state from 2000 to 2005 during which time this person held himself out to be the President (which he wasn't).

I will say categorically that the CRHS has absolutely no claim or desire to own the piece. It doesn't fit our mission and there's already a couple in preservation, which to us means our money is better spent elsewhere.

Russ

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Jul 25, 2013 1:39 pm

RSwinnerton wrote:

Ahh the fire less wonder. Brother Mitchell is almost correct on the story. The guy who acquired it used the CRHS name to do so and paid for the move using money borrowed from an NRHS Chapter (not sure which one). PP&L thought it was coming to CRHS, but our group was in a dormant state from 2000 to 2005 during which time this person held himself out to be the President (which he wasn't).

I will say categorically that the CRHS has absolutely no claim or desire to own the piece. It doesn't fit our mission and there's already a couple in preservation, which to us means our money is better spent elsewhere.

Clarify: The one in/around Lewisburg, or the one over in/near BM&R? (I think I know, just clarifying for everyone else.)

thebigham · **Joined:** Sun Jul 14, 2013 3:46 pm **Posts:** 261

Thanks for the new pics!

I have some pics I took back in Dec. 2008 here:

http://photos.greatrails.net/show/?orde ... %20Chapter

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Sat Jul 27, 2013 11:39 am

Additional news from the Central Pennsylvania Chapter NRHS:

The Chapter board of directors has approved an offer by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley/West Va. Central/etc. operations to purchase two of the heavyweight Pullman cars and one of two three-bay hoppers from the Central Pa. Chapter "as is, where is." I have been assured by the current president of the Chapter that he personally selected the three cars to be sold, selecting the two Pullmans missing the most original interior equipment. It is my suspicion that the two Pullmans will be transported to West Virginia and rebuilt as lounge/diner cars with more modern equipment and furnishings, and the hopper used as a ballast/photo freight car.

Freight service on the line north to Allenwood is slated to begin sometime this fall; the Chapter is supposedly planning a "members only" excursion from White Deer to Allenwood in August before actual operation and administration of the trackage is in the hands of SEDA-COG/the Union County Industrial Railroad.

PYZedd · **Posted:** Sun Jul 28, 2013 9:42 pm

A big thanks to "thebigham" for the pictures from 2008 (or the link to them), of the White Deer bridge! My rememberer is broke.... When were the girder bridge sections taken off the failing piers and stacked???? JL

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Sun Jul 28, 2013 11:12 pm

PYZedd wrote:

A big thanks to "thebigham" for the pictures from 2008 (or the link to them), of the White Deer bridge! My rememberer is broke.... When were the girder bridge sections taken off the failing piers and stacked???? JL

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

The bridge suffered from an undermined, collapsed pier in a flood in January 1996. The two bridge girders were removed and stacked atop the one remaining span at the time.

RSwinnerton · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:32 pm **Posts:** 198

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

RSwinnerton wrote:

Ahh the fire less wonder. Brother Mitchell is almost correct on the story. The guy who acquired it used the CRHS name to do so and paid for the move using money borrowed from an NRHS Chapter (not sure which one). PP&L thought it was coming to CRHS, but our group was in a dormant state from 2000 to 2005 during which time this person held himself out to be the President (which he wasn't).

I will say categorically that the CRHS has absolutely no claim or desire to own the piece. It doesn't fit our mission and there's already a couple in preservation, which to us means our money is better spent elsewhere.

Clarify: The one in/around Lewisburg, or the one over in/near BM&R? (I think I know, just clarifying for everyone else.)

The yellow one in Lewisburg.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:48 am

From an August 8th press release from SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority:

Quote:

An accelerated schedule for the reconstruction project was developed during a recent meeting involving Lycoming Supply, contractor on the project; John Conrad, the JRA's bridge engineer; PennDOT; and representatives of the Rail Authority.

The new schedule is as follows:
* August 9 Last pier of the bridge will be poured.
* August 10 Steel frame around the pier will be removed.
* August 12 & 13 Work to begin on filling in excavated site over foundation and around pier.
* August 14 & 15 - Pull steel sheet piling from around pier
* August 16 & 17 Finish back filling and preparation of new sub-base for travel lanes to begin. Approximately 100-feet of roadway has been impacted by the project.
* August 19 Clear state road area and begin installation of guardrails
* August 20 Build travel surface on impacted portion of White Deer Pike.
* August 21 Road re-opens.

Stover cautioned that there are three construction-related events which will require closure of the White Deer Pike for short periods:
* Setting the steel beams on the bridge will take 1-2 days.
* Placing the bridge deck itself will require a day.
* The final overlay of the roadway will require a day

dave crow · **Posted:** Wed Aug 14, 2013 7:45 am

Sounds like the JRA wants the road re-opened before school starts.

1361prr · **Joined:** Tue Aug 07, 2012 2:42 pm **Posts:** 34

But where's the traffic coming from????

G. W. Laepple · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:10 pm **Posts:** 1182

Where indeed. There are rumors that a firm connected with the Marcellus shale fracking industry is interested in locating at the industrial park, but there is no public information about who the company might be and exactly what their connection to the industry is. In the meantime, the track to the park ends abruptly at the property line just north of Allenwood. "If you build it they will come." An awful lot of taxpayer dollars are at stake here.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Aug 22, 2013 1:04 am

Just crawling in from a junket up that way.

The bridge beams have been delayed slightly. The road has been reopened in the meantime. The piers are still being cured with water drizzle.

The track has been completed up to the industrial park property line at the last crossing on the north side of Allenwood. The major crossing in Allenwood is still officially "exempt" from service though now signaled. A token short section of rail (about four feet) lies removed at the "border" to officially designate "end of track" for the restoration project.

As I am to understand it, the price of $3 million included the rebuilding of a culvert washed out over a decade ago that left about 50 feet of track suspended in the air after a torrential downpour, and the installation of practically all new ties and ballast over something like four miles of track--and the bridge rebuilding. As I understood, it was a case of "use it before the grant program goes away."

I'm refusing comment on the "pork barrel" aspects of the track restoration, as this is a classic "chicken or egg" scenario that has played out many times in "industrial revitalization" throughout Pennsylvania and the nation. It's an argument that parallels both the discussion as to whether or not the government should "level the playing field" with railroads versus other (subsidized) transport modes, and/or whether government "investment" in industrial parks, municipal sports stadiums, etc. ever really pays off in the long run.

PYZedd · **Posted:** Tue Aug 27, 2013 4:37 pm

The girder portion of the W.D. bridge is to be placed tomorrow 8/28/2013!! One girder section is on site parked still on the trailer on old 11-15 near the site. Sorry, didn't have camera along to take pictures. Crane due to arrive 7:00AM... Bring your camera, all roads lead to White Deer!!! Road to Watsontown is open today, will be closed most of tomorrow...

PYZedd · **Posted:** Wed Aug 28, 2013 6:31 pm

First section placed mid morning. It is the longest piece, spanning the creek.

White Deer Bridge

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