An artist/designer looks at life and all its facets.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Early American Infrastructure
The Thomas Viaduct
Just five years afte the first section of the B&O Railroad opened, Benjamin Henry Latrobe built this beautiful curved stone arch bridge to carry the tracks connecting Baltimore and Washington across the Patapsco River.
This beautiful piece of American history is easily accessible if you find yourself in the Washington DC or Baltimore area. It is in amazing condition, especially considering it now carries modern rail traffic weighing many, many times what its engineer could have anticipated. I was only disappointed that many of the original wrought iron railings were missing or damaged when I visited ten years ago--they appear to be in good repair when the photo from the 1930s was taken. -Paul Rubenson
Just five years afte the first section of the B&O Railroad opened, Benjamin Henry Latrobe built this beautiful curved stone arch bridge to carry the tracks connecting Baltimore and Washington across the Patapsco River.
This beautiful piece of American history is easily accessible if you find yourself in the Washington DC or Baltimore area. It is in amazing condition, especially considering it now carries modern rail traffic weighing many, many times what its engineer could have anticipated. I was only disappointed that many of the original wrought iron railings were missing or damaged when I visited ten years ago--they appear to be in good repair when the photo from the 1930s was taken. -Paul Rubenson
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