Amtrak Railroad Anacostia Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Amtrak Railroad Anacostia Bridge is a railway
-only bridge
which crosses the Anacostia River
in Washington, D.C.
As of 2010, it carries only Amtrak
's Northeast Corridor
passenger rail traffic. It was the site of the famous "Crescent Limited
wreck" in August 1933, caused when the bridge was damaged by the 1933 Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane.
gave their approval for the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad (B&P, then controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad
[PRR] ) to build a more direct line from Baltimore
to the District of Columbia
. The new route would be called the Magruder Branch (because it crossed the Magruder Branch, a stream which is a tributary of the Anacostia River). It would largely replace the local section of the Washington City Branch, which crossed the Anacostia 3 miles (4.8 km) to the south. The Magruder Branch would connect the new Union Station
with the PRR Magruder Station in Landover, Maryland
(a major hub for the railroad).
Construction of the Magruder Branch line, however, required that a new bridge be built across the river (then also known as the "Eastern Branch"), and the Commissioners gave their approval for this bridge as well. The United States Army Corps of Engineers
, which at the time had control over all rivers and bridges in the District of Columbia, approved the new bridge in September 1903. Construction began in 1904. A 5 feet (1.5 m) deep bed of gravel was laid down, and concrete piers placed on top of it. By the end of January 1905, the bridge was nearly finished, with the foundation and entire substructure complete. As of April 1906, one of the two tracks across the bridge had been laid.
The Anacostia's floodwaters had undermined the bridge's central piers, causing the bridge to sag and the rails to separate. The bridge's destruction had been swift: A track foreman had inspected the bridge 90 minutes before the wreck and found it sound, and a track walker had crossed the bridge just 10 minutes earlier and saw no damage.
There was amazingly little loss of life. The engineer and fireman were both killed, and 13 passengers injured (but only two severely). Just 30 passengers were aboard, which limited casualties. The couplings between the cars also held, preventing more cars from crashing into the river. Other factors also helped. When the train left Baltimore, railroad officials warned the engineer to slow down because of conditions created by the hurricane, and the locomotive's steam had been cut off (with the object of allowing the train to coast down the grade into the city). The cost of the disaster was estimated at between $80,000 and $240,000 ($1.34 million to $4.0 million in inflation-adjusted 2010 dollars). More than 300 workers began clearing the wreck the next day.
The clearing of the wreck and reconstruction of the bridge was itself the cause of several injuries. A dredge, several cranes, and a pile-driver were brought on site to shore up the bridge and assist with the removal of debris and wreckage. Two men were hurt on August 24 by debris and cranes attempting to lift the locomotive from the water. Two days later, a man was killed when a telephone pole on the bridge toppled over onto him. The same day, the pile-driver toppled over into the river as well. Another worker was injured on August 27 after being hit by a boom. At least one wrongful-death lawsuit was filed. A temporary single-track span was erected on August 28, and traffic over the bridge resumed shortly thereafter.
An inquest into the wreck was scheduled for August 30. The inquest determined that flooding caused by the hurricane had undermined the bridge's piers. There was concern that dredging of the river's bottom, which had been going on since the bridge was completed, may have cause the velocity of the river to speed up and helped undermine the bridge's foundation. But experts from the Interstate Commerce Commission
ruled this out in November 1933.
, which had de facto approval authority over all structures built in the city, approved the plans for the new bridge in mid-December 1933. The Army Corps of Engineers gave their approval in mid-January 1934. By July 1934, the D.C. Commissioners and National Capital Planning Commission
(which had approval over all major structures and all roads, bridges, and memorials in the metropolitan area) had given their approval as well, and construction went forward. The new structure had abutments which extended an additional 10 feet (3 m) onto the shore on either side of the bridge, and it was 12 feet (3.7 m) rather than 10 feet (3 m) above the water. Protective pilings and walls were also placed around the piers, to prevent fast-moving water from scouring
around the piers and causing another collapse.
In 1942, a Pennsylvania Railroad bridge watchman was struck by a train and thrown from the bridge. The bridge suffered a fire early in the morning on January 24, 1944. At first, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
feared that the bridge had been set on fire deliberately as an act of sabotage
. But the Metropolitan Police Department
said that the fire started when a night watchman dumped hot coals from the stove in his watchhouse down the embankment of the river, igniting dry brush and oil (which had dripped from passing rail cars) at the base of the bridge. A fireboat
and 20 other fire trucks and engines were needed to put out the blaze, which sent flames 50 feet (15.2 m) into the air. Some of the bridge's spans buckled because of the fire's heat.
Major repair work was done on the bridge in 1999. The work was done in conjunction with repairs and upgrades to the New York Avenue Bridge
, a highway bridge just upstream. The work included assessing damage to and repairing the concrete piers under the bridge, replacing masonry and repairing the abutments, and repairing and maintaining the steel girders which form the bridge's superstructure.
It is unclear how safe the bridge actually is, or what its current lifespan is projected to be. According to the Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA), the federal government does not maintain an inventory of rail bridges or their condition. Nor is the federal government responsible for railroad bridge safety: "Responsibility for railroad bridge safety rests with the owner of the track carried by the structure. The owner ensures the bridge is capable of safely accommodating all rail traffic operated over the track and specifies the maximum weight the structure can support." There is also no federal law or regulation which requires railroad bridge owners to ensure the safety of their bridges. Rather, it is FRA "policy" that they do so by following the recommendations contained in the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association
's Manual for Railway Engineering and by inspecting bridges annually using trained, experienced inspectors.
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
-only bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
which crosses the Anacostia River
Anacostia River
The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. It is approximately long...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
As of 2010, it carries only Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
passenger rail traffic. It was the site of the famous "Crescent Limited
Crescent (Amtrak)
The Crescent is a passenger train operated by Amtrak in the eastern part of the United States. It runs daily from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans, Louisiana as train 19 and returns, on the same route, as train 20. Most of the route of...
wreck" in August 1933, caused when the bridge was damaged by the 1933 Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane.
Construction
On February 26, 1903, the Commissioners of the District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia home rule
District of Columbia home rule is a term to describe the various means by which residents of the District of Columbia are able to govern their local affairs...
gave their approval for the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad (B&P, then controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
to the District of Columbia
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. The new route would be called the Magruder Branch (because it crossed the Magruder Branch, a stream which is a tributary of the Anacostia River). It would largely replace the local section of the Washington City Branch, which crossed the Anacostia 3 miles (4.8 km) to the south. The Magruder Branch would connect the new Union Station
Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
Washington Union Station is a train station and leisure destination visited by 32 million people each year in the center of Washington, D.C. The train station is served by Amtrak, MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail services as well as by Washington Metro subway trains and local buses...
with the PRR Magruder Station in Landover, Maryland
Landover, Maryland
Landover is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, within the census-designated place of Greater Landover. The Prince Georges County Sports and Learning Complex is in Landover...
(a major hub for the railroad).
Construction of the Magruder Branch line, however, required that a new bridge be built across the river (then also known as the "Eastern Branch"), and the Commissioners gave their approval for this bridge as well. The United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
, which at the time had control over all rivers and bridges in the District of Columbia, approved the new bridge in September 1903. Construction began in 1904. A 5 feet (1.5 m) deep bed of gravel was laid down, and concrete piers placed on top of it. By the end of January 1905, the bridge was nearly finished, with the foundation and entire substructure complete. As of April 1906, one of the two tracks across the bridge had been laid.
Wreck of the Crescent Limited
The bridge was the site of the famous "Crescent Limited wreck." On August 23, 1933, a hurricane (known today as the Chesapeake–Potomac Hurricane of 1933) passed over the District of Columbia, bringing 7 inches (17.8 cm) of rain, extensive flooding, and much damage. Early in the morning on August 24, the Crescent Limited—a high-fare, luxury train catering to wealthy individuals—derailed as it crossed the bridge, plunging the locomotive and some of the passenger cars into the Anacostia River. Although traveling only 30 miles per hour (48.3 km/h), the locomotive was hurled nearly 125 feet (38.1 m) from the point where it left the rails.The Anacostia's floodwaters had undermined the bridge's central piers, causing the bridge to sag and the rails to separate. The bridge's destruction had been swift: A track foreman had inspected the bridge 90 minutes before the wreck and found it sound, and a track walker had crossed the bridge just 10 minutes earlier and saw no damage.
There was amazingly little loss of life. The engineer and fireman were both killed, and 13 passengers injured (but only two severely). Just 30 passengers were aboard, which limited casualties. The couplings between the cars also held, preventing more cars from crashing into the river. Other factors also helped. When the train left Baltimore, railroad officials warned the engineer to slow down because of conditions created by the hurricane, and the locomotive's steam had been cut off (with the object of allowing the train to coast down the grade into the city). The cost of the disaster was estimated at between $80,000 and $240,000 ($1.34 million to $4.0 million in inflation-adjusted 2010 dollars). More than 300 workers began clearing the wreck the next day.
The clearing of the wreck and reconstruction of the bridge was itself the cause of several injuries. A dredge, several cranes, and a pile-driver were brought on site to shore up the bridge and assist with the removal of debris and wreckage. Two men were hurt on August 24 by debris and cranes attempting to lift the locomotive from the water. Two days later, a man was killed when a telephone pole on the bridge toppled over onto him. The same day, the pile-driver toppled over into the river as well. Another worker was injured on August 27 after being hit by a boom. At least one wrongful-death lawsuit was filed. A temporary single-track span was erected on August 28, and traffic over the bridge resumed shortly thereafter.
An inquest into the wreck was scheduled for August 30. The inquest determined that flooding caused by the hurricane had undermined the bridge's piers. There was concern that dredging of the river's bottom, which had been going on since the bridge was completed, may have cause the velocity of the river to speed up and helped undermine the bridge's foundation. But experts from the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
ruled this out in November 1933.
Later history
The Pennsylvania Railroad rebuilt the bridge in 1934 and 1935. The United States Commission of Fine ArtsUnited States Commission of Fine Arts
The United States Commission of Fine Arts , established in 1910 by an act of Congress, is an advisory agency of the Federal government.The CFA is mandated to review and provide advice on "matters of design and aesthetics", involving federal projects and planning in Washington, D.C...
, which had de facto approval authority over all structures built in the city, approved the plans for the new bridge in mid-December 1933. The Army Corps of Engineers gave their approval in mid-January 1934. By July 1934, the D.C. Commissioners and National Capital Planning Commission
National Capital Planning Commission
The National Capital Planning Commission is a U.S. government agency that provides planning guidance for Washington, D.C. and the surrounding National Capital Region...
(which had approval over all major structures and all roads, bridges, and memorials in the metropolitan area) had given their approval as well, and construction went forward. The new structure had abutments which extended an additional 10 feet (3 m) onto the shore on either side of the bridge, and it was 12 feet (3.7 m) rather than 10 feet (3 m) above the water. Protective pilings and walls were also placed around the piers, to prevent fast-moving water from scouring
Bridge scour
Bridge scour is the removal of sediment such as sand and rocks from around bridge abutments or piers. Scour, caused by swiftly moving water, can scoop out scour holes, compromising the integrity of a structure....
around the piers and causing another collapse.
In 1942, a Pennsylvania Railroad bridge watchman was struck by a train and thrown from the bridge. The bridge suffered a fire early in the morning on January 24, 1944. At first, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
feared that the bridge had been set on fire deliberately as an act of sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
. But the Metropolitan Police Department
Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
The Metropolitan Police Department, also known as the DC Police, DCPD, MPD, and MPDC is the municipal police force in Washington, D.C...
said that the fire started when a night watchman dumped hot coals from the stove in his watchhouse down the embankment of the river, igniting dry brush and oil (which had dripped from passing rail cars) at the base of the bridge. A fireboat
Fireboat
A fireboat is a specialized watercraft and with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipment....
and 20 other fire trucks and engines were needed to put out the blaze, which sent flames 50 feet (15.2 m) into the air. Some of the bridge's spans buckled because of the fire's heat.
Major repair work was done on the bridge in 1999. The work was done in conjunction with repairs and upgrades to the New York Avenue Bridge
New York Avenue Bridge
The New York Avenue Bridge is a bridge carrying U.S. Route 50 and New York Avenue, NE over the Amtrak, CSX and WMATA rails in Washington, D.C.In November 2009, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation began a two-year $36.5 million project to repair the underside, deck and roadway of...
, a highway bridge just upstream. The work included assessing damage to and repairing the concrete piers under the bridge, replacing masonry and repairing the abutments, and repairing and maintaining the steel girders which form the bridge's superstructure.
It is unclear how safe the bridge actually is, or what its current lifespan is projected to be. According to the Federal Railroad Administration
Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966...
(FRA), the federal government does not maintain an inventory of rail bridges or their condition. Nor is the federal government responsible for railroad bridge safety: "Responsibility for railroad bridge safety rests with the owner of the track carried by the structure. The owner ensures the bridge is capable of safely accommodating all rail traffic operated over the track and specifies the maximum weight the structure can support." There is also no federal law or regulation which requires railroad bridge owners to ensure the safety of their bridges. Rather, it is FRA "policy" that they do so by following the recommendations contained in the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association
American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association
The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association is a North American railway industry group. It publishes recommended practices for the design, construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure, which are requirements in the United States and Canada.-Overview:AREMA is...
's Manual for Railway Engineering and by inspecting bridges annually using trained, experienced inspectors.