Wheeling Question

[Fredbruhn at aol.com]

Derrick asked as part of a great response to my Wheeling story which bridge 
the
W. Va. Road commission wanted to replace  as part of the "road improvement" 
after the war when the "street cars were gone"

Wheeling has a residential island in the center of the Ohio River.  It is 
about 12 city blocks from north to south and about six wide.  At the lower 
end (south) was (and still is as a dog track) a race track owned by Big Eddie 
Lius, a Greek immigrant and mobster who the govt. deported in the 50's.  From 
Wheeling proper to the island were two bridges.  One is a suspension bridge 
with some historic significance due to its age and construction (I think it 
dates to the mid 1870's, maybe earlier) which is being restored.  The other 
bridge was called the "steel bridge" and was one city block south of the 
suspension bridge.  The steel bridge carried the rail lines to the island 
which served the island ( 1 - south island, and 70 - north island ) and the 
various lines that crossed the back channel to Ohio.

In 1956 or 1957 the Ft. Henry bridge was constructed just north of the 
suspension bridge which now carries I 70 on its perilous journey through a 
tunnel and out "the pike" towards little Washington, PA. and the PTM.  
(Pennsylvania Trolley Museum at Arden ) As Derrick pointed out, it is less 
stressful to take the I 470 bypass and ignore Wheeling totally.

Sometime after the Ft. Henry bridge was built the steel bridge was torn down. 
 Evidence of it is still there at 11th. St. in Wheeling at Main St. (one way 
south) where it is obvious the street didn't go anywhere (somewhat like the 
end of the Irwin line after the Trafford cutback ).  If you drive east on 
Ohio St. on the island you will come to a point at S. Penn where you can look 
towards Whg. proper see where the bridge came down to meet the street at this 
intersection.  The car line ran on Ohio and 
jogged slightly to start up the long ramp that ran to the first of two piers 
in the river where two truss type spans carried the river.  

The other two bridges I mentioned that are still standing are over the "back 
river" or west side of the island to Ohio.  Driving on Zane St. (old Rt. 40) 
you can see the Bridgeport bridge which is blue and blocked off, being 
replaced a couple of years ago by a new bridge just south of the old 
Bridgeport bridge.  This was a toll bridge long after street cars were taken 
off, just a tidbit and not related to the car lines.
On Zane St. you can see the new RTA bus garage on the site of the Island car 
barn.

Going north from Zane on N. Huron St. you travel the street that carried the 
North Island line to Georgia St.  Turn left one block and you see the ramp to 
the Aetnaville Bridge.  The rails are popping up at the base of the ramp.  
The 70 cars turned left onto N. Huron and traveled south across Zane which 
became S. Huron and then left on Ohio St.

The other most visible sign of the Co-Op trolley days is the Warwood car 
barn, now used by a foundry.  As you leave Wgh. on N. Main (which is the St. 
the police officer was referring to which was double track from 10th. north) 
you drop down a slight hill and the road bears right.  You will see a 
concrete retaining wall (low) on the left which is where the car line went 
from double track to single and left the road.  After you drive a couple of 
miles of so through mostly undeveloped areas you run into some light industry 
on the left.  In that complex you will see a brick building that -- well -- 
looks like a car barn.  This barn had both standard and PA. wide gauge 
rails as the Panhandle lines were standard and Co-Op wide.  The lines in Whg. 
proper were dual gauge but those on the island, south of Whg. and all of Ohio 
only wide gauge.  I have a feeling that some of the Cinn. curved side cars 
used on Rt. 5 Warwood were never changed to wide gauge and I don't think I 
have any photos of other class cars running on Rt. 5 except the Panhandle 700 
type cars.  I will have to do some further checking and see if some 
particular cars of the 20 Curved side cars are ever seen in shots on the Ohio 
or Island lines.  If not, that would add further 
credence to those being standard gauge and not able to run on the island or 
Ohio.

One of these curved side cars has been restored at Seashore and I hope to get 
up there someday and see it.  They got the trucks from a Boston car.

Wow - all this BS to answer Derrick's question, which bridge was planned for 
replacement.  

Fred  -  PS  I spell checked this today, and I see my previous message was a 
mass of errors, my apologies.