In the early 1900s, Union Station was the hub of passenger railroad traffic in the central United States. It was one of the first stations to serve as a centralized terminal for multiple railroad lines. It originally served 22 rail lines; 13 from the east and nine from the west.
USA
St. LouisState: MSCountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Union-Station/Creator: Link, Theodore , Pegram, George
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Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Ron Reiring (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Union StationEra_date_from: 1894
1981
According to oral history, George Washington visited the canal diggings in 1792, and then again in 1794, while he was accompanying troops to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in Western Pennsylvania.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Ospreye (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Union Canal TunnelEra_date_from: 1828
1970
This majestic viaduct was built during the golden age of railroading. It was at the western end of a major readjustment in grade and alignment of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, and had double tracks to carry the trains across the valley of Tunkhannock Creek. The Hallstead cutoff (between Scranton, Pennsylvania and Hallstead, New Jersey) reduced passenger travel time by 20 minutes, and freight travel time by over an hour.
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Image Credit: Original Photo: Flickr/Jim Danvers (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Tunkhannock ViaductEra_date_from: 1915
1975
The design of the Bollman Truss Bridge-patented in 1852 and one of the first to use iron exclusively in all essential structural elements-was critical in the rapid expansion of American railroads in the 19th century. Replacing wooden bridges, which were cumbersome to build and vulnerable to decay, the Bollman Truss Bridge could be built relatively quickly and inexpensively, while providing the long-lasting qualities associated with metal. This allowed new rail lines to be built over long distances in a short period of time.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Andrew Bossi (CC BY-SA 2.0)Image Caption: Bollman Truss Bridge as it looks today, after the repairs done in 1934-84.Era_date_from: 1869
1966
The Borden Base Line is a 39,009.73 feet (7.42 miles ) survey line through the State of Massachusetts. The line was the first project of its kind undertaken in America and its establishment was the key element for Massachusetts pioneering mandate to survey the entire state.
The challenge was to use trigonometrical principles, instead of astronomical observation alone, to provide greater accuracy in surveying large areas.
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Image Credit: Public Domain (Copyright Exp.)Image Caption: An 1871 map of Massachusetts highlighting the Borden Base LineEra_date_from: 1831
1981
The Triborough Bridge Project is a three-branched waterway crossing that connects Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens at a junction of the East River and the Harlem River in New York City. The complex structure includes a suspension bridge from Wards Island to Queens, a vertical lift span from Randall's Island to Manhattan, a fixed span (designed to be convertible to a lift span) across the Bronx Kills, viaducts, and an innovative three-legged roadway interchange.
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Image Credit: Public Domain (National Park Service)Image Caption: Triborough Bridge ProjectEra_date_from: 1936
1986
Beech Factory Landing FieldWichitaState: KSZip: 67206Country: USAWebsite: https://www.aiaa.org/HistoricAerospaceSites/Creator: Cessna, Clyde , Beech, Walter
The Travel Air Airplane Manufacturing Company served as the incubator in which Wichita Kansas’ present-day status as the world’s “Air Capital” first developed. The firm was among the first viable airplane manufacturers to be established in Wichita (1925). It also was responsible for four aviation legends firmly establishing themselves in Wichita and forming the nexus between Wichita and world aviation: Walter Beech, Olive Ann Mellor (later Olive Ann Beech), Clyde Cessna, and Lloyd Stearman.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/RuthAS (CC BY 3.0)Image Caption: Travel Air Airplane Manufacturing Company in WichitaEra_date_from: 1925
2006
Central Pacific Railroad served as the Western terminus of America's first transcontinental railroad, passing through the formidable Sierra Nevada Mountains. In all, 15 tunnels were blasted through solid granite.
Thousands of Chinese from Kwantung Province were recruited by Central Pacific Railroad Company and became known for their diligence and hard work. In the second year of construction, nine out of ten workers on the CPRR were Chinese.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Jim Bowen (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Central Pacific RailroadEra_date_from: 1863
1968
Opened in 1835, the Thomas Viaduct was the first multiple-arch, stone railroad viaduct in the United States. The viaduct is composed of eight arches each with a clear span of about 58 feet. The viaduct has an overall length of 614 feet and a height of about 60 feet above the Patapsco River. Construction of the viaduct began in August of 1833, and a ceremony marking its completion was conducted on July 4, 1835. The viaduct was constructed for the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad and is named in honor Philip E. Thomas, who served from 1827 to 1836 as the first president of the B&O.
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Image Credit: Public Domain (National Park Service)Image Caption: Thomas Viaduct Railroad BridgeEra_date_from: 1835
1964
The first electric power generated by the Theodore Roosevelt Dam for commercial use was transmitted over a high-voltage line to Phoenix, where it was employed to operate the city's new streetcar system.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Bureau of Reclamation (CC BY-SA 2.0)Image Caption: Theodore Roosevelt DamEra_date_from: 1911
1970
Innovations
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