1. What RR owned the bridge?
>>Penn Central was the last operator. Conrail was the last owner (Okay, Don?)...
2. Was the fire ever deemed suspicious as in the rr wanted the bridge put oos?
>> Railfans have lots of theories about this.
3. I've read that the PC wanted the bridge oos because it killed competition. Can someone explain this?
>> Railfans have lots of theories about this.
4. In all the old newspaper articles, PC officials repeatedly and firmly swore the bridge would reopen. Why didn't it?
>> Money.
5. How was it that the bridge was deemed so unsafe that it was put oos but it recently reopened as a pedestrian path?
>> Money.
6. What was the effect the bridge closure had on rail traffic?
>> It pretty much put the nail in the coffin of the L&HR, hastened the closure of the Maybrook gateway, and effectively forced all traffic from New England to go through Selkirk.
See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poughkeepsie_Bridge
We have discussed the bridge and the fire on this site numerous times. Consider using the search function, several threads should turn up for you.
-otto-
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