Trains no longer cross the Cumberland Valley Railroad Bridge ahead of you. This currently unused railroad bridge links downtown Harrisburg, City Island, and the western suburbs of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It was originally constructed by the Cumberland Valley Railroad as part of the mainline from Harrisburg to Hagerstown via Chambersburg; the Cumberland Valley Railroad was leased as a subsidiary by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The first crossing here was a wooden covered bridge: construction began in the summer of 1836 and it opened on January 16, 1839. That structure was destroyed by fire on December 4, 1844; although four eastern spans remained, they were washed away during the spring floods of 1846. A second crossing, built in a slightly different location, began on February 3, 1845 and was completed in 1846.
That bridge carried an upper deck for railroad traffic and a lower deck for pedestrians and wagons; use of the lower deck was discontinued when the bridge was strengthened in 1850. Its latticework timbers were removed and replaced with heavier braces from 1855 to 1856, and new wooden arches were built in 1872. From 1880 to 1886 the piers beneath the bridge were gradually replaced.
Notice the view toward City Island and the downtown skyline.