The Newark Bay Bridge of the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) was a railroad bridge in New Jersey that connected Elizabethport and Bayonne at the southern end of Newark Bay. Its third and final incarnation was a four-track vertical-lift design that opened in 1926, replacing a bascule bridge from 1904 which superseded the original swing bridge from 1887. The bridge served the main line of the CNJ, carrying daily interstate trains as well as commuter trains.
History
Between 1887 and the late 1980s, the rail bridge across Newark Bay existed in three forms. As train service grew in both frequency and complexity through the early 20th century, the bridge was replaced twice to accommodate additional trackage and heavier trains.
Original bridge (1887) The first railway structure to span the bay was erected in 1887, and consisted of simple wooden trestle pile bridge approaches joined near the eastern side of the waterway by a steel center-pier swing bridge. Built within a navigable channel, the moveable bridge allowed marine traffic from Kill Van Kull to access the Port of Newark.
At the turn of the century, the bridge was a main artery of both the Central Railroad of New Jersey and Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, but its light and outmoded construction had reportedly become inadequate to handle the heavier and more-frequent trains of the day. Plans to replace the span were considered as early as 1901 and solidified by August 1902, with engineers settling on a Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge as the preferred design and a budget of at least $1,000,000.
Bascule bridge (1904)
The new movable bridge, configured as twin dual-track mirrored bascule leaves, promised many benefits in comparison to the outdated swing-bridge. Its twin gasoline engines could quickly raise its superstructures to the minimum required distance to accommodate low-height vessels like barges (which made up roughly 80% of the channel's traffic), and the rails could be more thoroughly secured to the bridge deck at its leaf joints (thus permitting higher train speeds). Additionally, another parallel span could be added if it became necessary to double the crossing's trackage– especially considering that four land-side tracks already met the bridge on either end of its approaches.
Construction of the bridge was unique in that it was completed in phases along the existing active right-of-way, all while ensuring uninterrupted rail service. The first phase involved reconstruction of the fixed trestle approaches; train operations were restricted to a single track while the other half of the trestle was demolished and replaced with "concrete on timber platforms supported by piles." The bascule's western leaf was then built (in the upright position) directly on-top-of the existing trestle, allowing trains to pass through its unfinished superstructure. On February 14, 1904, that section of trestle was demolished and the leaf was lowered for the first time. Following rapid installation of the railbed, the new bascule immediately entered service with a total downtime of less than 12 hours. In the following weeks, the existing swing-bridge section was replaced with a temporary trestle and the eastern leaf completed in a similar manner to its twin.
Vertical-lift bridge (1926) The lift spans were a pair of two-track spans over two separate shipping channels; the longer span being long, while the shorter span was , giving a navigable width of and respectively. Vertical clearance was open and closed. Each span was capable of independent movement, as well as any combination of tandem movements. Bridge movement, interlocking, and signals were controlled from a large manned structure on the operational midpoint between the east and west draw spans and above the tracks.
During World War II, the bridge was critical piece of the Port of New York and New Jersey's logistic network, allowing 300 or more trains per day to supply troops and materiel for American efforts in the European theatre.