080013 Lifting old track off old bridge.

Ernest H. Robl stock photos:
0080028 Lifting out the old span.
080038 Hooking up the new
span.

NCRR bridge replacement at Clayton, N.C.

(Click on the images for larger versions. To view the larger images in sequence, begin here.)

On Feb. 6, 2008, the North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) replaced a century-old bridge near Clayton, N.C., with a new span that allows both higher train speeds and an increased clearance for road traffic.
080054 Tamping ballast on new bridge.

080070 First train over new bridge (next day).
080065 Loading up old ties.

The NCRR is a state-owned company that owns a rail corridor from the N.C. coast to Charlotte that is under long-term lease to Norfolk Southern (NS). Amtrak trains also use sections of the line.

For additional information about the NCRR and additional photos of the route, see my main NCRR page.


080077 Cutting up the old bridge.
080084 Ballast regulator at work

The old bridge span had the ties of the track resting directly on the bridge girders. The new span, manufactured locally in Clayton, has a deck pan, holding ballast. Having a ballasted deck allows better alignment of the track as the thickness of the ballast beneath the ties can be adjusted. Ballasted deck bridge allow higher speeds for trains.

The new bridge also complies with current safety standards, having walkways on both sides of the track, an important feature for train crews and track workers.

Related pages:

Many of the images on my Railroad Construction page are also from the NCRR corridor.

You may also be interested in images from the currently dormant CSX S line, which has been proposed as part of the planned Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) Corridor.
(The CSX S line corridor is not directly related to the NCRR, other than that the proposed SEHSR corridor would also follow the NCRR alignment between Raleigh and Charlotte.)

For additional railroad images, see the general Railroad page or select Pictures by category & location.

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