World’s Largest Railroad Viaduct
July 31, 2006 | 9 Comments
I was recently contacted by Mary Everett of Greene County, Indiana who wondered about the Greene County Railroad Viaduct. She informed me of area claims which state that the 700m (2,295ft) long, 48m (157ft) high railroad viaduct is the “third largest such structure in the world”. She asked if I was aware of any evidence to support or refute that claim.
To define largest is always somewhat complicated. We could assume this means longest, but that ignores the height. Which of those should we give greater precedence to? To be larger does it need to defeat both or just one? It’s my opinion that beating both makes an obvious winner, but substantially beating in either still makes it “larger”. Additional complexity comes in deciding whether or not to consider width or spans. Finally, what is meant exactly by “such structure.” I assume we are only talking about viaducts used to carry rail. However, what is the difference between a bridge and a viaduct? As far as I can tell, a viaduct is a type of bridge that is multi-span and has to carry vehicles.
With those decision criteria established, I decided to use Wikipedia’s List of Bridges By Length as a starting point. Here is what I found…
The Binhai Mass Transit, Bridge No. 1 in China is 25,800m (84,645ft) long. They do not state how high this bridge is, yet it is without a doubt the longest bridge in the world that carries rail. Finally, the bridge carries two-way commuter rail.
China also has the second longest bridge. The Kam Sheung Road-Tuen Mun viaduct which is part of KCR West Rail in Hong Kong is 13,400m (43,963ft) long. Again, the height of this bridge was not stated. This bridge also carries two-way commuter rail.
To find the third longest rail bridge you need to travel to either Denmark or Sweden as the Oresund Bridge connects these two countries with a length of 7,845m (25,732ft). The only height measurement of the Oresund Bridge given is to say the highest pillar is 204m (669ft). This measurement is not extraordinarily useful in making a judgement since standard traffic runs on an upper level while trains run on a lower deck.
Finally we reach the largest rail bridge in the United States with the Huey P. Long Bridge in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana measuring in at 7,003m (22,996ft) and 41m (135ft) high. This is also a bridge that combines rail and standard traffic. The rail viaduct is much longer and extends elevated into the city of New Orleans.
The list continues on Wikipedia, but at this point it seems clear that the Greene County Railroad Viaduct is stretching to claim third largest such structure. In fact, I’m left wondering which three they specifically are claiming rank above them…
One other bridge you may find from a simple Google search for world’s largest railroad viaduct”. The Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct or Nicholson Bridge is 724m (2,375 ft) in length and 73m (240ft) high. This bridge makes claim to be the World’s Largest Concrete Railroad Bridge. I wasn’t prepared to disprove this as it seems pretty specific.
The Greene County Railroad Viaduct is still a very unique and amazing structure. I was sorry to have to disprove it’s status as the people in the region seem very proud of it. Thanks again to Mary for piquing my curiosities and for sending me along some great pictures of the viaduct.
Tags: Binhai Mass Transit, bridge, bridges, china, denmark, google, greene county, hong kong, Huey P. Long Bridge, indiana, Jefferson Parish, Kam Sheung Road-Tuen Mun viaduct, KCR West Rail, largest rail bridge, largest railroad viaduct, longest railroad bridge, longest railroad viaduct, Louisiana, mary everett, New Orleans, oresund, Oresund Bridge, rail,Greene County Railroad Viaduct, railroad, railroad bridge, railroad viaduct, sweden, Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, Tunkhannock Viaduct, viaduct, viaducts, wikipedia, World's Largest Concrete Railroad Bridge
Google Earth, an Eye on Katrina
September 10, 2005 | 60 Comments
On
If you don’t have Google Earth yet, go get it. This is one of the coolest
The following are some fantastic related sites that have sprung up since the inception of Google
Another great must see site is
I’ve also recently been turned on to Google Earth Hacks. This site has a lot of great downloadable features to work with Google Earth specifically.
The Google Earth KML Tutorial has information about how to create
Finally gCensus has combined census data with Google Maps to produce some fantastic results as you zoom in. This is a very useful resource.
Tags: cnn, desktop applications, Earth, google, Google Earth, Google Earth Plus, google maps, Google Sightseeing, googleearth, googleearth.com,satellite,map, imagery, iraq, katrina, KML, maps, New Orleans
Is Katrina Bush’s Waterloo?
September 6, 2005 | 9 Comments
A lot has been said on the topic of Bush and the nation’s failure in New Orleans. I put some blame on the shoulders of America in general because we elected Bush, twice. Sure liberals claim they voted for the other guy (me included), but are we all sure we couldn’t have done something to prevent this loon from taking office and wrecking everything this country stands for? I do mean everything. Conservatives, look at what you believe in, fundamentally, does Bush really speak for you?
Anyway, instead of me rambling on further about how terrible this all is, I’ll simply state Bush should resign in shame and just quote other people who are more eloquent than me.
New Orleans Times-PicayuneAn Open Letter to the President
Dear Mr. President:
We heard you loud and clear Friday when you visited our devastated city and the Gulf Coast and said, “What is not working, we’re going to make it right.”
Please forgive us if we wait to see proof of your promise before believing you. But we have good reason for our skepticism.
[...]
We’re angry, Mr. President, and we’ll be angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped dry. Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That’s to the government’s shame.
[...]
We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American than those who live on the Great Plains or along the Atlantic Seaboard. We’re no less important than those from the Pacific Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued.No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced. Especially not one as preposterous as the claim that New Orleans couldn’t be reached.
From A Failure of Leadership by Bob Herbert, NYTimes Op-Ed Columnist (9/5)
The catastrophe in New Orleans billowed up like the howling winds of hell and was carried live and in color on television screens across the U.S. and around the world.
The Big Easy had turned into the Big Hurt, and the colossal failure of George W. Bush to intervene powerfully and immediately to rescue tens of thousands of American citizens who were suffering horribly and dying in agony was there for all the world to see.
From A Can’t Do Government by Paul Krugman, NYTimes Op-Ed Columnist (9/2)
At a fundamental level, I’d argue, our current leaders just aren’t serious about some of the essential functions of government. They like waging war, but they don’t like providing security, rescuing those in need or spending on preventive measures. And they never, ever ask for shared sacrifice.
Yesterday Mr. Bush made an utterly fantastic claim: that nobody expected the breach of the levees. In fact, there had been repeated warnings about exactly that risk.
So America, once famous for its can-do attitude, now has a can’t-do government that makes excuses instead of doing its job. And while it makes those excuses, Americans are dying.
From United States of Shame by Maureen Dowd, NYTimes Op-Ed Columnist (9/5)
America is once more plunged into a snake pit of anarchy, death, looting, raping, marauding thugs, suffering innocents, a shattered infrastructure, a gutted police force, insufficient troop levels and criminally negligent government planning. But this time it’s happening in America. [...] it is a chilling lack of empathy combined with a stunning lack of efficiency that could make this administration implode.
From The Larger Shame by Nicholas D. Kristof, NYTimes Op-Ed Columnist (9/6)
It has also underscored the Bush administration’s ongoing reluctance or ineptitude in helping the poorest Americans. The scenes in New Orleans reminded me of the suffering I saw after a similar storm killed 130,000 people in Bangladesh in 1991 - except that Bangladesh’s government showed more urgency in trying to save its most vulnerable citizens.
If Bush does not take any blame for any of this, everyone liberal and conservative should finally give up on this administration. The failures keep adding up: weapons of mass destruction? abu ghraib? greeted as liberators? and have we caught Osama Bin Laden yet? So many failures… Katrina may not have been directly his fault, no one controls the weather, but the causality of the poor response is clear. I hope this can be Bush’s Waterloo.
How long before the AMA lists Bush as a leading cause of death in Americans?
More resources:
Concord Monitor: “Bush: Katrina response ‘not acceptable’ He’s under fire from both parties”
Blogcritics.org: George Bush Poll: Slightly More Popular Than Hurricane Katrina
Technorati Tags: bush, bush failure, conservative, failed leader, george bush, george w bush, hurricane, hurricane katrina, katrina, liberal, lousiana, new orleans, president, waterloo
Tags: Bush, bush failure, conservative, failed leader, george bush, george w bush, hurricane, hurricane katrina, katrina, liberal, lousiana, New Orleans, president, waterloo
My Brother, The Hero
September 2, 2005 | 2 Comments
My brother, Philip John “PJ” Tirrell (Jr), is an amazing person. I’m convinced I could actually write an entire book about the guy, but what makes me think of this at the moment is his impending departure for New Orleans. A veteran of the first Gulf War, he returned to the states and made his career as a professional firefighter. Apparently helping people in times of extreme crisis or disaster is what drives him. He stayed in the Guard after returning and was called up again last year. He returned from Iraq for the second time this February.
He is now headed out with the New Hampshire 744th to help with Hurricane Katrina aftermath.
The Concord Monitor: “New Hampshire Guard headed for New Orleans” says:
Gov. John Lynch announced his decision to send 488 troops yesterday for a mission that is expected to last at least 14 days. Units being activated include the 744th Transportation Unit based in Hillsboro, troops under command based in Concord, a field artillery unit in the North Country, a military police unit in Manchester, a field artillery unit in southern New Hampshire and members of the air refueling wing in Newington.
Interestingly enough one of my students is in the North Country unit and has also been activated.
Finally I want to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers and guard units who are helping in this effort and helping to better mankind in general. I truly appreciate it.
Update:
More on the 744th in Louisiana:
From Concord Monitor: State reaches out to Katrina’s victims
Four Concord firefighters are on their way to help with relief efforts, too. Firefighter Philip Tirrell, a sergeant with the 744th Transportation Co. who returned from Iraq last March, will be in New Orleans by today to help with cleanup and police duties. Lt. Robert Chaisson and firefighter Alexander Matson will leave tomorrow to volunteer.
Other related press coverage:
Union Leader: NH Guardsmen leave for ‘battle’ on new front
Tags: concord, guard, gulf war, hero, hurricane, hurricane katrina, katrina, national guard, new hampshire, New Orleans, philip tirrell jr, public service, tirrell