Thomas Viaduct

Thomas Viaduct
View of the east side of Thomas Viaduct crossing the Patapsco River, looking north
Coordinates39°13′18″N 76°42′48″W / 39.22167°N 76.71333°W / 39.22167; -76.71333
CarriesRailroad
CrossesPatapsco River
LocaleElkridge, Maryland
OwnerCSX Transportation
Heritage statusNRHP 66000388
Characteristics
DesignBasket-handle arch bridge
MaterialPatapsco granite
Total length612 feet (187 m)
Width26 feet 4 inches (8 m)
Height59 feet (18 m)
Longest span58 feet (18 m)
No. of spans8
History
DesignerBenjamin Henry Latrobe, II
Constructed byJohn McCartney
Construction start1833
OpenedJuly 4, 1835 (1835-07-04)
Thomas Viaduct, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Thomas Viaduct is located in Maryland
Thomas Viaduct
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
NRHP reference No.66000388[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Location
Map
References
[2]

The Thomas Viaduct spans the Patapsco River and Patapsco Valley between Relay, Maryland and Elkridge, Maryland, USA. It was commissioned by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O); built between July 4, 1833, and July 4, 1835; and named for Philip E. Thomas, the company's first president.[3] Some claim it to be the world's oldest multiple arched stone railroad bridge.[4] However, the Sankey Viaduct on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was opened in 1830 and finally completed in 1833.

At its completion, the Thomas Viaduct was the largest railroad bridge in the United States[5] and the country's first multi-span masonry railroad bridge to be built on a curve. In 1964, it was designated as a National Historic Landmark. In 2010, the bridge was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The viaduct is now owned and operated by CSX Transportation and is still in use today, making it one of the oldest railroad bridges still in service.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Yearby, Jean P. (1984). "Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Thomas Viaduct" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  3. ^ Howard County Historical Society. Images of America, Howard County. p. 17.
  4. ^ U.S. Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. The National Register of Historic Places, vol, 1, p. 193. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1972).
  5. ^ Maryland Department of Natural Resources Patapsco Valley State Park. "Patapsco Valley State Park History". Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2007.