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Spuyten Duyvil Rail Bridge

Often overlooked in coverage of Manhattan bridges is the Amtrak rail bridge that crosses Spuyten Duyvil at the northern tip of Manhattan where the Harlem River connects with the Hudson River. The bridge connects a rail line that runs up the west side of Manhattan from Penn Station and continues up the east shore of the Hudson River up to Albany.

The bridge was designed by Robert Giles and opened in 1899. The 610-foot bridge has three fixed segments on the Manhattan side and one on the Bronx side, separated by a 290-foot swing span. The original steam engine for turning the span was replaced with electrical equipment in 1963.

The bridge is an otherwise unremarkable swing bridge except for it's construction with a Baltimore Truss structure, a rare design created by Pennsylvania Railroad engineers for use on rail bridges. It is distinguished by vertical struts that bisect the triangular element structures. (reference)

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