Civil Engineering Reference
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were proposing the development and implementation of railroad company specifica-
tions that all bridge fabricators would build in accordance with, to preclude further
failures. Developments in the fields of materials and structural mechanics had sup-
plied the tools for rational and scientific bridge design that provided the basis on
which to establish specifications for iron and steel railway bridges.
The first specification for iron railway bridges was made by the Clarke, Reeves
and Company (later the Phoenix Bridge Co.) in 1871. This was followed in 1873 by
G.S. Morison's “Specifications for Iron Bridges” for the Erie Railroad (formerly the
New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad). L.F.G. Bouscaren of the Cincinnati
Southern Railroad published the first specifications with concentrated wheel loads in
1875. Following this, in 1878, the Erie Railroad produced a specification (at least
partially written by Theodore Cooper) with concentrated wheel loads that specifically
referenced steam locomotive loads.
By 1876 the practice of bridge design by consulting engineers working on behalf
of the railroads became more prevalent in conjunction with the expanding railroad
business. In particular, Cooper's publications concerning railway loads, design spec-
ifications, and construction were significant contributions in the development of a
rational basis for the design of steel railway bridges. Cooper produced specifications
for iron and steel railway bridges in 1884, intended for use by all railroad com-
panies. By 1890 Cooper provided his first specification for steel railway bridges.
This portended the development of general specifications for steel railway bridges by
the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-way Association (AREMA)
in 1905. This latter specification has been continuously updated and is the current
recommended practice on which most North American railroad company design
requirements are based. Other significant milestones in the development of general
specifications for iron and steel railway bridges were
• 1867 St. Louis Bridge Co. specifications for Eads' steel arch
• 1873 Chicago and Atchison Railroad Co.
• 1877 Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Co. (C. Shaler Smith)
• 1877 Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (C. Hilton)
• 1877 Western Union Railroad Co.
• 1880 Quebec Government Railways
• 1880 NewYork, Pennsylvania, and Ohio Railroad
• 1895 B&O Railroad
The large magnitude dynamic loads imposed on bridges by railroad traffic cre-
ated a need for scientific design in order to ensure safe, reliable, and economical
construction. Railroad and consulting engineers engaged in iron and steel railway
However, it appears that the first use of concentrated wheel loads for bridge design was by the New
York Central Railroad in 1862.
This was not a general specification but was the first use of specification documents in the design and
constructionofrailwaybridgesintheUnitedStates.Thespecificationalsoincludedthefirstrequirements
for the inspection of material.
This can be a critical consideration as most railway bridge construction projects are privately funded
by railroad companies.
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