I wish I had a dollar for each time I've crossed that bridge over the last almost 30 years! It is an amazing experience every time. Especially on early foggy mornings when you come around the curve northbound and you can't see the rails beyond the south end of the bridge! I call those days IFR on the rails, as in instrument flight rules in aviation, IFR. In fact I crossed it yesterday, and again today making my way back to Chattanooga.
You were in a locomotive cab , I was on my own two feet and let me tell you , it was pucker worthy !! I did it round trip in the early 1980's and will not do it ever again.
This stretch of track (Cincinnati - Chattanooga), is the Cincinnati, New Orleans, Texas and Pacific RR (CNOT&P), commonly called 'the Rathole. It's owned by the City of Cincinnati and leased to the Norfolk Southern. Cincinnati recently offered to sell it to the NS (2023).
Impressive structure. So why doesn't NS take better care of it? If the bridge is such a big deal, you would think NS would put significant effort into maintanence; knock the rust off and keep a fresh coat of paint on it. As it is it looks like a derelict structure, which is what it will become if NS doesn't start taking care of it.
