Pittsburgh, Shawmut & Northern Railroad

 An 1,880-page book entitled "New York Railroad Commissioners Report of Bridge Strains," published in 1891 details and calculations of railroad truss bridges existing at that time.

The report had been prompted by three failures of bridge trusses within the State of New York. Prior to 1900 a vast majority of railroad bridges were of the so-called Howe truss design. Pages 607 to 620 give information of nine such bridges on the Lackawanna and South-Western Railroad, the predecessor of the Pittsburgh, Shawmut & Northern.

Bridge No.1 - Over Black Creek - One span, single track, deck, Howe
truss bridge. Length 60 feet. Height, center to center of chords, 10
feet. Eight panels of 7.6" each. Dead load, 880 pounds per foot.
Moving Load, 2,866 pounds per foot. Engine excess - 2,882 pounds per
foot, for two panels at head of train. Built 1883.

Bridge No. 2 - Over White Creek - One span, single track, deck, Howe
truss bridge. Length, 50 feet. height center to center of chords,
8'4' Eight panels of 6'3' each. Dead load - 800 pounds per foot.
Moving load - 2,866 pounds per foot. Engine excess - 2,882 pounds
per foot for two panels at head of train.

Bridge No. 3 - Over Genesee River. Two spans, single track, through,
Howe truss bridge. Length of each span, 120 feet. Height, center to
center of chords, 21 feet. Ten panels of 12 feet each. Dead load
1,100 pounds per foot. Moving load, 2,866 pounds per foot. Engine
access (same as above). Built 1883.

Bridge No. 4 - Over Angelica Creek - One span, single deck, Howe
truss bridge. Length 90 feet. Height, center to center of chords, 15
feet. Ten panels of 9 feet each. Dead load - 1,000 pounds per foot.
Moving load and engine excess - same as above. Built 1883.

Bridge No. 5 - Over New York, Lake Erie & Western R.R. at Swains -
One span, single track, through, Howe truss bridge. length, 74 feet.
Height, 21 feet. Six panels of 12'4" each. Dead load - 950 pounds
per foot. Moving load, 2,866 pounds per foot. Engine excess - save
as above. Built 1883.

Bridge No. 6 - Over Canaseraga Creek - One span, single track, Howe
truss bridge. Length 74 feet. Height center to center of chords, 21
feet. Six panels of 12.4" each. (Duplicate of No. 5). Built 1883.

Bridge No. 7 - Stony Brook Viaduct. Single track, iron viaduct,
consisting of twelve 30-foot spans, four 60-foot spans and one 100-
foot span, supported by 16 iron bents varying in height from 23 to
225 feet from base of rail to top of masonry. "The iron viaduct on
this road over Stony Brook Glen is the highest structure of the
kind in New York State." Built 1883.

Bridge No. 8 - Over N.Y., L.E. & W. R.R. at Rosses - One span, single
track through Howe truss bridge, originally 101'8" long, center to
center, but now resting on bents so that the length of truss is 61
feet. Height, center to center of chords, 20 feet. Six panels of 102"
each. Dead load, 1,050 pounds per foot. Moving load, 2,866 pounds
per foot. Engine excess, 2,884 pounds per foot for two panels at head
of train. Built 1882.

Bridge No. 9 - Over Cashaqua Creek - One span, single track, through,
Howe truss bridge. Length 56 feet. Height, center to center of
chords, 9 feet. Eight panels of 7 feet each. Dead load, 850 pounds
per foot. Moving load, 2,866 pounds per foot. (same as Nov. 8).
Built 1883.