While walking in Charlotte yesterday, I  stopped to take some pictures of the CSX Swing Bridge. The bridge is scheduled for demolition. One lady I spoke to thought it would be starting in November, and I wanted to make sure I got a picture of it before its demise.

This 100+ year old structure had last carried trains across the Genesee River on a regular basis in 1978. Until 1994 it was still used by RG&E to carry coal to the Russell Station in Greece. That was the last time it was turned, and it has remained stationary in the middle of the Genesee River since.

The community has been divided about the fate of the bridge. Some see it as an eyesore and an obstacle. Others see it as a beloved piece of history that should be preserved. There was a save the bridge effort in the early 2000’s, but that seems to have been unsuccessful. I tend to fall in with the historians. I wish someone would at least lift it out of the water and take it to a train museum, but I know that these are not the best of economic times.

I’m afraid that the swing bridge like so many other remnants of the past will become stored only in our memories.

Day 273: 9,806 Steps YTD: 2,494,487 Steps Goal: 2,574,000 Steps