Tracks Across The Sky - Pennsylvania's Kinzua Viaduct

An engineering masterpiece, Pennsylvania's Kinzua Viaduct (also called the Kinzua Bridge) stood 300 feet high as a symbol of ingenuity and determination. The railroad bridge was built in 94 days in 1882 and was updated and preserved for over 100 years before its tragic destruction by a tornado in 2003.
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[@cattinamarie6545]

I was just there yesterday and walked the amazing skywalk. We also took the trail down to the bottom, where the remnants of the twisted steel lay. I literally cried at the sheer sight of it, while imagining what it once was. I am still pinching myself at the fact I was there yesterday. Wow. Great video, one of the best ones here. Thank you. 😊

[@appalachiajoe]

Very interesting. So many engineering inovations had their beginnings in the great state of Pennsylvania.

[@ostlandr]

That picture at 2:42 of the steam locomotive running on wooden rails is really rare!

[@johndavies1090]

Thanks for pointing it out - I've read pf 'pole road' engines, but this is only the second picture of one that I have seen. The engine is an early Climax, I think, by the way.

[@lgensheimer1]

Innovation continues: the new Kinzua Sky Walk, which offers spectacular views of the downed towers, earned a 2012 national engineering award for best project. ~ Lisa Gensheimer, writer and co-producer, "Tracks across the Sky"

[@AJKPenguin]

It's arguably the best lookout ever made.

[@mikegross6107]

I walked across that bridge before moving to AZ in the late '60's and NEVER dreamed it would be partially demolished from a tornado, no less! TORNADOES don't go through PA but one did and tore down part of PA's history. It's so sad to look at those pictures of destruction but wonderful that no one was hurt.

[@davidknows3320]

A friend and I rode 500 miles and back last weekend just to see this. I was in no way disappointed

[@28seether]

I'm from Venezuela, i visited Kinzua bridge back in 1999, It was an amazing experience... I can't believe a Tornado destroyed it. Too sad, I always wanted to go back.

[@samanthab1923]

That's how I felt. Moved to PA in 94 & saw a doc about it. Always thought there was plyif time. Then that freak tornado & even worse the dismantling of the RR. So sad 😭

[@fernandoscrenci4874]

​@@samanthab1923, I Have Heavy Suspicion that, A criminal conspiracy of some kind was hatch by weather warfare was done, so this bridge will never be fix !!

[@danielfoster3642]

I saw the viaduct exactly a month after the tornado damaged half the structure. I came there via the Knox and Kane train. You couldn't even get on the viaduct at the time because of you know what. Since then, I've been fascinated with it's history. This is a nice documentary. Since this documentary aired, what's left standing has been reopened as the Kinzua Skywalk. The Knox and Kane Railroad unfortunately ceased operations in 2009. The railroad tracks were removed, and is now a bike trail.

[@genericyoutube5922]

Lived up the road from here my whole life and before moving away would go for walks here all the time. Never went on the bridge though because I'm terrified of heights

[@katesmithmyer6677]

I still remember my trip to the railroad at probably 4 years old. The bridge was amazing to go over. It's definitely something I'll never forget!

[@tylerbell6796]

Thomas Kayne! What a legend!

[@stevemason5173]

Extremely interesting video... I purchased this same DVD while I was visiting the Kinzua State Park... One extremely interesting place and well worth the trip and visit!!!

[@SeahawksFTW2014]

I moved out here from Seattle 4 years ago, and have been to this bridge park 5 times. Until today, I thought PA thought they were cool because they had half a tornado bridge preserved. This video was extremely informative and the history absolutely changed my entire perspective on the place! Thank you for sharing this piece of the past.

[@scrapplepig]

"I thought PA thought they were cool " Well all I have to say to you is, "Second and goal"

[@SeahawksFTW2014]

@@scrapplepig one of my all-time fav Hawks memes is Pete Carroll in a Starbucks drive thru asking if he should hand over the latte or step back 3 feet and throw it in 😂

[@scoutbs2251]

@@SeahawksFTW2014 wow! you responded after 6 years!

[@SeahawksFTW2014]

@@scoutbs2251 I figured a response was deserved since I was kind of a douche 6 years ago 😆

[@scoutbs2251]

@@SeahawksFTW2014 oh lol

[@sebenste]

@Lisa Gensheimer: thank you so much for making this video! It's a wonderful story with a very sad ending. When the bridge came town, it must have been crazy for you to hear of it, and scramble to get your crew out there to cover this. It reminds me that 40 years of "deferred maintenance" = neglect. And we neglected a portion of our engineering history. Such a shame. Anyway, thank you for responding to us!

[@Shane_M]

I grew up in smethport pa, about 15 minutes from the bridge. I remember when it fell. I also miss walking across it. I have made about 7 trips across it before it fell and it was always an amazing experience.

[@davew4377]

I love this place... I haven't here in a while.. But I definitely crossed this bridge on foot and we used to hike down the hill and back up the otherside

[@AJKPenguin]

Giant microburst happened in Oil City that day of the tornado. I was in Pittsburgh and the weather was a light show.

[@capriracer351]

The roof blew off the shop I work at that day in Oil City. They walls of that all steel and brick shop started to pinch in, then released suddenly as the microburst went through. Then the roof blew off. Was not a fun day.

[@missplum12]

Thanks for putting this show on!!! I have been looking for it for a very long time!!!

[@vettebecker1]

Always wanted to visit this in person, a true marvel of engineering. I hate that it was destroyed by tornado, would have loved to had seen it intact. It’s a shame she can’t be rebuilt, even better than it was.

[@derreckanders1743]

The Steam Engine was stationed in my town of Marienville. I thought I knew most of the history behind it but this video proved me wrong. I remember coming home with my little ones and went to take them on the train ride. I was so disappointed when I found out the Tornado had taken the bridge out. I have not been back for many years and now I look foreward to the skywalk.

[@AJKPenguin]

Fortunately the bridge is preserved as a lookout. May God keep it as such until the last day.

[@campingwithhuskies]

Great informative video. Especially interesting for those of us who live in Phoenixville.

[@mychannel6718]

Love visiting Kinzua bridge. The trails below are pretty cool as well. You can get pretty close to all of the steel that fell over down below.

[@jhonwask]

I was there in 2000. A friend and I walked across it and back. It was truly an engineering feat. What an amazing view. Sad it was destroyed. Why can't they just rebuild it?

[@renatewoerner3298]

Ya some real hard working men there!

[@AJKPenguin]

If I'm thinking right, this video was uploaded 6 years to the day the tornado collapsed the bridge.

[@Pupdegraff18]

I went here today.... I live a mere 30 miles from this.

[@beboboymann3823]

Linda Devlin is very good on the eyes.

[@clarkgeek]

Went there about 8 months ago. Was interesting to see the steel towers bent and laying on the ground. They built a walk way with the remaining track which allows for some great views of the valley. They have a glass floor at the end of the walkway.. Someone does plane rides over the valley also. We saw the same biplane fly over the bridge 3 times in the 1.5 hours we were at the park.

[@ericklee780]

i live right beside the bridge

[@AJKPenguin]

Mount Jewett? : )

[@yz250a]

Y'know, you can build bridges your whole life, and no one will call you a bridge builder, but....

[@eatingplaydoh]

Elmira Bridge Works really made the steel?

[@scrapplepig]

Imagine the excitement living in those days with all the new inventions, and people building these great structures that at the time would seem impossible. You would be so proud of your country. ps I know there was a lot of poverty and racism, it get it.

[@Mark-uq9km]

Someone called Scrapplepig has to be from PA. Habbersett is the best.

[@scrapplepig]

@@Mark-uq9km You got that, outside of Philly.

[@Mark-uq9km]

@@scrapplepig Awesome. Living in Florida, now, but still miss PA. We have good friends in Phoenixville who send us Habersett. Went to Kinzua in 2017. Incredible history. Stay healthy.

[@scrapplepig]

@@Mark-uq9km I live in Chester Springs about 2 miles from Phoenixville.. I got my name from my pig named Scrapple, Scrapplepig. But I also like scrapple and Habersett is the best.

[@michaelhudecek2778]

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@LycoValleyRRFan]

@railstoruin God not another dang rail trail.

[@mikemaj8467]

Typical that not only was it not repaired after the tornado, even after 20 years has never been cleaned up. Man is convinced he owns the earth.

[@michaelgrimes5588]

Damn 94 days without modern equipment...today it would take 6 years and cost 240 million

[@OccupyBlackMedia]

you believe that??? 9o days without modern equipment?? what did they use??

[@PumkinPeanut]

@@OccupyBlackMedia He was referring to the fact the construction workers were using construction equipment of their time (1880s) and not construction equipment of our time (2020s) and it would still be an impressive feat to complete something of this magnitude that quickly even with today's modern equipment, let alone using what they had available at the time. I can't get over the one photo of the workers halfway up the beams just sitting casually for the photo (no lifelines or safety harness/rope) and the one guy who appears to be dangling in mid air (couldn't even see his rope)

[@chriseames9063]

What about the ' COLLARS '!?

[@ithacacomments4811]

Iron vs steel equalled the failure.

[@markjohnson2230]

Hhchristmas in Bradford pa

[@markjohnson2230]

Christmas in Bradford pa

[@MarcelRayDuriez]

I wanna make a statement here, here its only 92 meters from med point of the last post shown- number 8 so doing the math on it I would get it would be 600 feet and that is now the sky walk they made it into- so with that said this thing have 20 x 200 and 20 x 50 foot spans would make 2, 050 feet long really I have in feet high- 2,869 feet is what I got with the largest post. Making this the large railroad viaduct in the word... that I no of...

[@futureshock7425]

Designer didn’t factor in uplift

[@VanaConn]

Should be rebuilt. We give billions of our tax dollars to other countries for nothing that helps us yet we can’t fund a historic landmark

[@Xsiondu]

I don't disagree that we waste our money but what good would rebuilding that bridge do? Just to do it? We should fix our actual infrastructure.

[@VanaConn]

@@Xsiondu "Adgenda 21" is what is really what the current administration cares about. google it.

[@SierraRailway]

Did the narrator really just pronounce Chateaugay as "shat ah gwa"? The cringe is real.......

[@JAKEGrubbie]

This was a chance wasted!! This should have been a National Monument Park a gateway to the Allegany National Forest a testament to the coal and railroads of PA!! A park where you could camp, cabin, excursion Train, etc. This could have been the most popular national park to visit proven by visitors from other countries. Dmn diphits couldnt figure this one out!!

[@laterdudesaint]

amazing how you can make shit sound like shinola..