Major Mike | Year of 2017

111417

It’s been 40 years since trains rolled over the historic Rosendale Trestle in Rosendale, New York. At 150 feet tall, this stretch of track was the highest span bridge in the United States when it opened in 1872. It was constructed by the Wallkill Valley Railroad to extend their line in New York’s Hudson Valley, and crosses Rondout Creek in the community of Rosendale, an area best known for cement production. Rosendale cement was used in construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, and a wing of the United States Capitol. As the industry fell into decline, so did the railroad. These days, the trestle has found new life as a public walkway, open for all to enjoy.

The Rosendale Trestle is a 940-foot continuous truss bridge and former railroad trestle in Rosendale Village, a hamlet in the town of Rosendale in Ulster County, New York. Originally constructed by the Wallkill Valley Railroad to continue its rail line from New Paltz to Kingston, the bridge rises 150 ft above Rondout Creek, spanning both Route 213 and the former Delaware and Hudson Canal. Construction on the trestle began in late 1870, and continued until early 1872. When it opened to rail traffic on April 6, 1872, the Rosendale trestle was the highest span bridge in the United States.
Opened: 1872
Length: 940 feet (286.50 m)
Width: 6′ 0″ (1.83 m)
Clearance below: 150 feet (45.72 m)
Location: Rosendale

The trestle, photographed in April 2011