Cape Cod Tracker

Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridge

When I travel to the Cape I always make an effort to try and catch the train at the Railroad Bridge along the Cape Cod Canal. Most of the time I catch the train because of my knowledge of the train schedule but most people never do. The Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridge was built in 1933 by the Army Corps of Engineers the bridge has a 544 foot span and is operated by 2 counterweights one on each side of the Canal. The railroad bridge is normally left in the up position which provides a 135 foot clearance to vessels navigating the Canal. When the bridge needs to be lowered the bridge operator must call the Army Corps of Engineers Canal Traffic Control Center and request permission to lower the bridge because vessel traffic has the right-away in the Canal. For those who have never see the railroad bridge come down and the train cross over checkout the video below if you are interested in riding across the bridge visit the Cape Cod Central Railroads website at www.capetrain.com.