The Bussey Railroad Bridge Collapse

摘要

On March 14, 1887 a Boston bound train, near full capacity and after departing Roslindale Station, crossed an iron frame bridge. The locomotive along with the first three cars safely crossed but the remaining six cars fell to the street below as the bridge collapsed. Failure of two iron hangers was the cause, however contract mismanagement on the part of the railroad company was an underlying factor. This paper presents an overview of the Bussey Bridge collapse, its historical background, the engineering and construction.