The Lyman Viaduct under construction, July 4, 1871
It’s hard to gauge just how high the Lyman Viaduct is until you click on the photograph to get a larger view and look closely at the bottom. See the man and the horse (or maybe it’s a mule, it’s hard to tell)? Then compare them to the enormity of the trestle, then under construction. Amazing, isn’t it?
At 1100 feet long and 137 feet high, the Lyman Viaduct iron railroad trestle was built 1872-1873 to span the valley of Dickinson Creek near Colchester, Connecticut. Named after David Lyman, the man who built the New Haven, Middletown & Willimantic section of the Air Line Railroad, the trestle was a major link in a railroad line that was billed as the fastest route between Boston and New York City.
In 1912, as trains became heavier and the railroad became concerned about the stability of the trestle, the Lyman Viaduct was filled in with sand and gravel. It is now part of the Air Line State Park Trail, on the Rails-to-Trails network. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in August 1986.
The Lyman Viaduct is a technological marvel, showing the great lengths Americans went to to take advantage of the most powerful mode of transportation of the time. By the early 1900s almost every town in Connecticut had a railroad line easily accessible, enabling travel among the towns and cities as well as across the nation.
I always been in awe of the Lyman viaducts. Since I was 11yrs old I make a pilgrimage to there. It’s not only awesome but it’s scary too
I used to have a 9″x 12″ paper backed book showing photos of the Airline RR particularly when the Steam Train was still active.
I don’t know who published it. But I would like to know because my copy is not available due to hurricane damage that caused my roof to leak on some of my treasures. Is there a copy of the book I can find? My property abuts the Airline State Park and the East Hamton Colchester sewer line is under the trail behind my house.
Hi Ms. Burg. Perhaps you’re referring to “Viaducts Bridges and Ghost Trains: The Air Line Railroad Archaeological District,” published in 2004 by Historical Perspectives, Inc., of Westport, Conn. I see it is available at several libraries in the state (including the UConn Archives) but unfortunately not for sale on Amazon.