Editing Whirlpool Rapids Bridge (section)

==History==
[[File:Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge to Lower Steel Arch Bridge 3.jpg|thumb|left|Bridge construction]]

The predecessor of the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge was the [[Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge]], which carried foot and rail traffic, opened in 1855, and was most notable for being the world's first working railway suspension bridge and for being the bridge that was used by [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionists]] running the [[Underground Railroad]] to get slaves to freedom in Canada. By the late 1800s, the suspension bridge was becoming outdated for railroad needs. The weight of trains in North America had greatly increased by the mid-1890s. Larger and more powerful locomotives were required to pull cars that handled an increasing number of passengers and goods; compared to the {{convert|23|ST|t|adj=on}} locomotives crossing the bridge in the 1850s, {{convert|170|ST|t|adj=on}} locomotives were the common engines 40&nbsp;years later.{{Sfn|Irwin|1996|p=55}} The weight of these trains exceeded the specifications of the Suspension Bridge and the bridge companies decided to request the replacement of the bridge.{{sfn|Lewis|2008|page=30}}

Civil engineer [[Leffert L. Buck]], who had been hired to maintain the Suspension Bridge, was selected to design the replacement bridge. He settled for a bridge of the [[arch bridge|arch design]]. Buck built the new bridge around and below the Suspension Bridge and started building the foundation in April 1896.{{sfn|Lewis|2008|page=30}} 
His plan allowed bridge traffic&mdash;train and pedestrian&mdash;to continue without disruption.{{Sfn|Griggs|2006b|p=82}} By August 27, 1897, the last pieces of the Suspension Bridge were dismantled, leaving the Lower Steel Arch Bridge&mdash;later renamed the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge&mdash;in its stead.{{Sfn|Crabtree|1901|p=360}} Steel towers and framework supporting the project were removed once it was completed.{{sfn|Lewis|2008|page=33}} At the time of completion, it was the longest arch bridge ever built (168 meters across).{{sfn|Lewis|2008|page=40}} Bridge materials for the former suspension bridge were then recycled by the [[Pennsylvania Steel Company]].{{sfn|Lewis|2008|page=41}}

While the [[Niagara Cantilever Bridge]] was nearby, it only served rail traffic for Canada Southern and [[Michigan Central Railway]] companies.{{sfn|Lewis|2008|page=40}} Over the years, the [[New York Central Railroad]], [[Great Western Railway (Ontario)|Great Western Railway]], [[Erie Railroad]], [[Canadian National Railway]], and [[Amtrak]] have used the whirlpool bridge. In November 2009, the bridge was extensively refurbished: repairing and replacing the catwalk and some of the steel beams and rivets, sandblasting, and a paint job were among the major maintenance tasks undertaken.<ref name="DCN1">[https://web.archive.org/web/20140717235421/http://dcnonl.com/article/id35938 Whirlpool Rapids Bridge gets historic facelift], November 6, 2009.</ref> Amtrak took over maintenance responsibility of the rail deck from [[Canadian National Railway|Canadian National]] (CN) in late 2012. Currently the ''[[Maple Leaf (train)|Maple Leaf]]'' train service, jointly operated by Amtrak and [[Via Rail]], is the only train to use the bridge; CN routes freight over the [[International Railway Bridge]] at [[Fort Erie, Ontario]]–[[Buffalo, New York]] instead.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}