New trestle

It's not every day that the Purple Line EL in Chicago gets a new train trestle.  In fact, the existing trestle is the original, which was laid in 1895.

The  new trestle pictured below is a brute, and looks like it will carry the clattering train cars for another century or more.  The trestle is propped up on stilts in the middle of Grove Street at Chicago Avenue in Evanston.  They've been doing some last-minute touch ups of some sort for a number of weeks now.  Then they will cut away the old trestle and swing the new one into its place.

The trestles are getting replaced at a number of EL stops, and it is a cause for excitement.  Locals bring out their lawn chairs and coolers when the crane arrives to swing the monsters into their new homes.

The Metra trestle looks like it is held together by canvas.

This EL trestle has seen some harsh Chicago winters.  

The new trestle looks good for another 100 years.