East Side Rail Tunnel

Built in 1908, this providence train tunnel saw lots of traffic until the 1960s and '70s, when cars were becoming much more popular as a means of transportation and it grew increasingly costly to keep the nearby connecting bridge in use. When the bridge was closed in 1976 (see here for my post on exploring the bridge), the rail tunnel became obsolete, but stayed open on both its east and west ends until 1993, when a group of teenagers and young adults found partying in the tunnel revolted after being kicked out by the police. The tunnel was subsequently sealed off at both ends, though the east end has relatively recently been opened.

Calypso and I walked across the full length of the tunnel, which I believe to be about a mile. For the most part, it's straight, but curves a bit at the west side. It took about an hour to get from the east to west side, but we moved quicker as we went back.

(Also apologies for the low-quality and amateur photography; this set is mostly from a while back but at least you can get an idea of what it looks like.)

Some exteriors:

The front of the tunnel entrance. The metal curtain was put over the opening, but their is a difficult-to-spot door on the right.

A shot of the wasteland that sits out front. This used to be neat, orderly, and dry.

Going inside:

The place was very dark and required all the flashlights we had. Also, near both ends and at some points within, the water got up to about 8 to 10 inches deep on the ground, though I don't think the rails were ever fully submerged. 

Flashlights on. The air was cold and damp, and we could see our breath like a cold winter day. It was overall quite miserable being in there after over an hour or so.

An old snare drum stand. The reverb in that place was great, so a drum set must've sounded very interesting.

The foot traffic of other explorers.

This is the skeleton of a car, probably at least 30 years old.

This black liquid was dripping down the wall, and the orange fluid lined the walls throughout most of the tunnel.

Looks like a nice place to sit around and watch TV.

Some graffiti. I'll remind you that all these masterpieces are deep below the city where few people would ever even want to go, let alone have the necessary tools (flashlights and rain boots) to get down here.

That's the idea

These white icicle-like things were dripping from cracks in the ceiling. My father, who had been down here in the '80s, said that it's crystallized carbon, though others have said that they are some kind of frozen plant roots or something similar, but that doesn't sound right to me.

A barrel on the tracks.

Reached the west end to see this. The fence behind the steel doors was cut open, but there was no way of getting through the metal itself. The tunnel came out to what is now a parking lot off of a busy street.

Old Abandoned Bridge

Known around here as the "Stuck-Up Bridge," this bridge, also called The Seekonk River Bridge, Crook Point Bascule Bridge, or Ghost Bridge, has been abandoned and left in the "up" position since the 1970s. It is not open to the public, but on the more popular side a hole has been cut in the fence and many people come and go, at times going as far as to walk all the way toward the middle of the bridge over the water. On the other side, entry to the bridge is blocked by a fence with no trespassing signs, and is altogether difficult to reach because the east entrance to the bridge is enveloped in thorny woods.

I'd been to the main side twice before, but this time I walked all the way as far as I could go, then looked around the beach and steps below. I then went across the river to the other side of the bridge, where I had to cross a highway and pass through woods sans any trail to reach the fence which I hopped. I only got to take a few pictures at this end because a police boat took interest in me and I leaped over the fence, ran through the woods, and got outta town as soon as I could.

P.S.--The bridge connects to a rail tunnel which has also been abandoned since the '70s. You can see my post on it here where Calypso and I go through the whole thing.

The bridge from the Henderson Expressway, a nearby (active) bridge.

Notice how the boards are burnt up to charcoal? This seems to be the work of vandals, or perhaps lightning. On the other side of the river, I found similar charred support beams, which I speculate to be an attempt to bring down that side of the bridge via taking out its support by the local scoundrels.

Notice again all of the burnt wood here.

This wasn't the first time I've seen this little red guy--check out my post on Fort Wetherill.

This was the part left up. It makes one concerned that at any moment it could snap and come swinging back down.

Looking toward the other side across the river.

Looking north from the end of this side of the bridge.

Not very safe looking, but some have even climbed it.

From under the bridge:

There used to be another set of rails over this but they were taken away sometime in the '90s I think.

These tracks lead to an abandoned tunnel which I wanted to visit today, but a homeless man lives along the rails in the woods, so I went around so as not to disturb him

On the other side across the river, cutting through the woods:

Found in a nearby pond.

Abandoned tracks through the woods.

On my way from running from the police, I still had time to snap this quick photo.

Last shot: