Carillon Historical Park

Technical Description:

• 3 - 32' x 11' x 18' CON/SPAN^® B-Series Bridge System
• 57 LF of 8' MULTI-PLATE^®
• 23'-5" x 9'-3" x 60' BridgeCor^® Structural Plate

In 1950, the 65-acre Carillon Historical Park located in Dayton, Ohio opened its open-air history museum with the purpose of "showcasing the region’s industrial innovations, transportation achievements, and Dayton’s contributions to world progress." The park owes its original existence to the generosity of Colonel Edward Andrew Deeds and Edith Walton Deeds and currently houses dozens of museum buildings and countless artifacts from local leaders such as Charles Kettering, John H. Patterson, and Orville Wright. Deeds served in the U.S. Army as Chief of Aircraft Procurement and directed the design and production of the Liberty Engine. He also co-founded the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco), the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, and the Engineers Club of Dayton and served as the third CEO of National Cash Register. After Ohio's worst natural disaster, the Great 1913 Flood decimated the Dayton region, Deeds organized the Miami Conservancy District to construct an unprecedented dam system to protect the community from future floods.

Deeds' original vision included a full-scale, mid-century locomotive exhibit but when he was unable to locate one, he settled for a miniature model of the "Cincinnati," the first locomotive to pull a passenger train into Dayton in 1852. In 2021, the park's most recent expansion included the addition of a 145' long electric-powered train that looks identical to the Cincinnati, holds 120 passengers and runs three times each hour. The train was built by England-based Severn Lamb, the same company that created the Wildlife Express Train for Disney World's Wildlife Kingdom in Orlando, Florida and includes a zero-emission battery. The mile long train ride includes a narration about Dayton's history as it loops around the park and over a newly constructed multi-cell bridge.

"We wanted to offer something for the whole family and provide some kind of narration," stated Brady Kress, President and CEO of Dayton History. "This truly is a form of transportation for people but also an interpretive tool."

Designed by Woolpert Inc, a Dayton-based engineering firm, it was imperative the bridge reflect even more of Dayton's rich history. For that reason, three 32' x 11' CON/SPAN® B-Series Bridge Systems, 18' in length, were included in the design. Invented in 1983 by Dayton engineer William D. Lockwood, the innovative precast concrete modular CON/SPAN bridge system has been used by more state DOTs than any other system. Spans range from 12’ to 60’ with rises from 3’ to 14’ and each system comes complete with precast headwalls and wingwalls, and the modular construction provides simple and fast installations.

In addition, an 8' round MULTI-PLATE®, 57' in length, and a 23'-5" x 9'-3" BridgeCor® Structural Plate, 60' in length, were also utilized in the multi-cell bridge, and the train passes over all five structures. The MULTI-PLATE was selected because the material used in its production was developed by Armco, another local inventor.

The $9 million project also included relocating the existing 1894 Baltimore and Ohio Bowling Green to become the train's primary train station, land modifications, stormwater drainage and catch basins, sidewalks, and more. More than half of the project's funding was secured by private donors.

Woolpert's biggest challenges of the project were routing the train through the slopes, curvatures and landmarks of the park while complying with a maximum 3% elevation grade and minimum 50-meter radius on all turns. The project included elevating the track bed, cutting into hillsides, navigating historical buildings and trees all while making sure not to disturb the bald eagles that inhabit the park.

Adding to the park's rich history, the CON/SPAN was the perfect solution for the site, and the park and Woolpert were pleased with the outcome.

“The Carillon Park Railroad truly embodies regional history with its 'Cincinnati'-style train, its Lockwood-style bridge and its support by longtime Dayton company Woolpert, while ensuring guests have fun learning about the many attractions throughout the park,” concluded Kress. "This train has been a long time coming. We're excited... to share it with the world."

Technical Description:

• 3 - 32' x 11' x 18' CON/SPAN^® B-Series Bridge System
• 57 LF of 8' MULTI-PLATE^®
• 23'-5" x 9'-3" x 60' BridgeCor^® Structural Plate