Brilliant Cutoff Viaduct of the Pennsylvania Railroad
By Jim Kuhn - Originally posted to Flickr as Pennsylvania Railroad Company Brilliant Cutoff Viaduct (Pittsburgh, PA), CC BY 2.0
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The Brilliant Cutoff Viaduct is a monumental stone-arch railroad structure carrying the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Brilliant Branch across the Silver Lake valley along Washington Boulevard in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar and Homewood neighborhoods. Completed in the early 1900s under the direction of chief engineer William H. Brown, the viaduct spans roughly 468 to 500 feet at a height of approximately 75 feet and features six sturdy spans—five soaring stone arches and one steel girder section over Lincoln Avenue.
Built with massive limestone blocks and reinforced with poured concrete, it was engineered to withstand the weight of ever-heavier locomotives and to endure the test of time. Positioned over what was once a popular park-like pond known locally as Silver Lake—where community members once picnicked, ice skated, and bathed—the viaduct remains an imposing industrial landmark. Although the lake and its recreational landscape have long since vanished, replaced by drive-in theaters and later industrial and commercial development, the viaduct endures.
It was formally recognized as a Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark in 2003 and continues to evoke the craftsmanship and civic ambition of early 20th-century rail infrastructure. More recently, the railway line it supports has continued limited freight use into the 21st century, with recent moves to convert portions of its route into a public trail.
