mid-1890s. Larger and more powerful locomotives were required to pull cars that handled an increasing number of passengers and goods; compared to the locomotives crossing the bridge in the 1850s, locomotives were the common engines 40 years later. The weight of these trains exceeded the specifications of the Suspension Bridge, and the bridge companies took the opportunity to review and request the replacement of the bridge. 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 design. At that time, arch bridges were the new models for railway bridges and were more cost-efficient than suspension bridges. Buck built the new bridge around and below the Suspension Bridge, replacing it a piece at a time. His plan allowed bridge traffic—train and pedestrian—to continue without disruption. By August 27, 1897, the last pieces of the Suspension Bridge were dismantled, leaving the Lower Steel Arch Bridge—later renamed the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge—in its stead. On inspection, the cores of the cables that formerly held up the Suspension Bridge were found to be as sound as on the day the bridge was built. Notes and references Notes References Bibliography Primary sources Secondary sources External links Bridges Over Niagara Falls at Niagara Falls Thunder Alley Bridges completed in 1848 Bridges completed in 1855 Bridges in Niagara Falls, New York Bridges in Niagara Falls, Ontario Bridges over the Niagara River Great Western Railway (Ontario) Grand Trunk Railway New York Central Railroad bridges Railroad bridges in New York (state) Railway bridges in the Regional Municipality of Niagara Road bridges in New York (state) Road-rail bridges in the United States Former toll bridges in Canada Former toll bridges in New York (state) Former railway bridges in Canada Former railway bridges in the United States Steel bridges in the United States Suspension bridges in Canada Suspension bridges in New York (state)