KOOLjock1 posted:...With the exception of swing bridges, most of these bridges operate on extraordinarily low horsepower, and they are very carefully balanced. ...
sort of OT, but i remember a line from the PBS show on the Panama Canal claiming that the multi-ton lock gates were so well engineered, a motor the size of a VW engine was all that was needed to operate them.
i only caught it a few times but there was a Bascule Bridge on the Jersey Shore Line that was great fun to watch operate. the counterweight was huge.