Trackside Guides

Hey guys, here's one shot of #31 that I had readily available- I think I have a few more on a CD somewhere that show the bridge in various stages of swung open.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85729295@N00/33545398/

Found 'em!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85729295@N00/33549610/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85729295@N00/33549611/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85729295@N00/33549612/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85729295@N00/33549613/

Nice pics, once I got in there I flipped through all of the train shots. I see you visited the Twin Cities.

one problem.
That bridge on the north side of Brainerd is not the Minnesota & International RR bridge. The M&I was incorparated in 1900 taking over the assets of the Brainerd & Northern Minnesota RR. The M&I used the Northern Pacific bridge to cross the Mississippi River and then turned north to Bemidji.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=15&X=2034&Y=25671&W
As to that bridge that you are showing, I don't know who's it is (was?).

Dan

I read that the M&I basically closed down around 1932 or 1933 and I was thinking NP shifted the line to their bridge when they took over after 1941. I think I'll list it as a possible bridge for now. My 1942 atlas shows the route using the NP bridge.
This would help
www.upress.umn.edu/Books/K/king_minnesota.html

The M&I was in operation until 1941 when the NP took over at a forecloser sale.
As to that bridge in question, I looked at some of my topo maps and it shows it to be a highway bridge, CR25 to be exact.

Dan

Actually, it looks like you are both right. Go back to this link and look at the photo and both maps enlarged.

www.macalester.edu/geography/mage/urban/Brainerd/rail.htm

The narrow gauge logging road that used that bridge, never connected with the NP. I suspect that when the logging road went out, the site was converted to the county road, and has subsequently been enlarged.

So, by Dale's standards, there really was another railroad bridge over the Mississippi. It was a narrow gauge logging railroad bridge that is now a road bridge.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Boy_4005 Nice pics, once I got in there I flipped through all of the train shots. I see you visited the Twin Cities.

Yes, I get up there quite a bit. Was born in Mankato and raised up in Prior Lake, just south of Shakopee. My folks still live there. My Mom grew up in northwest Wisconsin, so that area's pretty much like home as well.

Quote from Big_Boy_4005:

Class ones over time is a moving target because periodicly the revenue requirements changed. Add to that all of the merger activity over the years, and the number of class ones operating in any given state drops like a rock. I'm not sure what today's revenue levels are. My guess is that Illinois still has the most, but that's almost a no brainer.

There is the forward to an excellent book!

Dale, I see you're down to the Twin Cities with your renumbering. When you pu***hrough, I go back and renumber in all my posts. It figures you found the 52nd in northern Minnesota. It couldn't have been in Louisana. That would have been too easy.[;)]

I should have started in Louisiana and gone up. I put in an interlibrary request for Logging Railroads of Minnesota. I think it will show 2 more (just a guess).

QUOTE: Originally posted by nanaimo73 I should have started in Louisiana and gone up. I put in an interlibrary request for Logging Railroads of Minnesota. I think it will show 2 more (just a guess).

Oh no, I hope not. I must say, you are being thorough. No logging roads of Iowa though, thank God.[:p]

I guess I'll wait til the dust settles.[;)]

i am greatly impressed. while i know little of the twin cities area, i do know more about
the crossings st. louis to the south. i assume that mckinley in st louis is still open to
automobile traffic. the track ran alongside the vehicles. you have done a great job to
include ferries. there appears to be some evidence that ferries once operated at
memphis near the present bridge sites. the two ferries just south of cairo are not well
known, esp. the one at belmont. huey long at metairie la has some interesting
aspects. also -- missing are the ferries that operated for southern pacific and missouri
pacific-t&p passenger trains near downtown new orleans before huey long opened.
mike palmieri operates the louisiana rail site and has information as to their location
on the east and west banks and connections to the stations in new orleans. this also
preceded the opening of n.o.u.p.t. serving all passenger trains. he has e-mail access,
and contributes frequently to loconotes. the downtown pair of ferries would be the
southernmost rail crossings of the mississippi river.

theo sommerkamp crosstie@wowway.com

nanaimo73 here is more information for you

The bridge at LaCrosse, WI opened November 27, 1876 bridge #28

The bridge W&StP (C&NW) bridge at Winona opened May 26th 1871 and collapsed the following day. Replacement opened January 21, 1872. Abandonment approved
12/24/1977 Bridge #26

The bridge at Hastings, MN opened December 9th, 1871 bridge #24

Bridge #20 opened September 29th, 1869

Bridge #25 opened July 1882 no exact date found. Abandoned 1952 no exact date found


Bridge #19 opened December 4th, 1880


I'll get you the rest of the dates for the Minnesota bridges tomorrow.

John Beaulieu

Further additions to information on the list

Bridge #5 Was built by the Mississippi, Hill City and Western, date unknown, the whole railroad was abandoned in 1935.

Bridge #12 opened June 12th, 1872, not as part of the Duluth to Willmar Line, but rather as part of the St. Paul to Moorhead line.

Bridge # 15 opened May 1st, 1867


Short of time that's all for today.

John Beaulieu