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Amazing Old Trestle (a Haupt Bridge)
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is so much to consider with this mysteriously powerful photograph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It loads larger than screen size, so you need to scroll to see it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you scroll over to the right, and look near the bottom, you can see (far below) a very crude timber bridge over a small waterway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking at that little bridge is a key that gives perspective to the main view out onto the railroad bridge, which is the subject of the photo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The railroad bridge is spectacular in height, but also amazing in the degree of deck deterioration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">By the look of it, the railroad rails are resting on standard length ties, and the rest of walkway decking is supported somewhat differently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The overall impression is that the decking and its support look extremely uncertain if you would be thinking about walking across.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet the walkways are generously wide and running on both sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is something rather odd and ironic about that formally dressed railroad official nonchalantly resting on that sagging railing as if there is nothing to be concerned about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He certainly is close to being the subject of this photo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if he realized how he looked in that pose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The photographer probably set the whole picture up and made his artistic statement without the individual people in the photograph understanding the photographer’s intent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just as ironic are the square wooden trapezoidal towers monumentally marking the gateway to this bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both are cocked off plumb to each side, seeming to contradict the sense of confidence that they were intended to convey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is interesting that the builder of the bridge was concerned enough about aesthetics to cut the railing posts as trapezoids to visually correlate with the end towers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can see a hubbub of men and activity out there a ways where their handcar is standing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose the guy in the foreground is in charge of the work those guys are doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you look at the track in the most foreground, you can see some interesting details of a rail joint. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">This photo says a lot about the bridge when seen from this view down the deck, but can you imagine all of the work that must have gone on below to nail or bolt together so many timbers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is where the real maintenance challenge must have been confronted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can judge the length of this bridge by the view across the valley on the right side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looks like there is a small building on the right side of the track, at the opposite end of the trestle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t actually see the end of the trestle, but I assume the building is probably on land, and the rest of the landscape suggests the trestle could end at that point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the look of it, I suppose that would mean that the trestle was maybe 5/8-3/4 mile long.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">The photograph:</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><a href="http://www.shorpy.com/node/2956?size=_original"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.shorpy.com/node/2956?size=_original</span></span></a></span></p>
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