Mississippi River Crossings

[blhanel]

BTW, Dale, I got another shot of #33 at Dubuque a couple of weeks back from a different angle, complete with train...

 

[blhanel]

to the Trains.com forum, Opahujo, from another Eastern Iowan!

[Anonymous]

Hi, Bob,

   Thanks for the picture. Now where have I seen one of these engines before? Hmmm. Oh, here it is:

   I recently sold the engine. I'm 76 and the time has come to clear the display shelves and thin out my collection of Lionel postwar equipment. My heirs wouldn't have a clue as to what to do with all my stuff. I'm hanging on to some of the trains on my layout, though. Even old boys need some toys.

   I live in eastern Iowa and perhaps this fall we'll make another trip to Keithsburg. But although it's not all that far, it's not the easiest place to get to. First we head east, crossing the Mississippi at Davenport; then turn south for about 40 miles and finally go west for about 20 miles to get back to the river at Keithsburg.

   I spend time in several forums but I'm not used to this one. Is there a way when I post a reply that I can link my reply post to the one that I'm replying to?

Just click on the quote box that is next to the reply button, like I just did. As you drive east on I-80 you pass the rest stop. Next exit is 38 South. Follow business route 61 in Muscatine. You will see the bridge and hiway 92 on your left. Cross the bridge and turn right at the church, then left at the stop sign on Hiway 17. Then turn right, (south) where the sign says Keithsburg. This way saves a lot of miles. Then you can continue south and go through Burlington IA on your way back.

Thanks for the tip. I'm quite familiar with hwy 38 to Muscatine, but I had never considered the road that runs south on the other side of the river in the direction of New Boston. That route looks a lot shorter.

[spokyone]

Hi, Bob,

   Thanks for the picture. Now where have I seen one of these engines before? Hmmm. Oh, here it is:

   I recently sold the engine. I'm 76 and the time has come to clear the display shelves and thin out my collection of Lionel postwar equipment. My heirs wouldn't have a clue as to what to do with all my stuff. I'm hanging on to some of the trains on my layout, though. Even old boys need some toys.

   I live in eastern Iowa and perhaps this fall we'll make another trip to Keithsburg. But although it's not all that far, it's not the easiest place to get to. First we head east, crossing the Mississippi at Davenport; then turn south for about 40 miles and finally go west for about 20 miles to get back to the river at Keithsburg.

   I spend time in several forums but I'm not used to this one. Is there a way when I post a reply that I can link my reply post to the one that I'm replying to?

Just click on the quote box that is next to the reply button, like I just did. As you drive east on I-80 you pass the rest stop. Next exit is 38 South. Follow business route 61 in Muscatine. You will see the bridge and hiway 92 on your left. Cross the bridge and turn right at the church, then left at the stop sign on Hiway 17. Then turn right, (south) where the sign says Keithsburg. This way saves a lot of miles. Then you can continue south and go through Burlington IA on your way back.

[Anonymous]

Hi, Bob,

   Thanks for the picture. Now where have I seen one of these engines before? Hmmm. Oh, here it is:

   I recently sold the engine. I'm 76 and the time has come to clear the display shelves and thin out my collection of Lionel postwar equipment. My heirs wouldn't have a clue as to what to do with all my stuff. I'm hanging on to some of the trains on my layout, though. Even old boys need some toys.

   I live in eastern Iowa and perhaps this fall we'll make another trip to Keithsburg. But although it's not all that far, it's not the easiest place to get to. First we head east, crossing the Mississippi at Davenport; then turn south for about 40 miles and finally go west for about 20 miles to get back to the river at Keithsburg.

   I spend time in several forums but I'm not used to this one. Is there a way when I post a reply that I can link my reply post to the one that I'm replying to?

[spokyone]

Welcome

Opa. Thanks for the post. If you visit Keithsburg again you will see this.

The bridge is in the background.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the interesting post (I'm a long-time Trains subscriber, but just found this forum today). We visited Keithsburg July 5, 1981, the day the 220 foot vertical lift span was to be demolished. Unfortunately, there were some delays with placing all the charges and we had to leave for home before the structure was blown.  

I took the picture: http://i3.tinypic.com/5zfd8aw.jpg  when we returned to Keithsburg 10 years later in 1991. The gap shown in the picture is wider than the 220 feet that the lift span once bridged; when the lift span fell into the river it also dislodged the adjacent fixed span. That span and its pier were removed a few years later to improve river navigation. One can also see in the pictures the piers from an earlier railroad bridge.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I am doing photo tours of each of the bridges and structures that crosses the Mississippi
River, including both auto and rail bridges. I have found two conflicting dates for the
opening of the Short Line bridge in Minneapolis (ex Milwaukee Road). The historical
society and library came up with dates in 1902. The guide below has 1880. Any idea
which one is right? Was there an earlier bridge between 1880 and 1902?

Also, does anyone know details on the history of the Quincy Bridge? The first bridge
was built in 1868. It was rebuilt on the same alignment in 1899. The 1899 bridge
had wagon paths added to each side of the structure. The new highway bridge opened
in 1930, so the wagon paths were removed from the 1899 bridge in the early 1930s.
A new bridge was built on a new alignment in 1960. My question is when was the 1899
rail bridge removed? The only source I have found gives 1943, but that cannot be right
since that would have meant no bridge for 17 years. It would also be nice to know when
the wagon decks were removed.

Thanks,

-john-

[Ishmael]

Here is some additional information to the ferry crossing at Ste.Genevieve, MO. There was a ferry that crossed the Mississippi from Thomure, MO to Kellog, IL. (I don't belive Thomure exists anymore) This line started life as the Illinois-Southern RR. It ran from Bismarck,MO to Centralia,IL. It was later named the Mike 'n Ike, (MoPac), and it is still there, on the MO side, with ownership being the Union Pacific.

Also, a couple of miles south of that, there was a ferry crossing around Chester,IL. It was located at the Northern end of the Louis Houck Railroad. Officially known as the "Cape Girardeau Northern" I do not remember that station's name anymore. But, the ferry crossed from here to Chester.

Engineer, the town on the Missouri side was called Claryville, but is now called West Chester. You can call it anything you want because there's nothing there anymore. There is a highway bridge crossing the river at this point and some good activity on the UP on the Illinois side. I've done some research on the CGN and don't believe they ever crossed the river. In fact, they used that line so little that the grass grew over it and the farmers pulled the ties out to use for retaining walls and other projects.

The town, (again no town left) of McBride is on the BNSF (ex-Frisco) in front of the bluff.

Also the Mike 'n Ike was officially the Missouri-Illinois, and they still run from Thomure (a few houses) up into Bonne Terre. They have a heck of a grade coming south out of Bonne Terre and I have some photos of a short train climbing the hill at walking speed.

[spokyone]

Thanks for the great postings. At age 2 to 6, my family lived on southern edge of Hamilton, near the tracks. My father worked in Keokuk and due to WW2 he walked on the rail level  because the highway approach was much longer. I remember the covered road bridge on the approach. At last I have found some pics at this web site for bridge #42


http://www.hamiltonillinois.org/Final%20Photo%20Album/Historical/index.html

 

[nanaimo73]

From the Quad Cities Times, April 21st, 2006-
http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/04/21/news/local/doc44486c8c76c97948201555.txt  

First railroad bridge over river opened on this date
By John Willard
On this day 150 years ago, transportation history was made in the Quad-Cities with the opening of the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River.
With bridge workers aboard, the locomotive Fort Des Moines, of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, crossed the bridge between Rock Island and Davenport at dusk on Monday, April 21, 1856. At about 9 p.m., another locomotive pulling 10 heavily loaded freight cars bound for Iowa City crossed the bridge.
The next day, the first passenger train — a locomotive, baggage car and one passenger car — made the crossing.
“The church bells of the twin-cities rang out their joyous notes in honor of the achievement, and cheer upon cheer went up from the crowds along the line,” the Rock Island Argus reported on April 23, 1856.
The opening of the bridge was a significant achievement. In addition to opening up the West, the bridge signaled a shift in the nation’s transportation system from water to rail.
The Quad-Cities achieved the distinction of getting the structure through the efforts of railroad developer Henry Farnam.
Although several railroads were interested in crossing the Mississippi River in their race to reach the West, Farnam figured the Rock Island Line had the best shot because of the location of its route. It extended from Chicago to Rock Island, a distance of 181 miles, the shortest distance between Chicago and the Mississippi River. In addition, the Rock’s route was through a gentle valley free of hills and other obstructions.
In the fall of 1852, the Rock Island Line hired Farnam to build the railroad. On Feb. 22, 1854, the completion of the railroad to Rock Island was celebrated with a gala dinner in Rock Island. In June of that year, dignitaries from the East Coast rode the rails to Rock Island for a gala steamboat excursion up the Mississippi River to St. Paul, Minn., an event known as the Grand Excursion.
Just two weeks after the bridge opened to rail traffic, the steamboat Effie Afton struck a bridge pier, setting off a fire that destroyed the wooden structure. In a lawsuit filed by the steamboat’s owners, future president Abraham Lincoln represented the railroad. After lengthy litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the railroad.
The original bridge was repaired, with replacements built in 1866, 1872 and 1896. The 1896 structure still operates as the A rsenal Bridge.
The completion of the original bridge will be celebrated Sept. 14-18 during “RiverWay 2006, Celebrating the Mississippi River in the Quad-Cities: Bridging the river, connecting the continent.”
Plans call for excursions aboard a passenger train drawn by a vintage steam locomotive, a Mississippi River “ghost bridge” created by light reflected off sprays of water, and other special events.
People interested in joining the effort can contact River Action Inc. at [phone].

John Willard can be contacted at
[phone] or [e-mail].

[nanaimo73]

Thanks John.
I found it, Camp Ripley Junction-
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=15&X=992&Y=12757&W=1&qs=%7ccamp+ripley%7c%7c  

Steve, thanks for the note on those books.

Elliot, and everyone else, thanks for your help.

[beaulieu]

Dale, there is another crossing not covered yet. And to boot it is still somewhat active. It gets used once or twice per year. The bridge is owned by the State of Minnesota, and connects the NP to the National Guard base at Camp Ripley, MN. This is between Little Falls and Brainerd. It is a combined road and highway bridge sharing the same deck (the rails are in the pavement). BNSF power is used to bring equipment in or out.

[steve14]

One big resource you should try to find is the two volume set of books by Mary Costello. Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge. Volume 1 published in 1995 and Volume 2 in 2002. Volume 1 goes from Louisiana to the Minnesota border and Volume 2 from there to the headwaters. The book contains a hand drawing by the author of EVERY bridge over the Mississippi River, plus several of the approaches over major connecting bodies of water.

ISBN's for the books are-- Vol 1 0-9644518-0-8, Vol 2 0-9644518-2-4

She has a short write up about each bridge and gives a pretty reliable history of ownership, use, designer, etc.

I contributed some info on the SOO/CP bridges for Volume 2.

[Victrola1]

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=hhphoto&action=browse&fileName=ia/ia0100/ia0172/photos/browse.db&recNum=0&itemLink=&linkText=-1&title2=Burlington%20Bridge,%20Burlington,%20Des%20Moines%20County,%20IA&displayType=-1&maxCols=4

46 black & white photos showing in great detail the CB&Q swing span over the Mississippi at Burlington, IA. The swing span has been determined as a hazard to navigation and is slated to be replaced with a lift span.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Dale, you have done a fantastic job researching and compiling all this information. It was a lot of fun working with you on this. I think the magazine editor should really consider doing a two part series. They probably have more photos in their archives to compliment the information here. It would be even more interesting if they published this link in the story.

OK, so much for a day of self imposed, introspective, silence.[;)] Here we go, over the top. [tup][swg]

This is the tying post.

[engineer]

Here is some additional information to the ferry crossing at Ste.Genevieve, MO. There was a ferry that crossed the Mississippi from Thomure, MO to Kellog, IL. (I don't belive Thomure exists anymore) This line started life as the Illinois-Southern RR. It ran from Bismarck,MO to Centralia,IL. It was later named the Mike 'n Ike, (MoPac), and it is still there, on the MO side, with ownership being the Union Pacific.

Also, a couple of miles south of that, there was a ferry crossing around Chester,IL. It was located at the Northern end of the Louis Houck Railroad. Officially known as the "Cape Girardeau Northern" I do not remember that station's name anymore. But, the ferry crossed from here to Chester.

[Trailryder]

I was in Clinton Iowa today and took some photos(7) of Mississippi bridge #35, to see them goto: http://www.pbase.com/trailryder/random

UP bridge over Mississippi at Clinton, Iowa swing span open.

I also took the time to look up the history of this bridge as published in the Whiteside County History Book by Wayne Bastian.
here is the scan, some of the dates are off from your info by a year.

Taken from
A History of Whiteside County Illinois
By Wayne Bastian
Copyright 1968
Page 121 & 125


Even before the railroad tracks arrived at Fulton City, prelimin­ary plans were being made to cross the great river which was a bar­rier to the westward advance of the Iron Horse. In 1853, a legislative act authorized the formation of the Mississippi Railroad Bridge Co. and gave it permission to cross the river at the Narrows at Fulton City. The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad Company acquired con­trol of the charter.
The company began a series of negotiations with the Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad Co. as to the location of the bridge and little progress was made. In 1859 an agreement was reached but the Illinois company's officials failed to approve of the deal and lost the
charter. The Iowa company immediately started negotiations with a company which had acquired the bridge charter of the defunct Cam­anche, Albany and Mendota Railroad Co. Work commenced on J anu­ary 15, 1859 and the bridge was built to Little Rock Island.
On January 19, 1860, the first train ran from Fulton to the island where it was greeted with a salute of 12 guns. Freight had been transferred across the river by steamboat or teams when the ice was thick enough. With the completion of the first part of the bridge, freight cars were transferred to a specially-built steamboat! the Union, and carried across the intervening space. It has been claimed that in the year of 1861 tracks were laid on the ice to the island and freight cars were hauled across by ropes.
During the year 1864, the rest of the bridge was completed. It was during the same year that the Galena and Chicago Union compa­ny was consolidated with the Chicago and Northwestern railroad and lost its identity. In 1866 the Chicago and Northwestern company built the big grain elevator at Fulton on the riverfront. Millions of bushels of wheat were transferred from the river boats during the ensuing years and it was razed in 1897 when there was no longer need for it.
In 1886, work of making the line double-tracked was started and, in 1907, a new bridge replaced the early one. It was also double­tracked and the cost was believed to be about $2,000,000.

When the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy company reached the Chicago and Northwestern's right-of-way near the bridge, it was stopped short of its two goals, entry into Fulton and permission to use the bridge. The Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company obtained a permanent injunction forbidding the rival company to cross its property and refused to allow it to cross into Iowa. During the 1870s, the frustrated company drove a few pilings into the river bot­tom near the mouth of Cedar Creek. If it was a threatening move­ment planned to force the Chicago and Northwestern company, it fail­ed in its purpose.
Ten years of futile manoeuvring passed and, in 1882, the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company made determined prepara­tions to cross the forbidden right-of-way. The company was protect­ed by an $8,000 bond, furnished by Fulton citizens, to protect it against suit. Fulton businessmen also applied pressure on the officials of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company. Just before a scheduled court hearing, the argument was negotiated and the long­denied permission was granted to cross over and enter Fulton.
The Chicago and Northwestern railroad bridge was still forbid­den territory to the other company and the editor of the Fulton Jour­nal commented on the impasse and declared that it would be a "cold day" when the Burlington line would get permission to cross into Clinton. The editor was right. On January 20, 1885, the first Chi­cago, Burlington and Quincy train crossed the river and the ther­mometer registered a chill 25 degrees below zero.

Later Bill

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by sommerkamp

wow--all I can say is that someone has done a lot of diligent work! we should all be
grateful for this excellent contribution. I am not familiar with the upper Mississippi. I
have crossed by rail at Newport, twice on the Milw Rd, at Ft Madison, Merchants, Eads,
and MacArthur at St Louis, both at Memphis, and Huey Long at New Orleans. I have
also used road vehicles by several where this was possible [some still rail have been
closed to vehicular]. is McKinley at St Louis closed to vehicular? We may need new
rail bridges to relieve New Orleans, especially if the Old River Structure fails and sends
the Mississippi out through the Atchafalaya 80 miles west of New Orleans. Several
geologists think this a real, even eventual, possibility.
Theo Sommerkamp [e-mail]

The McKinley is closed at present for the purpose of restoring the bridge. It is scheduled to reopen in 2007.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by sommerkamp

wow--all I can say is that someone has done a lot of diligent work! we should all be
grateful for this excellent contribution. I am not familiar with the upper Mississippi. I
have crossed by rail at Newport, twice on the Milw Rd, at Ft Madison, Merchants, Eads,
and MacArthur at St Louis, both at Memphis, and Huey Long at New Orleans. I have
also used road vehicles by several where this was possible [some still rail have been
closed to vehicular]. is McKinley at St Louis closed to vehicular? We may need new
rail bridges to relieve New Orleans, especially if the Old River Structure fails and sends
the Mississippi out through the Atchafalaya 80 miles west of New Orleans. Several
geologists think this a real, even eventual, possibility.
Theo Sommerkamp [e-mail]

[nanaimo73]

Zach (UPTRAIN), thanks for the update on Amtrak, and the Thebes pictures.
Victrola1-I really enjoyed your post, and I added that link.
Bill (Trailryder)- thanks for the photos, I put the second one in my post.
wpayne- I'm pretty sure the Huey P Long is the longest, and the Bemidji survivor is probably the shortest.
riverrailfan- thanks for the Winona link.
Brian (blhanel)- I put all of your shots in.

Thanks everyone !
[:)]

[Anonymous]

Again, BIG sorry! Posted my request to the wrong place. I am looking for MODEL trains. :)

[Anonymous]

Sorry to intrude, but I am very lost! Will you guys please help a pitiful single mom here? I need to know where to go to learn how to start with trains. I would like to buy my 8 year old son a starter set for Christmas, but I want to do it right! I hope it will be something he enjoys for years. Thank you so much!

[Victrola1]

http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/army&CISOPTR=368&REC=4

I found this link to an 1889 photo of the Iowa Central Railroad bridge at Keithsburg, IL. From the looks of it, a 40 ton tractor trailer would strain its capacity. This bridge was replaced around 1912. The cut stone piers of the first bridge are askew, but still visible next the abandon 1912 structure.

[UPTRAIN]

QUOTE: Originally posted by nanaimo73

St. Louis
Bridge #46 is called Merchants bridge. It opened in 1890 and has been operated by Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis since.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=12&Z=15&X=931&Y=5355&W
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.675158,-90.186961&spn=0.005045,0.009887
http://bridges.midwestplaces.com/mo/st-louis-city/merchants/
Amtrak uses Merchants bridge for Chicago-St. Louis trains
Status-good

St. Louis
Bridge #48 is Eads bridge. This was the first St. Louis bridge, opening in 1874. The Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis was formed in 1889 to run the bridge. The last rail traffic was in 1974 and the bridge was traded to the City in 1989. The St. Louis Metrolink light rail system now uses the bridge. The Gateway arch is on the west bank just to the north.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=15&X=1864&Y=10698&W
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.628999,-90.179418&spn=0.005048,0.009887
http://bridges.midwestplaces.com/mo/st-louis-city/eads/
www.asce.org/history/brdg_eads.html
127 b/w and 1 color photo of this bridge can be seen on the following website by searching "mississippi bridge" and going to #9
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/
Eads bridge was used by Amtrak for the National Limited until October 1, 1979.
Status-abandoned (by railroads)

St. Louis
Bridge #49 is named MacArthur bridge. This was built by the city because the other two bridges were owned by the TRRA. MacArthur opened in 1907 and was traded to the TRRA in 1989. A train can be seen on the east end of the bridge.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=15&X=1863&Y=10694&W
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.614465,-90.184654&spn=0.005049,0.009887
http://bridges.midwestplaces.com/mo/st-louis-city/macarthur/
73 b/w photos of this bridge can be seen on the following website by searching "mississippi bridge" and going to #18
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/
Amtrak used this bridge for the River Cities from April 29, 1984 until November 4, 1993. Status-good

I found a couple errors there, Bridge # 46, the Merchant's Bridge is rarely used by Amtrak. It more commonly uses #49, The MacArthur Bridge, the Eads Bridge # 48 now carries highway traffic on a new overhead deck. Hope this helps![:D]

[Trailryder]

Here are 2 pictures of two differant bridges that I have visited.

Bridge 34 Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul and Pacific Between Sabula Iowa and Savanna Illinois


Bridge 43 Wabash bridge between Hannibal Missouri and East Hannibal Illinois

http://www.pbase.com/trailryder/random
Enjoy,
Later Bill

[wpayne]

I might have missed it in the forum, but did you note how long the bridges are? Which one is the longest and the shortest?

[Victrola1]

#38 Keithsburg, IL M&StL

I believe what remains of this bridge was constructed around 1912. You can see the piers nearby of the earlier Iowa Central structure it replaced. "Mile Posts on the Prairie" will tell you more if you can find a copy of this M&StL history. As a kid, I remember riding a jon boat under the bridge while a string of M&StL F units pulled an impressive length of freight cars overhead. Passenger traffic never figured large on this route.

The C&NW was quick to downgrade the Oskaloosa, IA to Peoria, IL mainline of the old M&StL. Around 1972, the line through Keithsburg was abandon. The bridge and a short stretch of track remained between Keithsburg, IL. & Oakville, IA.

The elevator in Oakville was reportedly interested in using the bridge to drop grain directly from hopper cars into barges. There was even talk of rebuilding track west to Morning Sun, IA and a connection with the Rock Island running between Burlington, IA and the Twin Cities. The Rock Island bankruptcy resulted in abandonment between Burlington and Cedar Rapids, IA. Nothing ever came of this rail to river transfer plan.

The M&StL bridge was an impressive vertical lift span. I say was.

Once abandon, the lift span was hauled up so barges could pass. In the early 1980's, local youths decided to include the M&StL bridge in their July 4th celebrations. They scaled the lift span up to the the bridge tender's shack and threw fireworks inside.

The resulting fire fueled by old grease caused the lift cables to fail. The lift span fell into the river blocking commercial navigation for several days. The US Army Corps of Engineers dynamited the lift span and removed the remains.

Other than the lift span, the M&StL bridge remains. Conversation with locals in a Keithsburg tavern over a decade ago brought up the Corps leaving the rest of the bridge in place since it was no hazard to navigation and could be quickly made capable of hauling heavy vehicles in case of "national emergency."

The M&StL bridge is the only one crossing the Mississipp Between Muscatine, IA and Burlington, IA., a distance of 50 - 55 miles. Proposals to refit the bridge for highway traffic have surfaced. Width is a problem as the bridge is only a single track structure.
Again, talk is as far it this has gotten.

If you wi***o view this structue, forget about doing so from the west without a jon boat. There is no road access anywhere near where it reaches Iowa. A steel trestle carries the bridge across a slough from Iowa to an island. From this island to Illinois, large steel trusses span the gap between piers. The void over the navigation channel where the lift span was is close to the Illinois shore.

Your best view of this bridge is from where Keithsburg's main street is stopped by the Mississippi. Ammenities in Keithsburg are few. Keithsburg never was very large and the flood of 1993 wiped out much of what was. Keithsburg is between IL 92 and US 34 on the Illinois Great River Road. This scenic byway is well marked.

Access to the bridge on foot is no longer possible. The M&StL right of way between IL 17 and the bridge was ripped out to aid drainage. If you wi***o make physical contact with the bridge, bring a boat.

[riverrailfan]

I've been trying to research bridge 29 in Winona,MN for about a year and have given up for now as the info is not out there. I've spent my summers of my childhood in Winona watching the trains cross the #29 swing bridge. I never knew #30 exsisted until a year ago as that bidge was on the eastside of town which is industrial. Actually my grandparents did live pretty close to it. My last visit to Winona in July gave me alittle more info on where to look for history on the town. So that will be part of my next visit.
http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Bosse/Plates/Plate16.htm

[blhanel]

There was a pickup truck parked immediately behind where I took that picture from, I assume it belonged to the operator. I walked over to the track and looked down through the bridge, and saw the operator standing near the middle of the second span, which rotates on the pier that it is centered on. I wasn't going to even attempt to walk out there. I suspect that it does have to be manned 24/7, since if it's open the operator is stuck out there, and there's more barge and large boat traffic than there is train traffic on that bridge.

EDIT: I bet it's not 24/7 starting sometime in late December or early January, for about three months! Extended vacations for the operators...