I think Rube Goldberg designed this bridge

TrainClown

TrainClown

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Apr 17, 2003
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Either Rube Goldberg designed this bridge, or they built it out of all the left over parts they had cluttering up the yard. I've never seen a bridge like this. I was doing a puppet show at the 15 Wing air force base, just south of Moose Jaw, and there it was. In all it's weird glory. :eek:

You will also note the little road bridge in the background on some of the pix. Good thing it was winter or these bridges would be obscured by brush.

This is the south end of the bridge. This part is timber tressal, as you can see. But wait! what is that strange cocreate abutment doing there?
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By golly! It just changed form to a steel girder span. See the little bridge in the background?
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That was so good. How about another shot. Say! There's another cocreate abutment and.........Holly Snarpin' Arfsoles! Who ordered the next section?
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This section crosses the river so I guess they were real scared of crossing water.
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The north end is sort of a mirror of the south.
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The tressal part is much smaller on the north end.
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Here is the whole bridge. It's hard to fit it all in one pic as it is so big, but you can get the idea.
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So, why not just build the tressal right up to the center span? Why the extra steel spans? Don't you think steel bridge work is more expensive than wooden tressal work with those concrete abutments? If steel is cheaper, then why have tressals at all? Why not make it all steel? Isn't that center span, overkill? Any thoughts on this?
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I hope you enjoyed this post and this strange bridge.
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TrainClown
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I think that they call that a "salesman's sample". He simply drives the client by and they pick out the section that they like for their new bridge. :D:eek::rolleyes::cool:

Thanks for the pics.:thumb::thumb:
 
Perhaps all but the center span was a wood trestle and had deteriorated. Tho I would expect all the wood to be replaced in that case. I don't think any wood trestles would have been built as replacements for a long time now.

Gary
 
I suspect that the two shallow girders go over some sort of road where they need the clearance.
The center section goes over the river. It's longer so has to be deeper, but they don't need the clearance for canoes and fishing boats. The wood trestles just fill in after the concretes.
Robin will reproduce this in cardboard by next weekend.
 
You are not far off the mark on me making one David as I have started it on my Nn3 logging line and will get back to it when I get the ballasting done on the Georgetown Sub
 
60103 said:
Robin will reproduce this in cardboard by next weekend.
Click to expand...
;) :D :D ;) :D ;) :D ;) :D :thumb:

Didja notice how it has cruder debarked timber on the north end trestle work and cleaner looking dimensional timbers on the south end? Pretty kewl, eh :thumb:
 
Tis an engineering design that leaves a lot to the imagination as to what the heck they were thinking. Perhaps the various design sections were an experiment to see what loads could be supported???
 
I never noticed that Bob. Well spotted.

Jeff, if it is an experiment, then it could be a costly one if the thing failed and they lost the bridge and the train.

I was thinking about the trees beneath the north span, but would a railroad make concessations for an orchard? Isn't the "right of way", just that?

TrainClown ;)
 
Looks like the norh section goes over an access road, the center section over a river or flood channel, the south section goes over nothing important, but they made it look like the nort section (probably cheaper, less steel). ass for the 2 trestle sections, I suspect, as pointed above, that since they were still in good shape they opted not to replace them yet, when theyd o, they'll probably fill in to the first pier.
 
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