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BNSF Moccasin Creek Bridge (North)

Through Plate Girder Bridge over Moccasin Creek
Aberdeen, Brown County, South Dakota

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name BNSF Moccasin Creek Bridge (North)
Built By Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
Contractor Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of Milwaukee
Currently Owned By BNSF Railway
Length 116 Feet Total, 40 Foot Main Spans
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Through Plate Girder and Trestle
Substructure Type Timber Pile
Date Built 1916
Traffic Count 2 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
MILW Bridge Number P-72
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date March 2019


Located south Aberdeen along 387th Avenue (County Road 10), this bridge is the northern crossing of Moccasin Creek in Aberdeen.
Built in 1916, the bridge shares a design with other standard bridges constructed between 1907 and 1920 by the Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company. The bridge features a pair of through plate girder spans, set onto timber substructures and approached by trestle spans.
An unusual detail on this bridge is the use of timber substructures. Most of the 1915 era bridges on this line use concrete.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in very good condition, with the timber components looking new, and the steel painted.

The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design. Unfortunately, the author could not get close up or under to this bridge because of the extreme snowdrifts.
The photo above is an overview, looking west.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Milwaukee Road Archives at the Milwaukee Central Library
Contractor Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company plaque
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele