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CN Otter Creek Bridge (Deloit)

Through Plate Girder Bridge over Otter Creek
Deloit, Crawford County, Iowa

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name CN Otter Creek Bridge (Deloit)
Built By Illinois Central Railroad
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By Canadian National Railway
Length 97 Feet Total, 45 Foot Main Span
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Through Plate Girder and Trestle
Substructure Type Timber Pile
Date Fabricated Ca. 1900
Date Erected 1954
Traffic Count 2 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
CN Bridge Number 443.1
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date December 2018


Located south of Deloit, this bridge crosses Otter Creek.
Built in 1954, the bridge features a single through girder main span. At 45 feet long, the span was likely built around 1900 and was moved here from an unknown location in 1954. The span is exactly identical to other 45 foot through girders built in 1899/1900 on the Tara-Council Bluffs route, indicating this could have come from nearby.
Additional evidence for an original location of nearby comes when comparing 1944 and 1973 track profiles. Most steel bridges in Crawford County were not in place in 1944, but were in 1973. The route crossed the Boyer River several more times at locations that have since been filled in.
Prior to 1954, a simple timber trestle and steel stringer span stood at this location. It is possible that the stream became too big to sustain a small trestle.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good to fair condition. The steel on this bridge has not received paint in some time, unlike other bridges in the area.

The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Erection Date 1973 Illinois Central Railroad Track Profile
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele