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NW Bridge #391.25

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over Unnamed Tributary of Silver Creek
Silver City, Mills County, Iowa

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name NW Bridge #391.25
Built By Wabash Railroad
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By Iowa DNR
Length 98 Feet Total, 35 Foot Main Span
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder and Steel Stringer
Substructure Type Timber Pile
Date Built Ca. 1940, Using Older Spans
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rails to Trails
NW Bridge Number 391.25
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date November 2020


Located south of Silver City, this deck girder bridge carries the Wabash Trace Nature Trail across an unnamed tributary of Silver Creek.
Little is known about the history of this bridge. The present bridge consists of a large steel stringer span, approached by a short deck girder span to the north and two short steel stringer spans to the south. The entire bridge sits on timber substructures.
With the number of empty rivet holes throughout the structure, it appears that most or all of the spans may have been moved here. It appears that most steel girders and trusses on the Council Bluffs line were secondhand. It is unknown where it was moved from, when it was fabricated or when it was installed here. However, the author is conducting further research into this.
It is believed that the girder span, and the steel stringer spans may have been installed in approximately 1940. Steel stringer spans were commonly used in place of timber stringers on trestle bridges along this division during the 1930s and 1940s.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with no major deterioration noted.

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

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Estimated
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele