OTVR County 52 Bridge

Barnesville, Clay County, Minnesota

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South pier
Plaque
Overview
South abutment
Overview
North pier
North span
Center span
South span
Overview

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Default Pic
South pier
Plaque
Overview
South abutment
Overview
North pier
North span
Center span
South span
Overview
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Date Taken:
Author:
Caption:
Name OTVR County 52 Bridge
Great Northern Railway Bridge #1.2
Built By Great Northern Railway
Currently Owned By Otter Tail Valley Railroad
Superstructure Contractor American Bridge Company of New York
Substructure Contractor Unknown
Length 108 Feet Total, 45 Foot Largest Span
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 13 Feet 2 Inches
Superstructure Design Steel Stringer
Substructure Design Concrete
Date Built 1931
Traffic Count 1 Train/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
Great Northern Railway Bridge Number 1.2
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date 8/9/2016

In 1872, the The St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company (StP&P) constructed a new railroad between north of Barnesville, Minnesota and just south of Warren, Minnesota; a distance of 102 miles. The line would be extended an additional 65 miles to St. Vincent, and the Canadian Border at Noyes in 1878. By 1879, a newly completed link to the Twin Cities reached Barnesville, giving this route a direct connection to the Twin Cities. Also in 1879, the StP&P would be purchased by the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway (StPM&M). The StPM&M was controlled by James J. Hill, a railroad tycoon who wished to build a railroad network extending from Minnesota to the Pacific Coast. Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, the StPM&M acquired and constructed numerous new railroad lines throughout Minnesota. In 1907, the StPM&M would be sold to another Hill company, the Great Northern Railway (GN).

GN operated this as their primary connection to Canada. In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad. The segment of this route between Downer and Glyndon would be abandoned in 1974, followed by a segment between north of Barnesville to Downer in 1981, the segment between Ada and Felton in 1990. BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996, to form BNSF Railway, which sold the segment between Crookston and Ada to the Minnesota Northern Railroad (MNN), and the segment between Barnesville and north of Barnesville to the Otter Tail Valley Railroad in 1996. The MNN abandoned a segment between Ada and Beltrami in approximately 2008. Today, the MNN operates the Crookston to Beltrami segment of this line, while the OTVR operates the Barnesville segment of this line. The BNSF continues to operate the Crookston to Noyes portion of this line as the Noyes Subdivision, with a busy interchange with the Canadian National Railway at Noyes.

Located northwest of Barnesville, this steel stringer bridge crosses County Road 52 (former US Highway 52). Built in 1931, the bridge consists of one 45-foot and two 31-foot steel stringer spans, set onto concrete substructures. The bridge runs at a 55-degree left skew, and each span is constructed of six beams, set equidistant from each other. This bridge is an example of an early Great Northern Railway grade separation in Minnesota. Great Northern utilized this design throughout the state, as well as in other states, as it was durable and easy to construct. American Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure, and it is unknown if the substructure was constructed by a contractor or by railroad company forces. Interstate 94 would ultimately replace US Highway 52, and I-94 was constructed around Barnesville between 1968 and 1970. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no major deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Citations

Builder and build date American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad History Citation ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele