BNSF Pomme de Terre River Bridge (North)

Appleton, Swift County, Minnesota

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Overview
North approach
Main span
North pier
Overview
North abutment
Overview
South approach
Overview
Plaque
South pier
North pier

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Default Pic
Overview
North approach
Main span
North pier
Overview
North abutment
Overview
South approach
Overview
Plaque
South pier
North pier
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Caption:
Name BNSF Pomme de Terre River Bridge (North)
Great Northern Railway Bridge #19.1
Built By Great Northern Railway
Currently Owned By BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of North Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Length 271 Feet Total, 54 Foot Main Span
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design Deck Plate Girder and Timber Pile Trestle
Substructure Design Timber Pile
Date Built 1924
Traffic Count 6 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status Open to Traffic
Great Northern Railway Bridge Number 19.1
BNSF Railway Bridge Number 19.1
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date 3/17/2019
In 1887, the Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company constructed a new railroad between the existing mainline at Benson, Minnesota and Watertown, South Dakota, a distance of 92 miles. Between 1887 and 1888, the Duluth, Watertown and Pacific Railway Company extended the line an additional 70 miles west from Watertown to Huron, South Dakota. The StPM&M came to control the DW&P in 1890. 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 and DW&P 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 route as a secondary mainline, providing an important link for the agricultural areas it served to the markets of the Twin Cities. In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad. In 1991, the portion of the line from Yale to Huron would be sold to the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (DM&E). BN merged with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996 to form BNSF.  DM&E was purchased by Canadian Pacific Railway in 2008, which was in turn merged with Kansas City Southern Railway in 2023 to form CPKC. BNSF currently operates this route as the Watertown Subdivision, and CPKC operates the Yale Spur from Huron to Yale.

Located north of Appleton alongside US Highway 59, this deck plate girder bridge is the northern BNSF crossing of the Pomme de Terre River in Appleton. The previous bridge at this location was a wooden structure. In 1924, it was decided to add a 54-foot deck plate girder span to the bridge. This girder would be set onto timber pile piers, and approached by timber pile trestle spans. This style of bridge was commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as it was durable and easy to construct. It is unusual that concrete substructures were not constructed for the bridge, as GN operated this route as a mainline. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Citations

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