Windom Railroad Bridge

a collection of images of the derailment that destroyed the previous bridge

Located in Windom, this quadrangular lattice through truss bridge carries the former Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway over the West Fork Des Moines River. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber truss bridge, which was constructed when the line was first built. In 1883, the bridge would be rebuilt with a two span iron quadrangular lattice through truss bridge, set onto stone substructures. On September 22nd, 1899, a train derailed on the bridge, destroying both truss spans. A temporary trestle would be built and used until the current bridge was constructed in 1900. The current bridge consists of a 157-foot and a 100-foot quadrangular lattice through truss span, set onto concrete and stone substructures. The bridge originally featured four 40-foot deck plate girder spans on the south end, but these were filled prior to 1938. Lassig Bridge & Iron Company fabricated the steel, while the substructures were constructed in 1882 and 1900 by unknown contractors. The trusses each use riveted connections, heavy rolled members and a lattice style portal bracing. Portions of the members have been replaced and strengthened, which was likely done in the 20th Century.

Although the lattice truss design was popular in Europe, few American railroads utilized the design. While Union Pacific Railroad, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway and a handful of eastern railroads utilized the design to various extents, no railroad constructed as many lattice truss bridges as the Chicago & North Western Railway and their subsidiary Omaha Road. Throughout the 19th Century, the Omaha Road used this truss design nearly exclusively. Although lattice trusses were not popular with American railroads after the 1880s, the C&NW and Omaha Road relied heavily on this design, as it had proven to be resilient towards derailments and damage. The main drawback of the design was the unpredictable nature, as the structure was not statically determinant. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The rehabilitation of the bridge also appears to have lengthened the life of the bridge. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.