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| Name | BNSF S. Branch Park River Bridge Great Northern Railway Bridge #34.8 |
| Built By | Great Northern Railway |
| Currently Owned By | BNSF Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Length | 385 Feet Total, 60 Foot Largest Spans |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 25 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder and Timber Pile Trestle |
| Substructure Design | Concrete and Timber Pile |
| Date Built | 1953 Using Spans Fabricated c. 1900 |
| Original Location (Girder Spans) | Unknown |
| Traffic Count | 1 Train/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Great Northern Railway Bridge Number | 34.8 |
| BNSF Railway Bridge Number | 34.8 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 8/10/2020 |
In 1884, the The Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company
(StPM&M) constructed a 35 mile branch line extending from an
existing line at Larimore, North Dakota to Park River, North Dakota. The line would be extended an additional 39 miles to Langdon, North Dakota in 1887, and an additional 21 miles to Hannah, North Dakota in 1897. 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 North Dakota,
including numerous parallel lines to connect wheat crops in northern
North Dakota to the mills at Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1907, the
StPM&M would be sold to another Hill company, the Great Northern
Railway (GN). In
1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad
(BN). In 1993, the route would be abandoned between McCanna and Conway, North Dakota; in favor of trackage rights over the Soo Line between Ardoch and Conway. In 1996, the BN merged
with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996, to form BNSF
Railway. The line would be further abandoned in 2004, when the Larimore to McCanna and Langdon to Hannah segments were abandoned. BNSF continues to operate the remaining segment from Conway to Langdon as the Park River Subdivision.
Located in Park River, this deck plate girder bridge crosses the South Branch Park River. Built in 1953 to replace an older wooden truss span, the bridge consists of four secondhand deck plate girder spans originally fabricated in 1900 at unknown locations, set onto concrete substructures. The bridge is approached by timber trestle spans on either end. The south spans are 60 feet long, with tapered edges, while the north spans are 55 feet long, with a standard design. The south spans appear they could have been reused from a steel viaduct. Railroads often reused steel spans along branch lines. When a bridge along a mainline became inadequate, often railroads could feasibly reuse the steel spans along branch lines, either with or without repairs. 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. Research into the history of this bridge is ongoing.
Citations
| Build Date | Date Stamp |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |