BNSF Wolverton Creek Bridge

Comstock, Clay County, Minnesota

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Name	BNSF Wolverton Creek Bridge Great Northern Railway Bridge #29.9
Built By	Great Northern Railway
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Substructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	105 Feet Total, 40 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Concrete
Date Built	1930
Traffic Count	10 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Great Northern Railway Bridge Number	29.9
BNSF Railway Bridge Number	29.9
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	8/11/2020

In 1888, the Moorhead and South Eastern Railway Company constructed a 43 mile new railroad between Whapeton, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota. The railroad would be purchased by the The Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company (StPM&M) in 1891. The StPM&M was controlled by James J. Hill, a railroad tycoon. Hill's railroads built an extensive railroad network from Minnesota to the Pacific Coast at Seattle. In 1907, the StPM&M would be purchased by another Hill owned railroad, the Great Northern Railway (GN). GN operated this route as a secondary mainline, providing an important link between Moorhead and other lines in western Minnesota. In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad, and BN in turn merged with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996 to form BNSF. BNSF currently operates this route as the Moorhead Subdivision.

Located north of Comstock, this deck plate girder bridge carries the former Great Northern Railway over Wolverton Creek. Built in 1930 to replace a timber pile trestle, the bridge consists of three deck plate girder spans, set onto concrete substructures. The center span is 40 feet long, while the outer spans are 32 feet long. It is unknown if these spans were originally constructed here, or if they were moved from another bridge. It is currently unknown which firm fabricated the spans. It is also unknown if the substructures were constructed by an unknown contractor or by railroad company forces. This design of bridge was commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as it was durable and easy to construct. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with some spalling present on the substructures. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Citations

Build Date	Great Northern Minot Division Bridge Index, located at the Minnesota Historical Society
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele