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| Name | New Duluth Railroad Crossing Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway Bridge #13A |
| Built By | Spirit Lake Transfer Railway |
| Currently Owned By | Canadian National Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor | American Bridge Company of New York |
| Length | 385 Feet Total, 70 Foot Largest Span |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 30 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder |
| Substructure Design | Steel Tower and Concrete |
| Date Built | 1910 |
| Traffic Count | 20 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway Bridge Number | 13A |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 2/8/2014 |
In 1907, the Spirit Lake Transfer Railway began construction on a new 14-mile route, extending from the St. Louis River bridge near Oliver, Wisconsin; to Adolph, Minnesota; near Duluth. At the same time, the Interstate Transfer Railway began construction on a new 11-mile route, extending from the St. Louis River Bridge to a junction with the Chicago & North Western Railway at South Itasca, Wisconsin. Work would be discontinued prior to completion of the route in 1913, and both railroads would be leased to the Duluth, Missabe & Northern Railway (DM&N) in 1915. Work would be resumed in 1915, and completed in 1916. This route served as a principal connecting line for the DM&N. The DM&N was owned by US Steel, and was operated with the purpose of facilitating iron ore shipments. The DM&N merged with the Duluth & Iron Range Railroad to form the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway (DM&IR) in 1938. US Steel continued to control the DM&IR until 1988, when the railroad holdings of that company were sold to Blackstone Group. The railroad was in turn sold to Canadian National Railway (CN) in 2003. This route continues to be operated as the CN Superior Subdivision.
Located just west of the Oliver Bridge, this large deck plate girder viaduct crosses a BNSF spur, formerly the Northern Pacific Railway mainline. Built in 1910, the bridge features seven deck plate girder spans of varying sizes, set onto concrete abutments and steel tower substructures. This style of bridge was commonly used in this area, due to the rugged nature of the terrain. At this location, this design was likely chosen to reduce the amount of fill required for the railroad. Like other similar bridges in the area, this bridge utilizes a sheet metal deck. 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 |