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| Name | Falls Park Railroad Bridge Great Northern Railway Bridge #0.2 |
| Built By | Great Northern Railway |
| Currently Owned By | BNSF Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Substructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Length | 777 Feet Total, 60 Foot Largest Span |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 25 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Through Plate Girder, Deck Plate Girder and Steel Stringer |
| Substructure Design | Concrete |
| Date Fabricated | See Supplemental Table Below |
| Date Erected | 1918 (Spans #1-#6) 1947 (Spans #7-#15) |
| Original Locations | See Supplemental Table Below |
| Traffic Count | 2 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Great Northern Railway Bridge Number | 0.2 |
| BNSF Railway Bridge Number | 0.2 |
| Significance | Regional Significance |
| Documentation Date | 12/30/2014 |
In 1904, the South Dakota Central Railway (SDC) would construct 19 miles of railroad, extending from Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Colton, South Dakota. An additional 21 miles would be constructed to Rutland in 1905, and the final 61 miles constructed to Watertown, South Dakota in 1907. The SDC would be sold to the Watertown & Sioux Falls Railway in 1916, which in turn would be leased by the Great Northern Railway (GN) in 1922, before being sold to GN in 1928. The GN operated numerous lines throughout western Minnesota and the Dakotas, which primarily served agricultural industries. In 1970, the GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN). The line was abandoned between Watertown and Hayti in 1972, and between Hayti and Wentworth in 1980. In 1996, BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway, the current operator of this line. The remaining line between Sioux Falls and Wentworth is operated as the Madison Subdivision.
Located across the Big Sioux River at Falls Park in Sioux Falls, this unique girder bridge utilizes a number of secondhand spans relocated from a variety of locations. The first bridge at this location was a timber pile trestle, which utilized a pin connected Pratt through truss span. In 1918, the southern six spans would be replaced by six 54-foot through plate girders, set onto concrete substructures. These girders would be altered to serve a curve, and were originally fabricated in c. 1900 to serve at an unknown location. In 1947, the remainder of the bridge would be reconstructed with a variety of through and deck plate girder spans, as well as three steel stringer spans. The 1947 reconstruction also utilized concrete substructures, which were set at a skew due to the nature of the falls.
| Span # | Design | Original Location | Fabrication Date | Contractor | Notes |
| 1 through 6 | 55' through plate girder | Unknown | c. 1900 | Unknown | Modified to serve curve |
| 7 | 60' through plate girder | Bridge #82.1; Albany, Minnesota | 1907 | Unknown | |
| 8 | 55' through plate girder | Bridge #89; Kelso, Minnesota | 1907 | Unknown | Cut down from 60' |
| 9 | 50' steel stringer | Bridge #223; Neihart, Montana line | c. 1920 | Unknown | 6 beams |
| 10 | 50' steel stringer | Bridge #224; Neihart, Montana line | c. 1920 | Unknown | 6 beams |
| 11 | 49' steel stringer | Bridge #226; Neihart, Montana line | c. 1920 | Unknown | 6 beams |
| 12 | 44' deck plate girder | Bridge #217; Neihart, Montana line | c. 1920 | Unknown | 3 girders |
| 13 | 44' deck plate girder | Bridge #218; Neihart, Montana line | c. 1920 | Unknown | 3 girders |
| 14 | 44' deck plate girder | Bridge #221; Neihart, Montana line | c. 1920 | Unknown | 3 girders |
| 50 | 50' deck plate girder | Minot, North Dakota turntable | 1923 | Unknown | 4 girders |
Railroads often reused steel and iron spans to save costs on bridge construction. Often, when a span became unnecessary or inadequate at one location, it could feasibly be reused and installed at another location. Spans #1 through #6 were all modified to serve a curve at the south end of the bridge, while span #8 was shortened for use at this bridge. Spans #12 through #14 were all modified with a third girder line, and span #15 was built using two halves (four girders) from the 100-foot turntable in Minot, North Dakota, which was originally fabricated in 1923. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked the bridge as being regionally significant, due to the unique relocation history.
Citations
| Build Dates and Original Locations | Great Northern AFE; Courtesy of GNRHS Archives |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |