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BNSF North River Bridge (West)

Pratt Through Truss Bridge over North River
Palmyra, Marion County, Missouri

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name BNSF North River Bridge (West)
Built By Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
Contractor Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of Milwaukee
Currently Owned By BNSF Railway
Length 152 Feet Total
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Pratt Through Truss
Substructure Type Pratt Through Truss
Date Built 1904
Traffic Count 5 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
BNSF Bridge Number 9.46
Significance Moderate Significance
Documentation Date June 2016


This small through truss bridge crosses the North River near the town of Palmyra. It is located in a rural setting, just south of township road #332.

The bridge is of simple construction. It features a 7 panel, pinned connected Pratt Through Truss. It is set onto large concrete abutments.
This bridge likely replaced a simple wooden trestle. The North River is not a large body of water, and does not require a large structure.
Despite this, the bridge does feature massively large built up members. The entire bridge can be summed up as massive, featuring almost overtly heavy pieces of bracing.

The author has ranked the bridge as moderately significant. This is due to the simple and common construction for the area. Despite the historical integrity, this design is rather common (relatively speaking) for the region.

The bridge is identical to many other types of trusses used by the CB&Q. The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Collection at the Newberry Library, Chicago, Illinois
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele