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Wegdahl Railroad Bridge

Deck Plate Girder and Timber Stringer Bridge over Brafees Creek
Wegdahl, Chippewa County, Minnesota

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Wegdahl Railroad Bridge
Built By Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
Contractor Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of Milwaukee
Currently Owned By Twin Cities & Western Railroad
Length 64 Feet, 40 Foot Main Span
Width 1 Track, Substructures built for 2
Height Above Ground 12 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder and Timber Stringer
Date Built 1913
Traffic Count 4 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
MILW Bridge Number O-228
Significance Local Significance


Located in the small town of Wegdahl, this deck girder bridge crosses Brafees Creek.
Built in 1913, the bridge originally featured a single deck girder set onto concrete substructures. At this time, the road actually crossed under a separate concrete slab structure at the east end of the girder bridge.
This concrete slab span was originally built into the abutment of the girder bridge. Sometime prior to 1976, the concrete slab span was removed and replaced with a new timber span.
Timber spans like this are commonly used for replacements of deteriorated concrete spans. However, they are oftentimes considered to be a temporary substitute.
Overall, this bridge appears to be in fair condition.

The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Works plaque
Contractor Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Works plaque
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele