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| Name | BNSF Bridge #36.5 Great Northern Railway Bridge #36.5 |
| Built By | Great Northern Railway |
| Currently Owned By | BNSF Railway |
| Length | 112 Feet Total, 16 Foot Spans |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 25 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Concrete Slab |
| Substructure Design | Concrete |
| Date Built | 1914 |
| Traffic Count | 1 Train/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Great Northern Railway Bridge Number | 36.5 |
| BNSF Railway Bridge Number | 36.5 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 5/13/2017 |
In 1882, the The Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company (StPM&M) constructed a 30 mile railroad line extending from an existing line at Casselton, North Dakota; to Hope, North Dakota. An additional 28 miles would be constructed from Hope to Aneta, North Dakota. The StPM&M was controlled by James J. Hill, a railroad tycoon who wished to build a railroad network extending from Minnesota to the Pacific Coast. Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, the StPM&M acquired and constructed numerous new railroad lines throughout North Dakota, including numerous parallel lines to connect wheat crops in northern North Dakota to the mills at Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1907, the StPM&M would be sold to another Hill company, the Great Northern Railway (GN).
GN constructed an additional 58 miles from Aneta to Devils Lake, which was placed into operation in 1907. GN operated this route as a secondary route, primarily serving grain elevators. In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN). The segment between Devils Lake and Warwick would be abandoned in 1980, and the segment from Hamar to Warwick would be abandoned in the 1990s. In 1996, the BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996, to form BNSF Railway. The line would be abandoned between Hamar and Tolna in 2002. BNSF continues to operate the Casselton to Nolan segment as the KO Subdivision, and the Nolan to Tolna segment as the Warwick Subdivision.Located southeast of Hope, this concrete slab bridge crosses an unnamed creek. Built in 1914 to replace an older timber trestle, the bridge consists of seven standard 16-foot concrete slab spans, set onto concrete substructures. This design of bridge was used extensively by the Great Northern to replace trestles, as it was durable, easy to construct and economical. The slab spans would be precast offsite, and later installed at the bridge. This method of construction provided minimal interruption to railroad traffic. This particular bridge is taller than normal, and includes bracing between the piers. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with no critical deterioration noted. The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
Citations
| Build Date | Great Northern AFE Index; Courtesy of GNRHS Archives |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |