BNSF North Branch Two Rivers Bridge

Name	BNSF North Branch Two Rivers Bridge Great Northern Railway Bridge #76.3
Built By	Great Northern Railway
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	138 Feet Total, 60 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Through Plate Girder and Timber Pile Trestle
Substructure Design	Concrete and Timber Pile
Date Built	1943
Traffic Count	5 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Great Northern Railway Bridge Number	76.3
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	8/10/2020

In 1872, the The St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company (StP&P) constructed a new railroad between north of Barnesville, Minnesota and just south of Warren, Minnesota; a distance of 102 miles. The line would be extended an additional 65 miles to St. Vincent, and the Canadian Border at Noyes in 1878. By 1879, a newly completed link to the Twin Cities reached Barnesville, giving this route a direct connection to the Twin Cities. Also in 1879, the StP&P would be purchased by the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway (StPM&M). 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 Minnesota. In 1907, the StPM&M would be sold to another Hill company, the Great Northern Railway (GN).

GN operated this as their primary connection to Canada. In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad. The segment of this route between Downer and Glyndon would be abandoned in 1974, followed by a segment between north of Barnesville to Downer in 1981, the segment between Ada and Felton in 1990. BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996, to form BNSF Railway, which sold the segment between Crookston and Ada to the Minnesota Northern Railroad (MNN), and the segment between Barnesville and north of Barnesville to the Otter Tail Valley Railroad in 1996. The MNN abandoned a segment between Ada and Beltrami in approximately 2008. Today, the MNN operates the Crookston to Beltrami segment of this line, while the OTVR operates the Barnesville segment of this line. The BNSF continues to operate the Crookston to Noyes portion of this line as the Noyes Subdivision, with a busy interchange with the Canadian National Railway at Noyes.

Located near the small town of Northcote, this through plate girder bridge crosses the North Branch Two Rivers alongside US Highway 75. Built in 1943 to replace a timber trestle, the bridge consists of a single 60-foot through plate girder span, set onto concrete piers. The bridge is approached by three timber trestle spans on either end, which are supported by timber pile substructures. It is currently unknown if the girder was originally constructed at this location, or if it was moved from another location. Railroads, including the Great Northern, often reused spans which had become inadequate at one location. This method of bridge construction often reduced the costs of rebuilding bridges along branch lines. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant defects noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Build Date	Date Stamp
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele