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Name	Soo Line Trail - Driveway Bridge (Albany)
Built By	Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
Currently Owned By	Stearns County
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	150 Feet Total, 20 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	25 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Steel Stringer and Timber Pile Trestle
Substructure Design	Timber Pile
Date Built	c. 1930
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status	Open to Trail Traffic
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	3/29/2013

In 1907, the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway (Soo Line) began construction on a new railroad line, extending from the existing mainline at Brooten, Minnesota; to the Twin Ports city of Duluth, Minnesota. The first 87 miles were completed by the end of 1908, with the remaining 100 miles completed in 1909. The Soo Line was a smaller railroad in the Midwest, with routes extending through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Dakota. It was operated as a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). This route became a critical connection for the Soo Line, providing a connection between the existing mainline at Brooten and the industries at Duluth. By 1937, the Soo Line had entered bankruptcy, and it would be reorganized as the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad in 1944.

By 1961, the Soo Line would be merged with other CP subsidiaries Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad and Wisconsin Central Railroad to form Soo Line Railroad, a company controlled by CP. In 1984, the Soo Line would be reorganized as the Soo Line Corporation, and the railroad would be fully merged into CP in 1990. The segment from Genola to Superior was abandoned in 1990. The segment from Genola to Boyleston was purchased by MNDOT and Douglas County, Wisconsin and converted to the Soo Line Trail. The remainder of the route would be abandoned in 1996, and purchased by Morrison and Stearns Counties for trail use. Today, much of the route has been converted to the Soo Line Trail, and further work is being done in Stearns County to convert the railroad to the Dairyland Trail.

Located north of Albany, this small steel stringer bridge carries the former Soo Line Brooten Route across Spring Brook and a private driveway. The first bridge at this location was a timber pile trestle bridge, which did not include any steel spans. In approximately 1930, the center of the bridge was upgraded with a steel stringer span, giving the bridge its present configuration. Currently, the bridge consists of a 20-foot steel stringer span, approached by timber pile trestle spans on either end. The entire bridge is set onto timber pile substructures, which are generally three stories tall. The main span uses a standard design for the era, consisting of six shallow beams spaced equally. Most Soo Line bridges used four beams, so the use of six beams may possibly imply that the span was reused here from another location. An unknown contractor fabricated the main span, while the timber components were constructed by Soo Line company forces. This design of bridge was commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as it was easy to construct and economical. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Soo Line Trail - Driveway Bridge (Albany)

Albany, Stearns County, Minnesota