Western Railroad Discussion > SP (SA&AP) truss bridge over Colorado River -- Dec 82

Even though these shots were taken over 34 years ago I didn't put them in Nostalgia since the bridge is still there.
A few miles west of Eagle Lake (67 miles from Houston) on the old San Antonio & Aransas Pass Houston-Kenedy line. Eagle Lake to Houston is abandoned (and a couple miles west from here the track is gone).
The bridge was built in 1910.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/17 07:16 by gcm.

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(4) A Google shot from 2013.
Gary

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A bridge built to last.
john

I keep forgetting there are 2 Colorado Rivers, this being the other one.

I have heard people say "Rust destroys bridges" and others say "Rust protects the steel".  Which one is it??

When iron atoms oxidize, they become smaller, which exposes the ones underneath to further oxidation (steel being a form of iron). It's a slow, destructive process. Chrome atoms, on the other hand, become larger upon oxidation, which prevents the underlying ones from oxidzing, hence chrome plating. Alloys like cor-ten, which this bridge isn't, have "impurities" in the form of other metals added to the steel in varying amounts which cut down on the iron's corrossion process to one degree or another.