Western Railroad Discussion > In Your Face

8/11/2020  Fort Madison, Iowa, BNSF Transcon

1)  WB coming off swing bridge across Mississippi River.  75 mm so not a real tele shot,  -  Probably could have waited to fill frame but....
2) Early shot cropped for detail
3) Sun is out for later train. shows most of 3580' bridge

Bob Jordan

https://bridgehunter.com/ia/lee/fort-madison/

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4) Couldn't be a better setting for a railfan as park and Marina is directly down river from bridge, this train still mostly on bridge.
    For the curious, there is another tall flag pole with American Flag
5) on road where I was standing for 4.

Bob
 

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Great photos and 1 & 3 are awesome.
It has been ages since I visited that area.
Thanks for sharing.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

If you're a bridge fan, as I am, you've gotta love that contraption.

Really like shots #3 and #4!

Bob3985 Wrote: > ... photos and 1 & 3 are awesome ...
SP8595 Wrote: > … Really like shots #3 and #4 ...

Sorry Bob (J) ......... but I like 'em all!

:^)

Nice!!

SantaFeRuss

Nice shots!

I've driven over it and it's a very cool structure, but I wonder how long it will remain reliable for that vital rail artery, and how difficult and expensive it will be to replace when it no longer is,

It's also I would imagine a road vehicle bottleneck and safety hazard too, but that's I suppose a secondary concern for me personally. But adds impetus to eventual replacement.

hopalongharry Wrote:
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> If you're a bridge fan, as I am, you've gotta love
> that contraption.

Excellent shots, but that first one is by far my favorite. Nailed the framing there as far as I'm concerned.

pbouzide Wrote:
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> I've driven over it and it's a very cool
> structure, but I wonder how long it will remain
> reliable for that vital rail artery, and how
> difficult and expensive it will be to replace when
> it no longer is,
>
> It's also I would imagine a road vehicle
> bottleneck and safety hazard too, but that's I
> suppose a secondary concern for me personally. But
> adds impetus to eventual replacement.
>
> hopalongharry Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If you're a bridge fan, as I am, you've gotta
> love
> > that contraption.

There's been lots of idle talk about replacing the swing spans on the Mississippi north of St. Louis, but that's all it is, talk.  The railroads will be happy to do it when the Corps of Engineers pays for it.  And while UP is continuing to work on a new bridge at Clinton, progress is slow enough I haven't heard of any recently.  I suspect the pandemic is slowing that down. 

Nick Tharalson, 
Marion, IA 

I coworker by the name of Brent Krocker was out there about that time. I wonder if you ran into him? Fort Madison was one of his stops.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/20 14:56 by wabash2800.