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Texas | Architecture | Bridges

Trinity County Bridges
(Trinity County Line):

The Trinity River Railroad Swing Bridge &

The Old Trinity River Highway Span

Trinity County

by John Troesser
Trinity River railroad bridge and highway bridge, Trinity County, Texas
Aerial view of the two bridges - Highway 19 bridge under construction
Photo courtesy Trinity County Historical Society

The Trinity River Railroad Swing Bridge -

Built by the Wisconson Bridge and Iron Co., North Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The bridge was originally constructed to allow steamboat and barge traffic to pass, but it's been some time since a barge has passed and even longer since steamboats have been seen on the Trinity.

The first railroad bridge had been constructed in the early 1870s when the Houston and Great Northern railroad came through the area.

The bridge featured here was constructed by the International and Great Northern Railway and was actually built in Wisconson and shipped to Texas where it was erected on site in 1916. The length of the bridge is 294 feet and when the trestles and approaches are included, the length reaches nearly 3,000 feet. The swing mechanism revolves around a massive pin embedded in cement and (in theory) it can be turned manually.

In its long history, the bridge has only been "swung" open on two occassions. Once being a flood in the mid 20s when it was opened to prevent driftwood and sawyers from piling up against it.


Trinity river railroad swing  bridge swung open
>A rare photo of the railroad swing bridge open
Photo courtesy Trinity County Historical Society
Trinity river railroad swing  bridge, Trinity County, Texas
Trinity River Railroad Swing Bridge
Photo by John Troesser, May 2004
Trinity river railroad swing  bridge close up, Trinity County, Texas


Another view of the Trinity River Railraod swing bridge

Photo by John Troesser, May 2004
Texas has two other swing bridges. One across the Brazos River in Brazoria County and one over the Rio Grande connecting Brownsville with Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Detailed information about the railroad bridge can be found in T. Lindsay Baker's Building the Lone Star, Texas A & M Press, 1986

The Old Trinity River Highway Span - next page

March 1, 2005
© John Troesser


More
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Building the Lone Star: An Illustrated Guide to Historic Sites

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