MoPac - Yancopin Bridge

Photos 

Yancopin Railroad Bridge

Photo taken from south bank of Arkansas River looking upstream.

Photo taken by J Randall Houp, August 30, 2008

Enlarge

BH Photo #225454

Map 

Bridge History: 

Old Missouri-Pacific Railroad bridge built in 1903, that was discontinued being used in 1992. Along with attached trestles on both ends, this old beauty is well over a mile long making it one of the longest bridges in Arkansas. I "speculate" that this is the longest railroad bridge in Arkansas due to the fact that it is the last bridge on the Arkansas River before it enters into the Mississippi River, not too far downstream from this location. GREAT NEWS for all Arkansas bridgehunters! This bridge and a 72 mile section of this old railroad has been acquired by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism and will be turned it into a state park known as the, "DELTA HERITAGE HIKING TRAIL". It will run from near Lexa, in Phillips County, Arkansas south to near McGehee, in Desha County, Arkansas. Currently, 16 miles of this beautiful corrider has been completed running south out of Lexa, Arkansas. I found this bridge and her sister bridge across the White River at Benzel,on August 30, 2008 and have been back to both bridges two more times since. This whole area is known as the delta section of Arkansas. It is low land, very swampy, and full of snakes. I highly recommend 4 wheel drive, good hiking boots, and a lot of common sense when visiting this area. If you love birdwatching, this place is for you! Big area for hunters and fishermen and a lot of adjoining private property marked,"Keep Out, Hunting Club." Be careful!

Facts 

Overview

Railroad Bridge

Location

Desha County, Arkansas, and Arkansas County, Arkansas

Status

Intact but closed to all traffic

History

Built 1903, ; Abandoned 1992

Railroads

- Memphis, Helena & Louisiana Railway (MH&L)
- Missouri Pacific Railroad (MP; MoPac)
- St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway (StLIM&S)
- Union Pacific Railroad (UP)

Design

Several pass-through truss bridges which include one lift span and one swing span attached to long all wood railroad trestles at both ends running north and south.

Approximate latitude, longitude

+33.95497, -91.20640   (decimal degrees)
33°57'18" N, 91°12'23" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")

Approximate UTM coordinates

15/665733/3758612 (zone/easting/northing)

Quadrangle map:

Yancopin

Inventory number

BH 51321 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Update Log 

• August 28, 2013: Updated by Luke Harden: Added categories "Memphis, Helena & Louisiana Railway", "St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad", "Missouri Pacific Railroad", "Union Pacific Railroad"
• August 28, 2013: New photos from Douglas Butler
• February 21, 2012: Updated by Daniel Hopkins: Added category "Railroad"
• February 18, 2012: Essay added by J Randall Houp

Sources 

• J. Randall Houp
• Douglas Butler

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