LOAM - Black River Bridge
Description
A nearly identical bridge was designed and built by the same companies in 1914 to the west at Archie, which suggest a similar build date for this structure.Facts
- Overview
- Lost Pratt through truss bridge over Black River on Louisiana Midland RR
- Location
- Jonesville, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, and Concordia Parish, Louisiana
- Status
- No longer exists
- History
- Operations ceased 1985 and likely scrapped at or around that time.
- Builders
- - Union Bridge & Construction Co. of Kansas City, Missouri
- Waddell & Harrington of Kansas City, Missouri
- Railroads
- - Louisiana Midland Railway (LOAM)
- Louisiana and Arkansas Railway (LA)
- Design
- Pratt through truss vertical lift
- Also called
- Louisiana Midland RR - Black River Bridge
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +31.61822, -91.81589 (decimal degrees)
31°37'06" N, 91°48'57" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 15/612310/3498727 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Jonesville South
- Inventory number
- BH 61917 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- October 17, 2017: New photo from Jeff Dubea
- March 31, 2017: New Street View added by Cliff Darby
- September 12, 2016: New photo from Luke
- July 24, 2014: Updated by Luke: Added link to railfan site showing a Louisiana Midland train on the bridge
- July 24, 2014: Added by Douglas Butler
Sources
- Jeff Dubea
- Douglas Butler
- Luke
- Mississippi Rails - Imagery
- Abandoned Rails - Louisiana Midland - Photo 7 features the bridge
- RR Picture Archives - Image
- Cliff Darby - cliffsta1987 [at] gmail [dot] com
Comments
Roger Vidrine from Alexandria, LA purchased the Louisiana Midland in 1987 through a sheriff's sale. I'm uncertain if he removed the bridge or sold it to someone else to remove. The photo was taken at Jonesville, LA in 1988 during the scrapping of the railroad. LaMidlandrr@gmail.com
Another great photo, Brian! When / who removed the bridges here and at Archie?
On September 9, 1980, a cotton compress at Jonesville was burning cotton waste on the banks of the Black River when the fire got away and burned the pile approach to the bridge. At this time LOAM had already suspended rail service between Packton and Vidalia, LA. The bridge was never used again.
Photo taken March 11, 1988 by Louis Saillard
Also, I think the coordinates are inaccurate for this former bridge. If you look at Google Earth, the old rail bed and the old piers are significantly north of where the marker is placed.
As is the case west at little river, the piers still exist in the river.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/la/catahoula/bh61917/
Original Louisiana & Arkansas Rwy blue print of the black river bridge.