Rating:
7 votes

Sault Ste. Marie International Rail Bridge

Chippewa County, Michigan

Photos 

International Rail Bridge, Sault Ste. Marie

The Bascule span is on the left, the Vertical Lift span is raised. Behind is the International Highway Bridge. The Swing Span is about a mile away on the Canadian side.

Photo taken by Robert Thompson in September 2005

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BH Photo #149475

Map 

Street Views 

Facts 

Overview
Camelback through truss bridge over St Mary's River / Soo Locks on a railroad crossing connecting to Canadian rail system
Location
Sault Ste. Marie, Chippewa County, Michigan
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1887; Swing span added 1895; Bascule spans added 1913; Vertical lift added 1960.
Builders
- Dominion Bridge Co. of Montréal, Québec, Canada (1887 Camelback Trusses)
- Pennsylvania Steel Co. of Steelton, Pennsylvania (1960 Polygonal Warren Vertical Lift)
- Strauss Bascule Bridge Co. of Chicago, Illinois (1913 Double-Leaf Warren Bascule)
Railroads
- Canadian National Railway (CN)
- Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (SOO)
- Wisconsin Central Ltd. (WC)
Design
Crosses the American Soo Locks canal (Vertical Lift and Double-Leaf Bascule spans), the St. Mary's Rapids (Sault Ste. Marie) and the Canadian Soo Lock canal (Swing span)
Dimensions
Total length: 5,580.0 ft. (1.1 mi.)
Approximate latitude, longitude
+46.50836, -84.36150   (decimal degrees)
46°30'30" N, 84°21'41" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/702422/5153914 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Sault Ste. Marie South OE N
Elevation
610 ft. above sea level
Inventory number
BH 43643 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (7,568)
Built 1887 (216)
Built during 1880s (1,993)
Camelback truss (372)
Canadian National Railway (510)
Chippewa County, Michigan (21)
Deck girder (5,745)
Dominion Bridge Co. (2)
Girder (10,234)
Have street view (26,947)
Historic Bridge Weekend 2014 (25)
International Border Crossing (64)
Michigan (1,125)
Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (24)
Movable (2,972)
Navigable waterway (2,152)
Open (39,882)
 Over a mile long (301)
Owned by railroad (12,423)
Pennsylvania Steel Co. (155)
Plate girder (7,923)
Polygonal Warren through truss (430)
Railroad (15,414)
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (8)
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada (1)
Strauss Bascule Bridge Co. (173)
Strauss Heel Trunnion Bascule (53)
Through truss (15,065)
Total length over 2500 feet (916)
Truss (32,788)
Vertical lift (420)
Warren through truss (1,615)
Warren truss (6,564)
Wisconsin Central Ltd. (90)

Update Log 

  • September 28, 2020: New photo from Geoff Hubbs
  • October 6, 2019: New photo from Melissa Brand-Welch
  • November 19, 2018: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • September 27, 2018: New photos from Jann Mayer
  • August 9, 2016: New Street View added by Douglas Butler
  • January 26, 2016: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • December 7, 2015: New Street View added by Douglas Butler
  • October 21, 2015: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • October 20, 2015: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • September 6, 2015: Updated by Luke: Builder
  • November 14, 2013: New Street View added by J.P.
  • February 28, 2012: Updated by Daniel Hopkins: Added category "Railroad"
  • February 27, 2012: New photo from Gene Smania
  • October 31, 2010: New photos from Nick Brnot
  • November 17, 2009: Added by Robert Thompson

Sources 

  • Robert Thompson
  • Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth
  • Douglas Butler
  • J.P. - wildcatjon2000 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • YouTube - CN Line Train Crossing the CN Lift Trestle in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan 2012
  • YouTube - Bascule Bridge Open Sequence
  • Luke
  • YouTube - Bascule Bridge Close Sequence
  • Jann Mayer - jannmayer [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Melissa Brand-Welch - melissabrandwelch [at] msn [dot] com
  • Geoff Hubbs

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