Rating:
4 votes

Dan Patch Bridge

Scott County, Minnesota, and Hennepin County, Minnesota

Photos 

Dan Patch Bridge

Looking South

Photo taken by John Marvig in March 2013

Enlarge

BH Photo #250564

Map 

Facts 

Overview
Pratt through truss bridge over Minnesota River on Canadian Pacific Railway
Location
Savage, Scott County, Minnesota, and Hennepin County, Minnesota
Status
Intact but closed to all traffic
History
Built 1908 to carry dual tracks, but one track later converted to highway use, highway discontinued in the 1980's
Builder
- Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Co. of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Railroads
- Canadian Pacific Railway (CP)
- Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern Railway (MNS)
- Twin Cities Western Railroad (TCWR)
Design
Pratt through truss swing span with I-Beam approaches
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 130.0 ft.
Total length: 490.0 ft.
Also called
Dan Patch Swing Bridge
MN&S Bridge
MN&S Swing Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+44.78987, -93.35246   (decimal degrees)
44°47'24" N, 93°21'09" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/472119/4959668 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Bloomington
Inventory number
BH 53747 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

5-panel truss (603)
Beam (17,101)
Built 1908 (795)
Built during 1900s (7,734)
Canadian Pacific Railway (582)
Closed (2,764)
County line crossing (534)
Hennepin County, Minnesota (207)
Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Co. (35)
Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern Railway (13)
Minnesota (1,657)
Minnesota River (47)
Movable (3,155)
Navigable waterway (2,223)
Owned by railroad (13,725)
Pin-connected (5,029)
 Pratt through truss (6,223)
Pratt truss (10,529)
Rail-and-Road (400)
Rail-to-road (359)
Railroad (16,665)
Riveted (2,643)
Savage, Minnesota (7)
Scott County, Minnesota (41)
Span length 125-175 feet (4,492)
Steel stringer (6,805)
Swing (1,590)
Through truss (17,777)
Total length 250-500 feet (5,602)
Truss (36,669)
Twin Cities Western Railroad (32)
Wooden deck (6,208)

Update Log 

  • September 29, 2021: New photos from Mark Boettcher
  • October 16, 2020: New photo from John Marvig
  • October 29, 2016: Updated by Christopher Finigan: Added category "Pin-connected"
  • June 12, 2015: New photos from John Marvig
  • June 15, 2013: Updated by John Marvig: Added Builder
  • March 16, 2013: Updated by Luke Harden: Added categories "Rail-to-road", "Rail-and-Road"
  • March 16, 2013: New photo from John Marvig
  • October 3, 2012: Added by John Marvig

Sources 

  • John Marvig - marvigj27 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Douglas Butler
  • Mark Boettcher
Post a comment here

Comments 

Dan Patch Bridge
Posted February 12, 2016, by John Marvig (marvigj27 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Looks like I'll be taking a venture back down to this bridge this weekend. Will post pics!

Dan Patch Bridge
Posted February 12, 2016, by ArtS (asuckewer [at] knite [dot] com)

Looks like its being rehabbed for service:

http://current.mnsun.com/2016/02/12/maintenance-for-another-...

Dan Patch Bridge
Posted August 12, 2013, by Douglas Butler

Swing bridge is abandoned in the open position.

Webmaster's note: The photo that was here has been incorporated into the main site.

Dan Patch Bridge
Posted April 5, 2013, by Steve Tellers (s [dot] tellers [at] mchsi [dot] com)

I used to love traveling over this bridge in the 1970's. If they are putting in new approaches, they must have some plans for this bridge down the road. I hope they do, I would love to drive over it again.

Dan Patch Bridge
Posted March 16, 2013, by John Marvig (johnmarvig [at] chaska [dot] net)

On part of the north approach, a beam on a pier has suffered major loss from severe corrosion. Pictures which show this are 56,59 and 64. This corrosion is so advanced that the whole beam is failing, and if a train runs over this, things might not go so well. The cause is the salt and chemicals which were applied to the road from about 1910 to 1982.