Historic Bridges of the U.S. | Bellefontaine Bridge

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Photos

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Overview

Photo taken by James Baughn

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Middle span

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South span

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Center pier

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View from distance

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Approaching train

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Passing train

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Stone abutment

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Closeup of stonework

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Below portal

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Closeup of shoe

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Lower joint

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Underneath

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View from below

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Historic postcard

This postcard shows the railroad bridge (left) next to the original Lewis Bridge

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Overall View Of Bridge And Missouri River; View To Northwest

HAER photos taken August 1985 by Clayton B. Fraser

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East Web; View To Northwest

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East Web, Showing Piers And Shoreline; View To North

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East Web Detail, Showing Piers And Floor Structure

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East Web Detail; View To West

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East Web Detail; View To West

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South Portal; View To North

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South Portal And East Web; View To Northwest

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East Web Detail; View To North

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East Web Detail, Showing Piers And Floor Structure; View To North

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East Web Detail, Showing Pier And Bearing Shoes; View To West

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Deck/Upper Chord/Strut Detail; View To North

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Portal Strut And Bracing Detail; View To North

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North Approach Trestle; View To West

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North Approach Trestle Detail; View To West

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East Web Detail, Showing South Abutment And Wingwall; View To West

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South Abutment And Wingwall, Showing Bridge End Post And Floor Structure; View To Southeast

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South Abutment, Showing Bridge Floor Structure; View To South

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South Abutment Detail, Showing Tooled Stone And Bridge Bearing Shoe; View To West

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Pier Detail, Showing Bridge Bearing Shoes; View To East

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Bridge Bearing Shoe Detail; View To East

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Bridge Bearing Shoe Detail; View To Northwest

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Lower Chord Connection Detail; View To East

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Lower Chord Connection Detail; View To East

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Upper Chord Connection Detail; View To North

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Upper Chord Connection Detail At Portal Strut; View To South

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Sub-Tie Connection Detail; View To North

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Sub-Tie Connection Detial; View To North

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Sub-Tie Connection Detail; View To North

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Photocopy Of Historic Photograph, Photographer Unknown, Date Unknown. South Portal Of Bridge; View To North

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Photocopy Of Historic Photograph, Photographer Unknown, Date Unknown. Train Passing Through Span At North End Of Bridge

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Map

Vicinity Map

Vicinity map

Map links:

Facts

Overview: Four-span railroad through truss bridge over the Missouri River near Fort Bellefontaine in West Alton
Status: Open to one track of railroad traffic
History: Construction started July 4, 1892, with the first train crossing on Dec. 27, 1893
Design: Four 16-panel Baltimore through trusses with a deck supporting two railroad tracks
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 440.0 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude: +38.84310, -90.23669 (decimal degrees)
38°50'35" N, 90°14'12" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 15/739827/4302994 (zone/easting/northing)
Land survey: T. 47 N., R. 7 E., Sec. 9
USGS topographic map: Columbia Bottom
Inventory number: BH 22615 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Update Log

September 14, 2008: New photos from James Baughn
June 4, 2008: New photos from James Baughn

Sources

HAER MO-26 - Bellefontaine Bridge
HAER NE-2 - (Behemoths: The Great River Bridges of George S. Morison)
James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com

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