Rating:
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CM - Judith River Trestle

Fergus County, Montana

Photos 

Looking west at the bridge and missing span

Photo taken by Nathan Morton in May 2014

Enlarge

BH Photo #283316

Map 

Description 

The bridge was severely damaged by flooding in spring of 2011. The swollen Judith River flood waters caused a section to shift and settle, badly twisting and distorting the bridge and causing $3.5 million in damage. The railroad is a small non-profit and is unable to afford the repair. Help has so far not been forthcoming, and the bridge and the entire line's fate is hanging in the balance. [Repaired in 2014]

Facts 

Overview
Massive steel trestle with timber stringer/concrete arch approaches over Judith River on Central Montana Railway
Location
Fergus County, Montana
History
Original bridge design plans dated 1912. Built ca. 1915, severely damaged in spring 2011; repaired in 2014
Builder
- J. H. Prior (Engineer of Design)
Railroads
- Burlington Northern Railroad (BN)
- Central Montana Railway (CM)
- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (MILW)
Design
Deck plate girder
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 69.7 ft.
Total length: 1,953.0 ft.
Also called
MILW Judith River Trestle
Judith River Viaduct
Approximate latitude, longitude
+47.17068, -109.64946   (decimal degrees)
47°10'14" N, 109°38'58" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
12/602347/5225016 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Danvers
Inventory number
BH 56301 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Ballasted Deck (151)
Beam (15,708)
Built 1912 (825)
Built during 1910s (9,632)
Burlington Northern Railroad (461)
Central Montana Railway (4)
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (1,024)
Deck girder (5,742)
Fergus County, Montana (28)
Girder (10,231)
J. H. Prior (18)
 Montana (802)
Open (39,882)
Owned by railroad (12,414)
Plate girder (7,920)
Railroad (15,410)
Span length 50-75 feet (10,073)
Steel Trestle (151)
Tall Bridges (324)
Timber stringer (4,014)
Total length 1000-2500 feet (1,884)

Update Log 

  • November 25, 2019: New photo from Geoff Hubbs
  • October 1, 2014: Updated by Nathan Holth: Added designer and span length.
  • May 9, 2014: New photos from Nathan Morton
  • May 20, 2013: Updated by Dylan VanAntwerp: Added category "Ballasted Deck"

Sources 

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Comments 

CM - Judith River Trestle
Posted August 5, 2014, by Jason (jasonla0829 [at] hotmail [dot] com)

This Trestle Appears to have been repaired and all the construction equipment has bee removed

CM Judith River Trestle
Posted January 8, 2014, by Luke Harden (lukemh9 [at] gmail [dot] com)

It's a repair job:

"The 100-year-old Judith River trestle bridge carries a single freight line over the Judith River and provides the only cost-effective means of shipping agricultural products from numerous small communities. Repairs include rebuilding concrete pier foundations, restoring steel towers and bridge girders, and making related upgrades that will improve the load-carrying capacity of the rail line, as well as providing protection from any similar damage that may be caused by future flooding of the river. "

http://www.eda.gov/news/pressreleases/2013/05/30/mt_rail.htm

CM Judith River Trestle
Posted January 8, 2014, by Nathan Holth (webmaster [at] historicbridges [dot] org)

I found a webcam for this bridge here:

http://video-monitoring.com/construction/mdot/slideshow.htm?...

The presence of a construction webcam and construction equipment visible under the bridge lead one to speculate if this bridge is about to be demolished.