Ozaukee Interurban Trail - Cedarburg Bridge
Photos
The south face
This bridge was built by Carnegie Steel in 1907 for the Milwaukee Northern Railway, which ran from Milwaukee to Sheboygan until 1940. Service between Milwaukee and Port Washington continued until 1948.
Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007
BH Photo #111564
Facts
- Overview
- Through truss bridge over Cedar Creek on Ozaukee Interurban Trail - Former Electric Interurban Line
- Location
- Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
- Status
- Open to pedestrians
- History
- Built 1907 by Carneige Steel, Used as and interurban rail bridge until 1948, restored and reopened for bike traffic in 2002
- Builders
- - Carnegie Steel Co. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Iron/Steel Manufacturer)
- Comstock-Haigh-Walker Co. of Detroit, Michigan (Engineering/Erection)
- Railroads
- - Interurban
- Milwaukee Northern Railway (MN)
- Rail-to-trail
- The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co. (TMER&L; TM)
- The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Transport Co. (TMER&T)
- Design
- Pin-connected, 8-panel Pratt through truss
- Dimensions
-
Span length: 159.0 ft.
Total length: 159.0 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Also called
- Cedarburg Interurban Bridge
TMER&L - Cedar Creek Bridge - Approximate latitude, longitude
- +43.29900, -87.98785 (decimal degrees)
43°17'56" N, 87°59'16" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/419873/4794492 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Cedarburg
- Inventory number
- BH 36237 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- April 21, 2017: New Street View added by Dave King
- August 28, 2016: New photos from John Marvig
- August 23, 2016: Updated by John Marvig: Added information
- November 28, 2012: Updated by Clark Vance: Added category "Interurban"
- November 27, 2012: Updated by Luke Harden: Added categories "Milwaukee Northern Railway", "Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co.", "Railroad", "Rail-to-trail"
- November 3, 2012: New photos from Robert Thompson
- April 25, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning: Added bridge to Railroad overpass category
- February 8, 2008: Added by J.R. Manning
Sources
- J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
- Robert Thompson
- John Marvig - marvigj27 [at] gmail [dot] com
- Dave King - DKinghawkfan [at] hotmail [dot] com
Comments
I've seen that U-bar once, maybe twice... Very unusual
I'm more inclined to think that it replaced an 1850 structure.
Looks like an 1880s or maybe early 1890s Carnegie font to me.
James,
Looking through the photos; I can only make them out on laced members. I did not pay attention to the Carnegie marks when I visited, as I assumed it was a cut and dry date situation.
The sway bracing and portal bracings do not look like they belong on this bridge. In addition, I see a special type of connection (what I've always referred to as a U-Bar) on the underside of this bridge. These type of connections are most common on the 1870s and 1880s trusses that I've seen.
http://bridgehunter.com/photos/36/22/362239-L.jpg
I would think if this bridge date to the 1850s, it has been extensively rebuilt and not much remains of the original structure, specifically the main frame components.
How many members on this bridge have Carnegie mill marks?
Tony,
Numerous sources indicate the bridge was built in 1850. The floor beams this bridge has tell me it's very old. I suspect it could have been heavily rebuilt. 1850 would make this the oldest railroad truss I know of.
...Could have been acquired from elsewhere and moved here in 07'.
I agree John that it's kinda light for a post-1900 RR span, But that 1850 date is even a bigger stretch! I would say more like 1885-1895 maybe.
This bridge appears to be far too light for a 1907 railway bridge. In addition, it matches this structure:
http://bridgehunter.com/wi/ozaukee/grafton-interurban/
Which was reportedly built in 1850 by the Michigan Central Railway. Input?
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/wi/ozaukee/bh36237/
If it did replace an 1850s structure, it would have been built in the 1880s in Michigan. This is the original structure here. Nathan or anyone in that region, do you know if there are archives for the Michigan Central Railroad?