Rall Bascule Lift

Rall bascule bridges were invented by Theodor Rall. Exact design of a Rall bascule bridge can vary, but should include some of the characteristics in one of the two patents filed by Mr. Rall, which include patent #669,348 and #817,516. The key feature among all known surviving Rall bascule bridges is a trunnion that is set inside a roller that moves along a track during bridge operation. The rights to build Rall bascule bridges were held by the Strobel Steel Construction Company of Chicago, Illinois, which was a company that both designed and contracted for bridge projects. As such, most Rall bridges were both designed and built by Strobel Steel Construction Company. Currently, there are five known Rall bascule bridges: One in Chicago, Illinois, two in East Chicago, Indiana, one in Portland, Oregon, and one in Baltimore, Maryland. All five known examples are listed below.