Ashton-Tetonia Trail - Conant Creek Trestle

The bridge has not shifted. The Google Earth image is distorted.

The side platforms may have been for water barrels for fire fighting purposes. It was common on long trestles to have some water in case the steam locomotive dropped some hot cinders which started a fire.

I visited this bridge in 2004 before the rails to trails program restored the deck and installed safety railings. I walked across it with my son and it was in fairly good shape. It had two small side platforms that were mostly rotted away. They were just enough area to stand at one time. Not sure what they were built for? I have many pictures from that day if anyone is interested I will try and find them. This rail line was built during the push by the railroads to cash in on the many eager people wanting to explore Yellowstone and Teton Park and also to transport agricultural goods from Teton Valley Idaho and some of the communities along the way. The line reached as far as Victor Idaho and tourists could travel by bus from there over Teton Pass to Jackson Hole and from there on in to the parks. Sometime in the early 1980s they quit running trains to Victor and made the end of the line the little town of Tetonia which lies about 15 miles before Victor. Tetonia had several large grain elevators that serviced the area farmers. I remember seeing the train pull in to Victor as a child. It still had one car available as a coach car and you could catch a train from Ashton to Victor. I also drove grain trucks from my family's farm in Teton Valley to Tetonia and watched the grain being loaded on the train, even helping the elevator operator move the train cars into position. Sometime in the early 90s they quit running trains on the branch completely and within a few years pulled tracks and ties leaving only the bed and two magnificent trestles, this one and another one South of here on Bitch Creek Canyon. Both are beautiful industrial works of art with massive steel beams and wood timbers. The railroads talked of removing them for liability reasons before the pathway organization saved them.

IDK if I would say perfectly intact... viewing historical imagery on Google Earth it appears this structure has shifted in the last few years. Look at the approach in images from 04 and fast forward to 09... the bridge now has an interesting kink in it. Appears to have been moved, possibly by high water or the ravages of time.

Judging by Google's satellite and street views, this rail line seems to be long-since abandoned, but a magnificent bridge appears perfectly intact at this location. I can only assume it is this one, though I can't distinctly make out its truss details in the shadows. Bing has no bird's eye view of this area (yet).