General Information

Plate Girder Bridges

1. SP practice was predominantly square-corner girders.
   

2. 
   

3. Open-deck design, that is, with the structural steel underneath the track visible from above.
   

4. 
   

5. On the SP it was pretty common for such bridges to have ballasted decks.
   

Paint

1. Girders with black being a common color for SP bridges. They did paint some bridges aluminum, usually ones crossing significant highways.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

References

1. Bridge - Girder span                        Mainline Modeler    Jun 1989
   

Bridge Guard Rails and bridge ties

1. The close spaced bridge ties and guard rails extend past the end of bridges and trestles just to the back of the pier, abutment, headwall. The Common Standard spec's changed over the years. In later years on ballast decked bridges, ties where at the normal 22 inch spacing. Open decked bridge ties varied in size of tie and the dap (cut) of the tie.
   

2. Mike Curran
   

3. 
   

4. Handrails changed from wood to steel pipe to cable with steel posts. Length of bridge, loading, mainline or branch line etc. were all factors in bridge design.
   

5. Mike Curran 
   

6. 
   

7. SP did not seem to have a predictable policy as to where and when guard rails on trestles, bridges, and tunnels were used except to say that "guardrails...as specifically authorized by the Chief Engineer" - CS1645.  Many bridges and trestles did not have guard rails, tunnels too, for that matter. What was more common on trestles and bridges were guard timbers, usually a rough 4 X 8 bolted and spiked to every tie and placed about a wheel width OUTSIDE the rail. But, you can find bridges and trestles (still) or find photos that show none, or guard timbers, or guard rails. There are half a dozen plates in Bruce Petty's Common Standards Volume I pages 52 - 71 that dance all around this question.
   

8. Paul Chandler
   

1. Switches have guard rails. Bridges have bull rails.
   

Dimensions and Spacing for Wood Rails

1. Use the MR Bridges & Trestles book for determining the dimensions and spacing for wood rails on scratch built plate girder bridge. There are many examples and data on various bridge structures. Pictures taken of the bridge in the era of your model provide additional reference. From the information in the book, select the correct HO material size for the various pieces.
   

2. John Sweeter
   

Wooden Railings End Section

1. The end sections of wooden railings on many trestles often flared out, as seen in the top photo on page 102 and the top photo on page 211 of "Southern Pacific's Coast Line Pictorial" (the former photo is of the Stenner Creek trestle north of San Luis Obispo).
   

2. 
   

3. See photos a trestle at Lerdo in the June 1985 Mainline Modeler. This illustrates this aspect.
   

4. John Sweetser
   

Ballasted-Deck Bridges

1. One advantage of ballasted-deck bridges is that track gangs can line and surface the track right through bridges, instead of separate B&B gangs having to do the bridge track maintenance. Guard rails would not help with this process, so whenever the Chief Engineer might feel guard rails were not NECESSARY it is understandable they were omitted. 
   

2. Tony Thompson 
   

3. 
   

Paint

Bridge Color

1. SP bridges did vary in color, black or aluminum. I am not aware of a specific type of bridge for either color, but do have the impression that aluminum seemed more prevalent when crossing highways or in otherwise readily visible situations. Back country bridges distant from roads seem to be usually black.
   

2. Tony Thompson  
   

3. 
   

4. Most if not all of the steel bridges in the late 1930s period of time would be painted black.
   

5. Richard Newkirk
   

   Bridges in Niles Canyon were black until at least the late 1950s.

Tehachapi Creek Bridge at Caliente

1. Regarding the bridge over Tehachapi Creek at Caliente, that bridge had a white band painted on its end on which the stream crossing information was painted in black (the bridge as a whole was painted black, unlike the silver of recent years). Probably more common was simply white lettering painted on black bridges, such as the bridge at Yuma.
   

2.                                                                             http://www.cuttergraphics.com/IMG_5893.JPG
   

3. 
   

Lettering & Numbers

SP Logo on Bridges

1. S.P. put there name on highway and road overpasses and bridges, but only over fairly well-traveled roads. I have seen the name lettered on some steel bridges, and other decorations used in particular cases (initials cut into portal sheets of truss bridges, medallions on some bridges).
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Lettering Types

1. How probably depended on the type of bridge and the era we are discussing. There were steel bridges over roadways with the name spelled out in Gothic letters. In other cases the painted name was spelled out SOUTHERN PACIFIC, such was the case on a bridge near Army Street in San Francisco.
   

2. 
   

3. The billboard "Southern Pacific" style lettering was on at least two places in Texas: On an overpass near Downtown Houston near the Amtrak (Ex-SP) Depot and one on an overpass over US 90 near Weimar.
   

4. 
   

5. There is a bridge in San Francisco that still bears "Southern Pacific" in black letters across it. It is on the old SP Peninsula commute line. Between Windsor and Healdsburg in Sonoma County is an overpass carrying the tracks over a two-lane highway. It used to be lettered with black lettering.
   

Emblems

1. One of the few really good things about the Anschutz years was the revival of SP's traditional emblem. Metal multi-color Espee emblems (heralds) were sometimes cast into bridge abutments facing road crossings, or in some cases, the logo carved/cast into some part of a concrete structure.
   

2. 
   

3. There is a concrete bridge over a roadway that has a porcelain medallion set in the concrete, which is close to 80 years old. Articles in SP Trainline have discussed variations on bridges and overpasses in Oregon.
   

4. David Coscia
   

5. 
   

6. The emblem on many bridges, in all cases an enameled metal plate. You will even see it on a tiny wooden trestle over a dirt road. These emblems were always painted in Daylight red & orange, which was not "traditional" but it looked great. The emblem was even applied to a long series of girder spans over an interstate highway in Houston. Of course you would only do this is you model SP in the 1990's.
   

7. Tim O'Connor
   

8. 
   

9. The porcelain-gilt medallions seen on SP concrete viaducts in Sacramento and San Jose are all built into the bridge structure with rebar connections. They are likely not easily removed!
   

10. Kevin Bunker
    

1. You would see a light orange-colored circle with black markings (for the sun, tracks and "SOUTHERN PACIFIC LINES") affixed to the SP bridge that crossed Interstate 5 at Santa Ana Street in Anaheim many years ago.
   

2. 
   

3. While browsing the bridge medallions this site showed up:
   

4.                                         http://bridgehunter.com/category/railroad/southern-pacific-railroad/
   

5. There are "some" inaccuracies, it has some interesting photos.
   

6. Ken Parks
   

Emblem Dimensions

1. The metal emblems were 36” in diameter made from 1/16th aluminum with no bracing. They had no brackets. Holes were drilled where convenient. One example would have three mounting holes drilled on center at top, middle, and bottom.
   

Emblems Paint

There were several over the years (blue and yellow, red and orange). Some painted emblems on bridges were white on black.

Tony Thompson

1. One emblem is the revitalized classic "Sunset" logo in the red and orange scheme which came back in the 90's. The logo is extremely well detailed and  the colors are definitely not SP Scarlet Red or Daylight/MoW orange. The "Golden Sunset" herald was hung on such locations as the Auburn Ravine Trestle.
   

Locations

1. The Steel Bridge over the Willamette in Portland had a large SP logo painted on the west end counterweight as shown on postcard pictures from the '20s.
   

2. Charlie                                                                http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/fsa/8b31000/8b31800/8b31801r.jpg
   

3. 
   

4. South of Galt, CA on the Lower Sacramento Road is an old concrete bridge with an inset in the concrete which obviously harbored the fine Sunset herald (now disappeared!).
   

5. 
   

6. In the 1990s an orange/red SP logo was sometimes applied to bridges. One of the more modern-day  logos appeared on the Grimmer Blvd. overpass near Warm Springs Yard in Fremont, CA.
   

7. Rob Sarberenyi
   

8. 
   

9. The Sunset logos on the concrete bridge of the Dumbarton line over Highway 101 in Redwood City/Palo Alto were blue circle with gold sunburst and, I want to say, black ties and lettering. The emblems were recessed into the concrete of the structure to the right of the highway "slow" lanes.
   

10. Bob Pecotich
    

References

1. Search for Southern Pacific Railroad Bridge in the HABS-HAER collection at the Library of Congress website:
   

2.                                                                            http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/
   

3. 
   

4. There will be 32 results and most have high resolution black and white detail photos and drawings.
   

5. David.
   

6. 
   

7. Check this site:                                                    http://www.railwaystation.com/airsw.html
   

8. Scroll down to find the CA bridges & trestles.
   

9. Rick Watson
   

1. Example of Espee signage cast into a bridge    http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMEHH
   

2. A painted version, upside down                           http://www.railpixs.com/sp2/SP_bridge_WallerTx_June78.jpg
   

3.                                                                             http://www.flickr.com/photos/37832336@N02/4380299895/
   

                                    http://www.railroadforums.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/51082/title/southern-pacific-girder-bridge/cat/504

Articles for Steel Bridges

1. Small Bridge - Phoenix, Az.                        Bridges & Buildings for Model Railroads' Book - Kalmbach #12006
   

2. Swing Bridge - Coos Bay               Mainline Modeler   Jun. 1988
   

3. Bridge - Truss                        Mainline Modeler    Dec 1982
   

4. Bridge - Truss, Warren/ Deck Girder               Mainline Modeler    Apr 1986
   

5. Bridge - Truss, Warren/ 3586 ft - Pit River      Model Railroader    Apr 1962
   

6. Bridge - Truss, Pony/ Straining Beam               Model Railroader    Jun 1954
   

7. Bridge - Truss, Howe                        Mainline Modeler    Mar 1988
   

8. Bridge - Steel                        Mainline Modeler    Apr 1985
   

9. Bridge - Girder span                        Mainline Modeler    Jun 1989
   

10. Bridge - Masonry Underpass               Model Railroader    Jan 1946
    

Standard Bridge Drawings

1. For those who don't know about it, there is a very extensive set of drawings of Harriman Standard steel bridge designs, including deck and through girder bridges, as well as trusses, which were published in the Railroad Gazette. Separate drawings are included for several different lengths of each bridge, with many detail drawings to provide full information.
   

2. Purchase copies through the NMRA Kalmbach Memorial Library.
   

3. 
   

4. Here is the information you need to request copies of the articles about Harriman Lines Common Standard plans for steel through truss and plate girder bridges.
   

Request copies of the Railroad Gazette articles from:

March 17, 1905 pages 248, 249, 250, 251, 252

March 24, 1905 pages 278, 279

March 31, 1905 pages 310, 311

April 7, 1905 pages 328

April 14, 1905 pages 347

April 21, 1905 pages 370

April 28, 1905 pages 389

July 28, 1905 pages 88, 89, 90

August 11, 1905 pages 130, 131

August 18, 1905 pages 162, 163

August 25, 1905 pages 188, 189

September 8, 1905 pages 224, 225

September 15, 1905 pages 256, 257

September 22, 1905 pages 274, 275

October 6, 1905 pages 319, 320, 321, 322

1. These will cost you just 25 cents a page if you are a member of the NMRA, 50 cents a page if not a member, postage is free. Anything published before 1922 CANNOT still be in copyright.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

3. 
   

4. There’s a folder in the files section called HARRIMAN LINES STEEL BRIDGES. Tony Thompson assures this information is not under copyright. The folder contains jpegs of 32 pages from The Railroad Gazette in 1905 spread across several issues. The 32 images are scans of copies of complete pages so include extraneous data. They are in Month/Day/Year and Page order.
   

5. 
   

6. This is an EXTREMELY detailed article called "Standard Bridges on the Harriman Lines" including detailed plans of plate girder and through truss steel bridges.
   

7. 
   

8. Here is a too long link to the folder in this groups file section:
   

                                                         http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Espee/files/Harriman%20Lines% 20steel%20bridges/

The Historic American Engineering Record

1. Excellent information is available from the US government on our favorite railroad. The Historic American Engineering Record has large format photos and drawings on several Southern Pacific structures in their files. Three examples on bridges are the Shasta Route at Pollard Flat, Sims, and Shasta Springs. They are all similar, but different. There is also information available on the Henry Ford drawbridge in San Pedro, and architectural drawings of LAUPT. There are drawings of tunnels on the Donner Pass route, and other railroad structures.
   

2. 
   

3. All information is "public domain", meaning that because it is government material, there are no copyright restrictions. It was like rummaging through part of the nation's attic.
   

4. 
   

5. Follow this path: nps.gov/discover history/collections/HABS HAER HALS/site index/search collections, then type in "California + railroad" as the search terms and a list of available sites shows up. Click on the subject title and you're in. If you click on a drawing, then click "highest resolution image (TIFF)" you will be amazed on just how sharp the drawing will be.
   

6. John Totten
   

Modeling Bridges

Bridge silver

1. A paint blend that resembles the aged, weathered silver color seen on some steel bridges in SP territory would be to use regular silver paints, like Floquil.
   

2. 
   

3. After it has dried a few days, dust the bridge with various weathering chalks, including a charcoal colored one and the various rusty colors. This dulls down everything and with an overspray of Dullcote.
   

4. 
   

5. In addition to paint-based washes, India Ink/Denatured Alcohol wash dulls and darkens colors such as silver. Use this wash when you don't know/can't remember the original paint type.
   

6.   
   

7. Also a small amount of steel wool in a little bottle of vinegar makes a wonderful rust solution with deposits at the bottom that can be used to highlight large rust areas. You need to let the bottle sit for a month or so until the steel wool dissolves. Apply with a dedicated paint brush only.
   

8. 
   

9. Try mixing gray into the silver but be careful with this one as it didn't take much gray to make it a gray bridge. Those little silver particles get covered in a hurry. Maybe just a heavy overspray with "dust". 
   

Modeling SP Logos on Bridges

Lettering & Numbering

1. Microscale offers a set of decals for SP bridge lettering in HO scale
   

2.                                                                     http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=87                 -1148&Category_Code=SP&Product_Count=89
   

Modeling Emblems

1. The emblem was applied to a long series of girder spans over one of the interstate highways in Houston. Of course you would only do this is you model SP in the 1990's.
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

3. 
   

Bridge Signs

Name of River

1. On SP's steel bridges, the stream crossing was often identified. For example, pg. 121 of Strapac's "Southern Pacific Review 1952-82" has a photo of the SP bridge at Yuma which appears to have the faint words "Colorado River" painted on it. The word "Colorado" is above "River" and both words are slightly curved in opposite directions. An SP common standard plan showing this type of bridge sign can be found on page 37 of the July 1974 NMRA Bulletin. The plan well illustrates the lettering curvature but there is no lettering dimensions (the Yuma bridge had no crossing number like shown in the plan. Also, the plan does not show any milepost number below the stream name but it appears the SP usually included milepost data). The best close-up photo seen of this painting practice is on page 15 of the 1979 Kalmbach booklet, "The Diesel from D to L," which shows the end of the girder bridge over Tehachapi Creek at Caliente (reprinted articles in Trains magazine and the photo was in the May 1979 issue of Trains).
   

2. 
   

3. Naming the stream crossing on bridges seems to have been a fairly wide practice but it may not have been done in all cases.
   

4. 
   

5. On bridges that did not have structural members wide enough to paint such signs, a low wooden sign was placed in the ground instead. See the photo on page 133 of John Signor's Tehachapi book showing the sign identifying the second crossing of Tehachapi Creek and the photo on page 122 of Fred Matthew's "Northern California Railroads, The Silver Age" showing the sign identifying Castle Creek near Dunsmuir. These wooden signs were situated on the railroad west side of bridges and on the right side of the track as seen from a train traveling eastward, with the same information painted on both sides of the signs.These wooden signs were the same style as the signs painted on bridges.
   

6. 
   

7. Photos also show such wooden signs at the fourth crossing of Tehachapi Creek just below the Tehachapi Loop and at the third crossing of Caliente Creek at Caliente.
   

Impaired Side Clearance

1. Another type of sign commonly associated with SP steel bridges (especially bridges with truss members) were "Impaired Side Clearance" signs, which were on posts just before the bridges. Photos that show the "IMPAIRED SIDE CLEARANCE" sign near the Martinez-Benecia  Bridge can be found on the cover and on page 91 of the Robert O. Hale photo book "Railroad Photography Western States." Page 10 of "Southern Pacific Lines Common Standard Plans Vol. II" has a plan that depicts an Impaired Side Clearance sign but be aware this is a 1962 revised plan which calls for a metal signboard instead of wood as was used earlier. The dimensions for the signboard may be the same as was used earlier but the post in the revised version was smaller, 4 inches vs. 5 1/4 to 5 1/2 inches.
   

Trespassing Sign on Bridges

1. Page 32 of “Southern Pacific Lines Common Standard Plans Vol. 1" has a 1958 revision of plan C.S. 1301, which shows a sign stating "Private Property All Persons Forbidden to Trespass Hereon" and a note that indicates the sign is "To be used at each end of long bridges, long trestles, tunnels, etc., or as directed."
   

2. 
   

3. There are earlier versions of this plan and can be found at the California State Railroad Museum Library and are listed on the library's website like this:
   

4.     Southern Pacific CS 74 Oct. 11, 1905/Nov. 30, 1926.
   

5.     Common standard: trespass and no thoroughfare signs. Filing location: Box 126 ID 24589
   

6. 
   

7.     Southern Pacific CS 1301 [Former number: CS 74] Oct. 11, 1905/Mar. 21, 1933.
   

8.     Common standard: trespass and private property signs. Filing location: Box 128 ID 25291
   

9. 
   

10. From the above, it appears that CS 74 was renumbered to CS 1301 on March 21, 1933.
    

11. 
    

12. The 1958 revision of CS 1301 has the wording "Private Property" on the top two lines of the sign and "All Persons Forbidden to Trespass Hereon" on the bottom two lines of the sign. However, the CS 74 plan of 1926 and the CS 1301 plan of 1933 may have called for the wording "Private Way For Trains" on the top two lines (with the same wording on the bottom two lines). 
    

13. John Sweetser
    

1. For a post-1924 photo of a bridge sign that states "Private Way For Trains," see page 161 of Myrick's "Railroads of Arizona, Vol. I." Page 103 of Huxtable's "Daylight Reflections", 2002 version, has a color photo showing an identical type sign outside of Tunnel 26 near Chatsworth.
   

   John Sweetser

Speed Signs

1. As for speed signs, in most cases they were probably in advance of the bridges. For the lift bridges at Martinez and Sacramento, the special instructions portions of 1950s Western Division Timetables would state the milepost locations where the speed limits over the bridges commenced (specifically, look under the Martinez Subdivision section). For plans of the type of speed signs used in the 1950s, see page 270 of Signor & Thompson's "Southern Pacific's Coast Line Pictorial" which depict signs with dual speed limits (freight and passenger). For bridges that had just one speed limit, the number would be centered in the oval signboard.
   

DRAW BRIDGE ONE MILE Signs

1. Then there were "DRAW BRIDGE ONE MILE" signs. According to common standard plan 1375, such signs "shall be used in advance of all drawbridges even though the movement over the drawbridge is governed by interlocking signals." The plan also included a variation, "DRAW BRIDGE 1000 FT" signs, which were used "in lieu of or in conjunction" with Draw Bridge One Mile signs only with "the written authority of Division Superintendent." Signboards in both cases were oval and used SP Egyptian lettering.
   

2. 
   

3. Plan 1375 (titled "Fixed Signals - Distant Warning and Stop Signs") was a 1951 revision of common standard plan 15, which in turn was adopted in October 1904. Common standard plan 15 shows a "DRAW BRIDGE 1000 FT" sign but with SP Roman lettering for the 1000 FT instead of the all-Egyptian lettering of plan 1375. Some signs with the earlier-style lettering probably survived well into the '50s. Common standard plan 1375 has been reprinted on page 23 of SP Trainline #22 while common standard plan 15 has been reprinted on page 17 of the September 1979 NMRA Bulletin.
   

SP Trestle

1. Trestle strengthening done 1933-35 by adding additional bent to each tower, new bents with horizontal struts. Original towers didn’t have. In 50’s most trestles converted to ballasted deck trestles.
   

1. Wooden Trestles i.e. deck pile (still) abound everywhere. They are being replaced slowly due to wear and sometimes fire. As for the trestles being found in "flat lands", they were placed wherever the water has to go. A classic example is the mainline from Elk Grove to Galt. A good number deck pile trestles still exist and relatively speaking it's flatter than a pancake. But the water needs to drain from the ESE and the south to the Consumnes River, hence three or four deck piles are in place in less than a three mile tangent.
   

2. D.A. Waggoner
   

Trestle Handrail Standards

1. Vol. 1 of "Southern Pacific Lines Common Standard Plans" has numerous trestle and trestle-related plans. Handrail info was on page 65. There is just a cross-sectional view. Volume 3, page 70-71 shows the handrail post 7'-6" apart.
   

2. 
   

3. The June 1985 issue of Mainline Modeler had an article with photos on modeling a ballasted deck trestle that went across a canal at Lerdo,  north of Bakersfield. The handrails on this trestle were probably a standard design.
   

4. 
   

5. Page 71 of the July 1985 Mainline Modeler had a author-drawn plan of the approach trestle to the Kern River bridge in Bakersfield. The dimensions for the handrails are different than handrail dimensions in the plan on pg. 65 of  Vol. 1 of "Southern Pacific Lines Common Standard Plans." Also, the vertical distances between the railings aren't indicated. Photocopies of the Mainline Modeler articles could be obtained from the Calif. State RR Museum Library. (This trestle was set on fire by an arsonist and was subsequently replaced by a fill).
   

6. 
   

7. Bruce Petty can be contacted through his Los Angeles River Railroads website for the Steam Age Equipment Co., SP CS Plans.
   

8. John Sweetser
   

References

1. SP Open Deck Trestle                (*see MM 1/90)
   

2. SP Short Trestle Plans       (*see RMC 8/94, pg. 64)
   

3. SP Official Color Photography, Vol. 1             (S PCPV1)
   

4.                                                                               (*see MM 12/86)to ballasted-d
   

5. Trainline No. 23 has Fred Hill's SP Common Standards if you need some technical info on them.
   

6. 
   

Steel Trestles

1. Trestle - Bridge - SP Common Std      Model Railroader                Apr. 1969
   

2. Trestle - Bridge - SP Common Std      Model Railroad Bridges & Trestles’ Book Kalmbach #12101 Book #33
   

3. Trestle - Ballasted Part #1               Mainline Modeler    Jun 1985
   

4. Trestle - Ballasted Part #2               Mainline Modeler    Jul. 1985
   

5. Trestle - Ballasted, Pile               Mainline Modeler    Dec 1986
   

6. Trestle - SP Bracing                        Mainline Modeler    Oct 1989
   

7. Trestle - Signal Stenner               Trainline            T-22/9
   

8. Bents/Piers in roadway               Mainline Modeler    Apr 1989
   

Wood Trestle

1. Trestle - Fish Creek Ca. NG               Railroad Model Craftsman Aug 1994
   

2. Trestle - Wood                         Mainline Modeler    Jan 1990
   

3. Trestle Bulkhead - Timber                                    Mainline Modeler    Jun 1990
   

4. Straight Bulkhead - Timber                         Mainline Modeler    Sep 1989
   

5. 
   

6. 
   

Specific Bridges & Trestles

1. This information is compiled from S.P. BRIDGE BOOKS for 1965 and 1977 .
   

2. 
   

3. Name               Milepost      Length        Height    Dates in Bridge Book
   

4. 
   

Los Alamos Creek                294.65  721  79  1896, 1932

1. Open deck, eighteen deck-plate girders, 60 feet and 30 feet.
   

2. Brick abutments and piers 1896, concrete wings added 1932.
   

3. 
   

4. 

   
   

Santa Ynez River        301.88  549  25  1896

1. Open deck. Six 91-foot deck-plate girders 1933 (American Bridge Co. 1932).
   

2. Brick abutments and piers 1896, remodeled with concrete 1933.
   

3. Original bridge: temporary bridge built 1896, permanent bridge installed by April 1897.
   

4. 
   

Canada Honda        308.19  541  94  1898

1. Ballasted deck. Thirteen deck-plate girders 1933; steel fabricated 1932 (Ving(?) Iron Co.). Abutments brick and concrete 1898, concrete wings added 1933.
   

2. Six steel towers 1898 on concrete, reinforced 1933. Converted to ballasted deck 1956. Original bridge erected August 1899.
   

3.    
   

4.    

   

      
   

5.    
   

Jalama        320.32  451  82  1898

1. Open deck. Eleven deck-plate girders 1934.
   

2. Abutments concrete 1898.
   

3. Five steel towers on concrete piers 1898 and 1934. Structure reinforced and intermediate bents 1934
   

4. 
   

5. 

   
   

6. .
   

7. 
   

8. 
   

Alegria Canyon        336.05  634  89  1898

1. Ballasted deck. Fifteen deck-plated girders: one 65-foot span (American Bridge Co. 1929), five 60-foot spans (VB&I Co. 1933), nine 30-foot spans (Phoenix Bridge Co. 1900).
   

2. Abutments concrete. Original piers masonry and concrete, sandstone foundation. Reinforced concrete jackets around piers 1920.    
   

3. Structure extended 65 feet west 1929 with concrete abutments. Bridge constructed 1897-98. Ballasted deck 1953.
   

4. 
   

Agua Caliente Canyon        337.19  421  82  1898

1. Ballasted deck. Eleven deck-plated girders, (Phoenix Bridge Co. 1898).
   

2. Abutments concrete 1898, some reinforced concrete 1934.
   

3. Two steel bents on concrete 1898, four steel towers on concrete 1898, three additional bents 1934. Converted to ballasted deck 1954.
   

4. 
   

Gaviota        338.61  811  80  1898

1. Ballasted deck. Eleven 30-foot deck-plate girders, eight 60-foot deck-plate girders.
   

2. Abutments stone 1989.
   

3. Steel bents on concrete piers. Span seventeen (60 feet) and additional intermediate bents 1935. Girders, bents, bracing reinforced 1935.    
   

4. Converted to ballasted deck 1952. Original bridge erected November 1900.
   

5. 
   

6. 

   
   

7. 
   

8. The height on the plan showed 69'2" from the top of the footing to the top of the girder. One of the posts said 80' which could be to the bottom of the footings which are partially buried. The 60' girders had ribs added on the 2nd, and forth panels. They are 6' high. The towers were doubled with an additional bent, and cross braces in '37. These were made with different components than the originals.
   

9. 
   

10. The new footings were solid concrete, whereas the old ones had concrete, and a stone piece on top. There is a great panorama on the www.californiacoastline.org site. The new "Scenic Coastline" book has a great shot of the bridge too. It shows the modified girders well. It also shows the difference between the old, and new structures in the towers
    

Reference

1. Nan Lawler wrote an article entitled "Closing the Gap" for the Autumn 1981 Railroad History Bulletin 145 (Railway & Locomotive Historical Society). The article talks of the bridge construction along the Coast during 1898 to 1900 as the Coast Line was completed. There is a b&w photo of the Gaviota trestle. There is also technical information about each bridge from the Piru to the Ventura River to Los Alamos Creek west of the Santa Ynez River (Surf). 
   

2. 
   

3. The article was reprinted by the South Coast Railroad Museum at the Goleta Depot and is still available for $2.50 and shipping from                                                                                      
   

4.                                                                         http://www.goletadepot.org/STGap.htm
   

5. 
   

6.                                                                         Feb. 1985 track side photos
   

7.                                                                         SPH&TS Trainline in 1997 or 1998
   

Modeling Gaviota Trestle

1. I have detailed photos of same and I did build a model of it, See MR Jan. 1983 under photo contest and Feb. 1985 under track side photos. If you would wish to use them please let me know. I made my own patterns for girders, and footings to cast in resin, and water putty respectively.
   

2. Ron Plies
   

3. 
   

Cementario        339.82  751  61  1898

1. Ballasted deck. Nineteen deck-plated girders fabricated by (Phoenix Bridge Co. 1898). Eight steel towers and two steel bents on stone 1898. Six steel bents on concrete added 1934, completed by Fred Shobert 1935. Converted to ballasted deck 1954. Bridge originally erected December 1900.
   

2. 
   

3. 

   
   

4. 
   

5. 
   

Arroyo Honda        343.58  541  75  1898, 1935

1. Ballasted deck. Eight 30-foot deck girders and five 60-foot deck girders fabricated by (Phoenix Bridge Co. 1898).
   

2. Abutment concrete and piers 1898.
   

3. Reinforced and additional bents 1935. Converted to ballasted deck 1952. Bridge originally erected November 1900.
   

4. 
   

5. 

   
   

6. 
   

7. 
   

Refugio          348.02  61  33  1898

1. Ballasted deck. One 60-foot deck-plate girder, fabricated by (American Bridge Co. 1898), originally at highway underpass near Ventura.    
   

2. Remodeled from through-plate to deck-plate girders 1941.
   

3. Abutments sandstone 1898, remodeled 1941. Converted to ballasted deck 1941.
   

4. 
   

El Capitan                  350.67  751  65  1898

1. Ballasted deck. Eighteen plate girders by (Phoenix Bridge Co. 1898. Eight steel towers and one steel bent on stone and concrete 1898.    
   

2. Seven steel bents on concrete added 1936.
   

3. Sandstone abutments 1898. Reinforced concrete jackets ten inches thick around each pedestal 1931. Converted to ballasted deck 1957.    
   

4. Bridge originally erected September 1900.
   

5. 
   

6. 

   
   

7. 
   

8. 
   

Dos Pueblos        354.41  661  60  1898, 1934

1. Ballasted deck. Sixteen deck-plate girders, 30 feet and 60 feet, (Phoenix Bridge Co. 1898).
   

2. Seven steel towers and one steel bent on stone 1898. Converted to ballasted deck 1954. Girders reinforced by (Fred Shobert, 1944)    
   

3. Bridge originally erected April 1899.
   

4. 
   

5. 

   
   

N. Fork Ventura River        396.61          152  19  1915

1. Open deck. Originally two 150-foot through-riveted Warren trusses, (American Bridge Co. 1914). One truss replaced by fill sometime between 1965-1977. This was the bridge that has been replaced by the present concrete girder bridge.
   

2. Concrete abutments 1915.
   

3. 
   

Ventura River        396.87  644  17    1900, 1908, 1910, 1911

1. Open deck. Spans one-six: 50-foot deck plate girders 1900. Spans seven-nine and eleven: 50-foot deck plate girders 1908. Span ten 140-foot through-riveted Warren truss made 1909 by (American Bridge Co. ) “originally ordered for 7th Sonoita. Relocated 1911 to this location”.
   

2. Abutments concrete 1910-1911. Piers cylinder and concrete. Pier seven encased in concrete 1915; piers three and five reinforced 1944-rail piles driven around cylinders and new concrete pier built on this foundation.
   

Reference

1. A photo of the truss portion of the bridge can be found in an article titled "Closing the Gap: The Coast Line and its Bridges in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties" that appeared in the Autumn 1981 issue of "Railroad History," Bulletin 145, pgs. 87-105 published by the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society and reprinted as a small booklet in 1984 by a publisher in Goleta. Based a a satellite view, this bridge still stands.
   

2. 
   

3. The Ventura River bridges appear to be misindentified in some book photos. In "Southern Pacific's Coast Line Pictorial," a caption on pg. 229 states that the bridge in the bottom photo is the Ventura River bridge but it doesn't even come close to the configuration of the actual bridge. Also, the truss portion of the Ventura River bridge was a Warren truss, not Pratt trusses as seen.
   

4. 
   

5. In the 1987 edition of "Daylight Reflections," a caption on pg. 41 states that the bottom photo was taken at the Ventura River bridge. However, I can see 10 plate girder spans in the photo while the Ventura River bridge was supposed to have only nine plate girders before the truss portion started. I suspect that the photo in "Daylight Relections" might have been taken at the Santa Clara River bridge. Note that the photographer was Donald Duke, who was infamous for incorrect photo indentifications.
   

6. John Sweetser
   

7. 
   

Santa Clara R. (Montalvo) 404.24 1753  25  1906

1. Open deck. Thirty-five plate girders, (American Bridge Co. 1916).
   

2. Stone Abutments.
   

3. 
   

4. The Santa Clara River bridge was between Oxnard and Ventura on the Coast LIne. The first bridge, built in 1898 when a branch was built from Montalvo to Oxnard (which later, of course, became a portion of the Coast main line), was probably wooden.
   

5. 
   

6. In 1906, the American Bridge Company built an open-deck bridge of 35 plate girders with concrete abutments over the Santa Clara River. Concrete cylinder piers were added in 1911, 1913 and 1915. It is a deck girder bridge. The bridge was later converted to a ballasted deck bridge. The bridge was on the west side of the 101 Hwy.
   

7. John Sweetser
   

1. The photo on pg. 61 of the 1987 version of "Daylight Reflections" was taken at the Santa Clara River bridge, not the Ventura River bridge as the caption in the book stated. A photo and caption on pg. 167 of  "Southern Pacific's Golden Empire 1954-1958," verifies the "Daylight Reflections" photo was indeed of the Santa Clara River bridge. Note that the pier with the large dark spot is the second pier from the right in the "Daylight Reflections" photo while in the "Southern Pacific's Golden Empire" photo, it's the fourth pier from the right.
   

2. John Sweetser
   

Modeling Santa Clara River Bridge

1. That bridge was 1735 feet in length and 25 feet high to the top of the rail. Dividing 1735 by 35 comes up with a span length of 49.57 feet (it would probably be safe to round this to 50 feet for modeling purposes).
   

2. John Sweetser
   

1. 
   

Sespe Creek (Fillmore)423.03  203  1903

1. Open deck. Two-hundred-foot through-riveted Pratt truss, (American Bridge Co. 1903).
   

2. Stone abutments.
   

3. 
   

Piru                   432.17  326  1903

1. Open deck. Two 160-foot through-steel pin-connected Pratt trusses, (American Bridge Co.)
   

2. Stone abutments and pier.
   

3. Located in Ventura County (West of LA on the original, pre-Susanna cutoff, coast line; later known as the Santa Paula Branch).
   

4. 
   

5. At one time, there were telltales for the bridge, as seen in the 1958 Tony Curtis/ Sidney Poitier movie, "The Defiant Ones".
   

6. John Sweetser
   

References

1. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=piru+CA&hl=en&ll=34.416237,-118.78889&spn=0.002047,0.004407&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=63.12754,110.917969&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=34.415626,-118.788466&panoid=HMBrJ456zExAJ7gqRwMb5w&cbp=12,346.13,,0,4.61
   

Modeling SP Piru Truss Bridge

Central Valley Model Work

1. The Central Valley Model Works HO scale 150' Through truss Bridge, is modeled after the Piru bridge.
   

References

1.                    (*see T-79/  & T-80 / 6)
   

2. Model stonework, is seen in a somewhat small photo on pg. 70 of Robert Smaus' "SP in LA" article in the March 1999 issue of Model Railroader.
   

3. 
   

4. 
   

Stenner Creek Viaduct                     935           80  1894

1. National Bridge Co.deck plateOpengranite12 sets of piers? 24 piers?,
   

2.                                                                         (*see PT2-314)
   

3.                                                                         (*see SPCPV1, pg. 22)
   

4. 
   

5. To complete Southern Pacific's rail link over the Cuesta Grade, a bridge was needed to span the 950 foot long gap of between the two sides of Stenner Canyon . In 1893, construction was begun to create the bridge that would help complete the link between San Luis Obispo and San Francisco. The first of many trains ran its track on May 7, 1894.
   

6. 
   

7. The trestle was built by Thompson Bridge Company in the viaduct style (viaducts are bridges that connect points of equal height in the landscape). The bridge was built like a tinker toy with numbered pieces. It is estimated that the cost of track and bridge brought the total cost of the trestle to about $100,000 per mile, a pricey cost for the era in which it was built. Building the trestle was a feat of engineering worth noting. To raise the sections of track 85 feet in the air, a sidetrack was temporarily constructed next to the bridge. A kind of crane hoisted each piece into the air where it was then riveted into its final resting place.
   

8. 
   

9. The trestle was a 935’ long steel bridge manufactured by the National Bridge Co. from Pittsburgh. The CalPoly site lists the gap the trestle has to span at 950 feet. The "height" is 85 feet above Stenner Creek. The rails are of steel (weighing 72lbs. each), with the platform constructed from redwood ties. The bridge had 24 trachyte blocks (piers), made of concrete and granite, dug 25’ below the creek surface to hit bedrock.  
   

10. 
    

11. During the 60’s, S.P. correctly changed the name from Steiner to Stenner Creek Trestle.
    

References

1.                                                                      http://polyland.calpoly.edu/topics/technology/studentsites/2006b/Past/History%20of%20
   

                                                                         http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=150670&nseq=3

                                                                        *see PT2-314

                                                                        *see SPCPV1, pg. 22

1. Google Earth has "Street Views" from Stenner Creek Road as it goes under the trestle. These are 360 degree panoramic shots taken every 40 feet or so.
   

Modeling Stenner Trestle

1. In HO you're at 129" in length and in N at 70". Use "modeler's license" and shorten the trestle a bit. If length is reduced to 55% of total, a 40" N scale trestle will still make an impact.
   

1. 
   

Santa Maria Trestle                     1283

1. 
   

Pajaro River                                                  1941

1. deck plateBallasted concrete concrete?San Juan & Watsonville, built near Logan, on San Andreas fault, bridge built on rockers
   

2. 
   

3. For more information contact Chuck Catania. He has an excellent model of the Pajaro River Bridge.
   

4.                                                                         (www.cpcrr.org)
   

5. 
   

Isiais Creek

1. Army St.?
   

2. 
   

Tajiguas Creek

1. deck plate
   

2. 
   

Dayton Ave Bridge

1. deck plateconcrete?L.A. River
   

Fairview Ave. Bridge

    Wood?    This famous bridge crosses the north part of the SLO yard.

Modeling Fairview Ave. Bridge

Rix Products

    Use the Rix Products wood bridge as a stand in.

Salinas River Bridge

1. It is located just north of San Miguel. Google shows a four-span truss bridge at the location.
   

2. Pat Flynn
   

San Pedro Bascule Bridge

1. bascule bridgeL.A. River?    1912
   

1. The San Pedro Bascule Bridge was a very large structure (actually the largest Bascule bridge in the world in 1912 when built) which served both the Southern Pacific and the Pacific Electric. It connected Wilmington to San Pedro across the ship channel to the west basin. There are photos of the bridge itself and about half a dozen of the Pacific Electric red cars.
   

2. Andrew Merriam