Cass River Railroad Bridge

This was the first bridge I visited as part of one of my trips, and so was still quite dark when I first got to this bridge. There is no road that passes close than a half-mile from this bridge, so I had a decent walk back here. The time spent walking brought enough light to get photos. They still did not turn out all that great, so I apologize. If you can get past the lack of clarity and detail, I thought the rust poking through on the bridge went well with the fall colors here.

This bridge is on the same railroad as the Flint River Railroad Bridge and has similar a-frame portal bracing. The Cass River Railroad Bridge has a more common truss configuration, that being the Pratt. Connections on the bridge are riveted, and there is v-lacing on some members and bracing. The bridge has five panels. Very long wooden approaches are present on either side of the main truss span. This area of the Cass River is swampy, which accounts for these long approaches. A later 2006 winter visit emphasized this, as a mild and wet winter had turned areas where I stood in shoes photographing the bridge into a water wonderland! Clearly the best time to visit this bridge is when it has been dry and river levels are lower, especially if side views are important to you.