Lowell Railroad Bridge

This is a breathtaking railroad bridge. Sometimes my winter photos come out less than impressive looking, but my winter visit to this bridge yielded some beautiful photos. The bridge has a dappled rust to it which although it is not good for the health of the structure, added some nice color to my photos. I listed this bridge as the Lowell Railroad Bridge, because the railroad bridge right in downtown over Flat River is a simple wooden structure and probably gets a lot less public attention than this bridge.

The Lowell Railroad Bridge is located across the Grand River, just south of the downtown area of Lowell. Despite this, the bridge and river have a wooded and rural appearance. The bridge is a one-track bridge so it has the unique tall and narrow feeling that only a railroad bridge can provide. The bridge itself has the feeling of an older railroad bridge, with its pinned connections. I did not locate a plaque on the bridge, although I did not investigate the north side of the bridge, and the snow was covering parts of the bridge as well. The bridge is composed of two six panel through truss spans. These sit on concrete piers and abutments. V-lacing is present on the vertical members, while lattice is on the bracing and under the top chord. Portal bracing is also a large lattice design.