Methow River Bridge - 1966 - Pateros, WA
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 48° 03.061 W 119° 54.165
11U E 283690 N 5326047
This railroad bridge crosses the Methow River at its mouth, just as it joins the Columbia River.
Waymark Code: WM1006R
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 01/31/2019
Views: 2
Crossing beside a concrete highway bridge, the two land on the north bank of the Methow River at the southern end of the little town of Pateros. A Warren through truss with all verticals, the bridge has two truss spans with steel girder approach spans at each end. The truss spans stand on concrete piers in the river while the approach spans land on concrete abutments on each bank of the Methow River.
This line from Wenatchee to Oroville was built in 1914 by the Great Northern Railway to link the main line at Wenatchee to the Washington & Great Northern/Vancouver, Victoria & Eastern (Canada) line at Oroville, just south of the Canadian border. The Great Northern merged with the Burlington Northern and this 148 mile section of line was later taken over by the Cascade & Columbia River Railroad, now owned by the Genesee & Wyoming.
The bridge adjacent, on Highway 97, was built in 1966 and, though we would have guessed an earlier date, this bridge, too, carries date stamps of 1966 on its north abutment. Overall the bridge is about 380 feet, the truss spans 150 feet and the approach spans about 40 feet.
It's estimated that over 5,200 cars per year pass over this bridge, primarily moving limestone, pulpwood and lumber products out of the area. Incidentally, we parked in front of the park on Riverside Drive and walked down the paved walking path to arrive at the bridge.
