UPRR Trinity River Truss Bridge -- Liberty TX
N 30° 03.535 W 094° 49.086
15R E 324737 N 3326706
This 1919 through truss bridge was built to carry the Texas and New Orleans RR over the Trinity River west of Liberty TX. Since 1996 the bridge has been owned by the Union Pacific RR
Waymark Code: WMVE05
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/06/2017
Views: 3
This gorgeous twin span through truss Bridge was built in 1914 by the Texas and New Orleans Railroad, which operated from New Orleans to Houston, before being acquired by the Southern Pacific in 1881. The SP operated T&NO as a subsidiary RR, so the T&NO actively owned, leased, operated and acquired other railroads.
By 1934 the T&NO was the largest railroad in Texas, with 3,713 miles (5,975 km) of railroad tracks in Texas and Louisiana. The T&NO merged fully into the Southern Pacific in 1961, and ceased to exist. The Southern Pacific merged with the Union Pacific in 1996. Sources: (1) Wikipedia: (
visit link) and (2) Union Pacific RR: (
visit link)
The bridge is interesting because it is composed of different styles of truss spans. The one nearest Liberty is a Parker Bowstring Truss, while the one reaching the west bank of the Trinity is a Pratt Through Truss.
From Bridgehunter.com: (
visit link)
"Overview
Through truss bridge over Trinity River on Railroad
Location
Liberty, Liberty County, Texas
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1919
Railroads
- Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS)
- Texas & New Orleans Railroad (TNO; T&NO)
- Union Pacific Railroad (UP)
Design
Parker through truss"