This benchmark is located at the southwest abutmemt of the 1907 swing truss bridge built by the Missouri Pacific Railroad over the Brazaos River at Brazoria. The Missouri Pacific merged with the Union Pacific Railroad in 1980.
Today, this bridge is part of the Angleton Subdivision, one of the busiest rail corridors in this part of southeast Texas.
**IMPORTANT LOGGING INSTRUCTIONS** In order to reach the benchmark on the western bridge abutment, it is necessary to first walk down an elevated wooden trestle about 1/4 mile to the river. Trains approach the bridge from a curve, and come through at track speed, 50-60 mph. When you see the train or they see you, you have seconds to make a choice: (1) Jump onto the abutment at the Brazos River, which is slippery and covered with spilled ballast rocks (2) run a short distance down the trestle and jump 15 feet down into dense thorny brush and big rocks, or (3) die. Trains come through here frequently (2-3 per hour).
GIVEN THAT, FOR PURPOSES OF A VISIT TO THIS WAYMARK WE WILL ACCEPT ANY PHOTO OF THE BRIDGE.
See: (
visit link)
"FTF on a dangerous one. You have to RUN about 1/4 mile on a single-track wooden RR trestle bridge before you get to the steel bridge where the BM is. Once you are on that wood bridge the only way to safety is to jump off the bridge 15+ feet into blackberry brambles and rocks, or if you are close enough to the river to jump 5 feet onto the concrete foundations of the steel bridge over the Brazos. This is a busy UPRR line to the chemical plants in the Brazosport area, and there are no visible RR signals to let you know when a train is within 1 mile of you before you step onto the tracks. Another hazard is pissed-off significant others --"
From the NGS Datasheet: (
visit link)
"AW1188 DESIGNATION - J 52
AW1188 PID - AW1188
AW1188 STATE/COUNTY- TX/BRAZORIA
AW1188 USGS QUAD - BRAZORIA (1976)
AW1188
AW1188 *CURRENT SURVEY CONTROL
AW1188 ___________________________________________________________________
AW1188* NAD 83(1986)-29 03 10.(N) 095 33 21 (W) SCALED
AW1188* NAVD 88 - 10.71 (+/-2cm) 35.1 (feet) VERTCON
AW1188 __________________________________________________________________
AW1188
AW1188_MARKER: DB = BENCH MARK DISK
AW1188_SETTING: 36 = PIER
AW1188_STAMPING: J 52 1918 ELEV. 35.426 FT.
AW1188_STABILITY: B = PROBABLY HOLD POSITION/ELEVATION WELL
AW1188
AW1188 HISTORY - Date Condition Recov. By
AW1188 HISTORY - 1918 MONUMENTED CGS
AW1188 HISTORY - 1972 GOOD NGS
AW1188 HISTORY - 1978 GOOD NGS
AW1188 HISTORY - 19940416 GOOD USPSQD
AW1188
AW1188 STATION DESCRIPTION
AW1188
AW1188''DESCRIBED BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1972
AW1188''0.8 MI NE FROM BRAZORIA.
AW1188''0.8 MILE NE ALONG THE MISSOURI PACIFIC RAILROAD FROM THE FIRE
AW1188''STATION AT BRAZORIA, 2 POLES NE OF MILEPOST 309.20, SET IN THE
AW1188''TOP OF THE SE END OF THE CONCRETE PIER AT THE SW END OF
AW1188''THE STEEL PART OF BRIDGE 309.7 OVER THE BRAZOS RIVER, 6.8 FEET
AW1188''SE OF SE RAIL, 2.0 FEET SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHEAST
AW1188''GUARD RAIL, 2.3 FEET NW OF SE EDGE OF THE CONCRETE
AW1188''PIER, 1.5 FEET NE OF SW EDGE OF THE CONCRETE PIER,
AW1188''AND 4.0 FEET BELOW THE RAIL.
AW1188
AW1188 STATION RECOVERY (1978)
AW1188
AW1188''RECOVERY NOTE BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1978
AW1188''RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.
AW1188
AW1188 STATION RECOVERY (1994)
AW1188
AW1188''RECOVERY NOTE BY US POWER SQUADRON 1994
AW1188''RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION."