Crooked River Canyon Railroad Bridge Is Over 100 Years Old!

Crooked River Canyon Railroad Bridge Is Over 100 Years Old! | Train Fanatics Videos

Built back in 1911, this old steel bridge still carries daily traffic!

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) still runs daily traffic on this historic old steel bridge. Designed by famous bridge architect Ralph Modjeski, the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Company completed the construction of the bridge by cantilevering it out from the rock walls on both sides of the canyon. Ralph Modjeski also designed the San Franciso-Oakland Bay Bridge.

The bridge itself is 320 feet above the Crooked River and was completed in 1911 in about 4 months. Oddly enough, the need to get the trains going over the bridge was so intense that they started rail traffic across the bridge with only half of the required rivets installed to hold it together!

The remainder of the rivets were installed as the trains used the bridge!

Located north of Bend, Oregon, the Crooked River Bridge is located inside Peter Skene Ogden State Park. The bridge itself is a two-hinge arch span with a total length of 460 feet!

Railroads that have used or use the bridge today include:

  • BNSF- Burlington Northern & Santa Fe
  • The Great Northern Railway
  • The Oregon Trunk Railway
  • The Union Pacific Railway

Let us know if you have witnessed rail traffic on the this magnificent bridge while visiting the park. We would love to hear from you!

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