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If you have ever ridden a train or followed a railroad
track for several miles, you know that eventually the track must cross streams, rivers,
ravines, and so on. In every case, except for the most modern tunnels, train tracks are
built over streams and rivers on bridges or trestles. For the early railroad construction
crews, building tracks over geographic depressions was time consuming, dangerous, and
precise work. The following photos show examples of early day railroad bridges or
trestles. What do all the bridges have in common? Without the railroad bridge builders,
how might the settlement of the American West occurred differently?
Click on the photographs to view larger images. View additional images on this topic from Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920. Use your browser's Back Button to return to this point.
top of page View additional images on this topic from Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1929. Use your browser's Back Button to return to this point. |
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| Last updated 09/26/2002 |
