Even under social distancing, sometimes you have to break down and shut off all your electronic toys. Get out and see for yourself, the places less traveled in the world around us.

Today we visited a closed, former railroad bridge on the Raccoon River Valley Trail, South of Jefferson, Iowa.

The rail line was built in 1891. The Pratt Truss bridge is dated at 1905. Some sources date the bridge as recent as 1945, which is unlikely since the Pratt Truss design fell into disuse after about 1910.
The bridge is 580′ in total length with a 112′ Pratt Truss Span.

The rail line was removed in 1990 and the present trail was completed in 1997. The bridge was partially destroyed in 2019 and is closed to the public.

There are also other remnants of the Milwaukee Road along the trail including evidence of a train wreck.

First Warning

Our intrepid explorer

Long and winding road

No rest
This was the first of three rest stops we encountered on the trail.

Grade Crossing Marker

Train Wreckage
We found some remnants of a train wreck along the trail.

Brake Beam
This is the part of a railroad car where one of the brake pads would have been attached.

Rest Stop

The Bridge is in Sight

Final Warning

Trail Marker
We had parked our vehicle at the Winkleman’s Switch parking area which according to this sign, is 1.5 miles away.

Healthy Snacks
Since I’ve been out of the military for over 15 years, this MRE Ranger Bar was at least that old and probably a few years older. So far, neither of us have gotten sick from eating it.

Overview of the Bridge

Wipe Out
This is the section of the bridge that was destroyed by flooding in March of 2019. There are plans to repair the bridge, but so far, there is no timeline for when it will occur.