Iowa Northern (IANR)/../CGW Bridge over Cedar River in Waterloo, IA

Duane Rapp posted

(Bridge Hunter, Bird's Eye View)

Duane's comment:

Iowa Northern freight crossing the old CGW bridge in downtown Waterloo, Iowa. During the great flood of 2008 the furthest four spans on this bridge were pushed into the Cedar River, and the furthest 3 piers were destroyed. Amazingly all the plate girders were reused, and heat straightened and emplaced on three new piers. I read somewhere that the #2 pier collapsed into a scour hole and took the ajacent spans and piers down with it, but I cannot find that source anymore. The #2 pier is different from the other two piers that they replaced

Duane Rapp comment
Here is a photo shot from the other side of the river a month or so after the bridge collapse

There is also a Google Photo of the collapse. Duane also provided "An interesting page on getting this bridge back up and running in 2009."

The GTW engineers must have preferred steel girder designs because that is what they also used in Byron, IL.

Update:

Duane Rapp posted
20+ John Deere tractors going across the old CGW bridge in Waterloo, Iowa The builders plate for the bridge, which was previously posted, is below the rear wheel of the lead tractor.Dereck Reiter 60' OTTX flatsDuane Rapp BTW I confirmed today that the builders plate (whats left of it) is 1901. I have a feeling those piers are circa 1887 with newer concrete bases around some of them, and new grouting of the stone that occured with the 2009 repairsJiles Tihpen Ex WCF&N trackage is only used to get to John Deere. They primarily use ex CGW and CN trackage through Waterloo to Cedar Falls junction where it turns back onto ex Rock Island trackage. Most to all tractors go south to the UP interchange in North Yard at Cedar RapidsDuane Rapp Jiles Tihpen The West industrial lead the IANR takes on their WB trek thru town is old Waterloo RR trackage, which originally was WCF&N trackage. The WCF&N shops were just East of CP West Waterloo on the West Industrial lead the IANR uses. The West Industrial lead is owned now by CN.
The short stretch of ex-CGW the IANR uses for their North job, is from the old Rock mainline to just North of the CN Yard where the IANR leaves the CGW and takes the industrial lead. A curve was added in the late 80's from the Rock Island tracks to tie into the ex-CGW

The IANR Oelwein job just continues on the ex-CGW tracks instead of taking the industrial lead
[Evidently John Deere makes its tractors in Waterloo, IA.