Yellowstone Valley/BNSF/GN 1914 Bridge over the Missouri River near Snowden, MT

(Bridge Hunter; WeeksIII; HAER, has several interior shots of the machinery; Blog; Satellite)

Snowden, MT is a railroad ghost town. Specifically, it was built by Great Northern to support steam locomotives; and, since steam is no longer used, the town lost its purpose.

It is owned by BNSF but leased to Yellowstone Valley Railroad. [WeeksIII]

Photo from HAER MONT,42-NOH.V,1--22 (CT) from mt0090

"The vertical lift section of the bridge was the longest in existence when Snowden Bridge was built in 1913. A control house on top of the lift span contained a kerosene-powered engine capable of raising the span in about 30 minutes." [Blog]

"This bridge is unique in that it is designed to have the lift mechanism and counterweight able to be moved to a different span of the bridge in the event that the river channel shifts. The lift span was seldom used." [WeeksIII] Note in the following photo that 1.5 of the spans is now over land.

From Bridge Hunter

Ray Trumpower posted
Snowden bridge north of Fairview Mt