CB&Q/IV&N RR Bridges over I&M Canal and Illinois River (Strobel)

(Bridge Hunter 1890-1932; Bridge Hunter 1932-1970s; La Salle County Online Museum)

(Update: Strauss designed some very similar looking direct-lift bridges. There is one left in the USA and another in Canada.)

 

1 of 4 photos posted by Andy Zukowski
Photos sent to me by Richard Engel, his Grandfather (Joseph Zolper) was the Bridge Tender on the CB&Q in LaSalle, Illinois from 1932 to 1940.

 

The "white lines" from the upper-left to the lower-right show the old CB&Q right-of-way.

Satellite

40:47 video @ 1:28

Andy Zukowski posted
The CB&Q on the right heads towards the Illinois River in LaSalle, Illinois with the Mile Long Bridge in the Background (Illinois Central Railway).
Frank Stokes: Was the CB&Q bridge a lift bridge and when was it torn down? The IC bridge looks different, was it rebuilt after this picture?
Gary Sprandel: Frank Stokes it was converted to a standard lift from a scissor lift ( hinged arms that lifted the span vs towers)in 32. IIRC the main span on the IC bridge would be a bit behind the locomotive on the train so it might be between 32 and when the IC bridge was modified for the waterway project a few years later.
From what I was able to dig up dismantling began in 80.
Thomas Whitt shared

Satellite

The Illinois Valley & Northern Railroad crossed the I&M Canal in the upper-left corner of the satellite image. My thanks to the Smania's for releasing their photos into the public domain. During these floods, the locks that are upstream of the bridge are under water.

Photo of May, 1943 flood by Dee Smania

The last picture in Ray Tutaj Jr.'s collection is during normal water levels and you can see lock #15, which is under the bridge. The broken bridge in Gene's photo below is probably one reason the  bridges were removed in 1980.

Cropped from photo of April, 1979 flood by Gene Smania

The IV&N then crossed the Illinois River and went under the Illinois Central tracks.

William Wozniak posted
CB&Q Bridge Vertical Lift Design.....1913 LaSalle...IC bridge in background.
David Hahn shared
Dennis DeBruler This is just the third photo I have seen of this bridge. The Strobel direct-lift bridge design is so rare that I know of only one other bridge of this design: a BNSF/NP bridge in Washington.
http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../bnsfnorthern...
Harold J. Krewer There were only three of these ever built in the U.S. and Chambers Bay is the only one left. LaSalle may have been the first.
I understand there were more built in Europe, but no idea how many still exist.

Photo from oil-electric

The Illinois River bridge was built in 1890 without any movable spans. One of the spans was made movable in 1913-14 using the Strobel Direct Lift design. This span was replaced in 1932 by a typical cable operated vertical lift. BNSF still has a direct lift span, but designed by Strauss instead of Strobel. An oil-electric posting concerning that 1914 Northern Pacific bridge indicates BNSF is fixing the bridge even though the current navigability of the channel it crosses is questionable.

The above referenced collection by Ray Tutaj Jr. has more pictures of these bridges, including both types of lift spans and the dismantling in 1980.

When I followed the abandoned route of  the IV&N, I noticed that it was very close to the rivers (Vermilion as well as Illinois), so it has a rather low grade through the valley. I wondered if it was prone to flooding. Pictures of the bridge during floods do indicate the railroad grade was precariously low. Because of the style of the lift span, we know the first flood was before 1932 and the second one was after 1932.

Photo from GuitarJourney

Photo from Ray's LaSalle County Online Museum (RLCOM)

A picture from the Illinois Central bridge page has a picture of the IV&N lift bridge in the background.

Photo from RLCOM

William Wozniak posted
ICG Solid Orange Northbound over the Illinois River coming into LaSalle.....1982... .Dave Woz photo
[Another picture of the IC bridge that has a picture of the IV&N lift bridge in the background.
But Bill's date of 1982 doesn't jibe with the 1980 date mentioned at the top of this post.
Update: the comments indicate the bridge in the background is the Shippingsport Bridge (IL-351). The IV&N was already gone by 1982.]

William Wozniak posted
Rock Island....the END is only days away in this shot.....LaSalle IL...photo taken from standing on the ICG Bridge..1980..Dave Woz photo.

Top of above photo at Facebook resolution. Note the brown truss above the road bridge. That would be the IV&N bridge over the I&M Canal that will also soon be gone. Of course, on the left of the photo is the tow path and channel of the I&M Canal.

William Wozniak posted
[You can see the former IC bridge in the background.
Correction: the comments indicate the background bridge was the old (truss) version of IL-351. So this picture captures two lost bridges.]

William Wozniak posted
All 3 Bridges across the Illinois River in LaSalle in 1941.(bridge hunter)
Dennis DeBruler For those of us who don't yet know the Illinois River Bridges: "Shippingsport-foreground, CB&Q RR bridge next, ICRR bridge furthest", https://bridgehunter.com/il/lasalle/shippingsport/ I conclude we are looking upstream.
Ken Hejl I believe the photographer was standing atop the Continental Grain silos. The place burned in the early 70's, I would guess.
Ken Hejl Also note, the CB&Q bridge is in the down position. Must have been a train coming.
Ken Hejl Karl M Andrews The little white shanty is on top of the CB&Q lift span. The top of the Q bridge runs along the bottom of the IC bridge.

Digital zoom of above image

Photo from Ray Tutaj Jr. website
The beginning of the dismantling of the Illinois River bridge. 

Karl Rethwisch posted a picture of the piers of the bridge over the I&M Canal.