1912 BNSF/Northern Pacific Grassy Point Bridge over St. Louis River at Duluth+Superior

(Bridge Hunter; John Weeks III; Satellite)

The Northern Pacific used to control all traffic entering Duluth. [ZenithCity (other pages have other bridges)]

Marco Delgado posted
Duluth, Minnesota, USA
[It looks like UP's Big Boy motivated some interesting drone photos.]

Street View

Darrell Wendt posted
The Grassy Point drawbridge open, seen from the Thompson Hill Information Center in Duluth (9/6/23). An overcast evening with what appears to be a BNSF ballast train parked.

Paul Scinocca posted
Great Lakes Fleet vessel, John G Munson passing the Grassy Point Bridge this morning [June 6, 2017], on the way to the Reiss dock to discharge limestone.

I learned from a comment on Paul's posting that John Weeks III has done a lot more bridges than just those on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

John Weeks III

David Schauer posted
Steamer Arthur M. Anderson eases past BNSF's Grassy Point swing bridge as a CPKC transfer waits in the distance. The Anderson was delivering the first load of limestone this season to C. Reiss. After Reiss relocates to Superior later this summer, there will be no need for lakers to go past this bridge. Duluth/Superior - April 20, 2024

Comments on the above post

John Weeks
The photo above is looking due north from the vicinity of the east end of the old Arrowhead Bridge in Superior towards the swing span of the Grassy Point Bridge. The main span of the Bong Bridge is located just north of the railroad bridge.

 

David Schauer posted
A view from the then-new Bong Bridge (Highway 2) as the LSRM's fundraising trip to Moose Lake rolls across BN's Grassy Point swing bridge. Leading the train is former MN&S SD39 6240 (GP38-2 4433 trailing). Instead of riding I elected to chase and photograph, not easy given few intersecting roads on the Soo's route to Moose Lake. Glad I did, though, as this line was deemed surplus after the Milwaukee Road purchase and lifted in the early 1990s. In the distance is the inactive laker John J. Boland, sailing today as the Saginaw. Superior, WI - July 27, 1985.

Terry White posted
John.G. Munson passing through the Grassy Point Draw on her way up to the C. Reiss Terminal to unload her stone load in West Duluth this morning. [June 6, 2017]

Dan Mackey posted
Aerial view of Grassy Point Drawbridge connecting Superior, WI to Duluth, MN over the St. Louis River. bridge heritage NP/BN/BNSF.
June 3, 2006, my photo

 Rich Hoeg, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, flickr.com/photos/northstarnerd/ via Historic Bridges
"This railroad bridge is noted for its very large swing span." [430']
[The C Reiss Coal Dock is in the background.]

 

David Schauer posted
Steamer Philip R. Clarke departs C. Reiss in West Duluth after delivering a load of limestone. Next stop is CN-Hallett Dock 5 for blast furnace trim (crushed unprocessed taconite rock). BNSF's Grassy Point swing bridge provides a nice complementary subject matter. 10/3/2022

Matthew Pahs, September 2009
Bong Bridge
[What caught my eye was not only the fallen flag locomotives, but it appears the approaches are still wooden.]

Screenshot from a video that Paul Scinocca shared
JohnG Munson departing Reiss Terminal, passing through Grassy Point this Sunday evening [May 7, 2017] in Duluth. Video sped up 16x.
[Several comments noted he was rather close to the bridge.]

This ship stayed closer to the middle of the span.

David Schauer posted
Storied laker s/s Arthur M. Anderson eases past BNSF's Grassy Point swing bridge after unloading limestone at C. Reiss and shifting to CN-Hallett Dock 5 to load BFT. Duluth - October 4, 2021

David Schauer posted
Steamer Arthur M. Anderson threading the needle through BNSF's Grassy Point swing bridge. If you look close you can see group member Jeffrey Doty standing on the Bong Bridge to capture his excellent overhead view posted previously. A low cloud ceiling reflected city lights giving off a neat glow. The Anderson was headed to C. Reiss with limestone. 11/29/2021

And this would be the photo that Jeffery took:

Jeffrey Doty posted

Fresh snow and ice greet the Arthur M Anderson as it passes under the Bong Bridge last night.

Duluth, MN

11/29/21

Scott's Canal Captures posted

Lee A. Tregurtha (1942) US, 826 feet long, 29,400 ton carrying capacity, owned/operated by Interlake Steamship Co. Info provided by: Know Your Ships.

A wide-angle view of the Tregurtha passing through the 1912-built Grassy Point Swing Bridge on the St. Louis River the other night. The G-tug Arkansas (1909) assisted her away from the dock on departure, most likely due to a mechanical issue (November 30th, 2021).

Scott Bjorklund shared

Chris Mazzella posted
Michigan Trader/Dirk Vanenkevort passing through the Grass Point Bridge after unloading stone at the Reiss Coal Dock in West Duluth.
[The "blue bridge" is the Bong Bridge.]

 

David Schauer posted
Heritage Marine tug Helen H softens ice as the Anderson departs C. Reiss in West Duluth on Sunday just after sunrise. 12/4/2022
David Szymanski: Is C. Reiss the only customer that uses shipping traffic on that of the bridge?
David Schauer: Yes.
Duane Haigh: Do They still use that railroad line ?
David Schauer: Duane Haigh Yes, main route between Duluth and Superior operated by BNSF and also used by CP and UP.

Dan Mackey posted a 2:00 video with the comment: "In my quest to catch the CP cross from Duluth to Superior, my timing was good to catch Grassy Point Draw swing to the close position. You don’t realize how noisy the Bong bridge is until you try taking a video🤪 I highly recommend turning the volume down if you watch this."
John West: So is this bridge automated or is there a tender on the bridge?
Dan Mackey: John West it’s a manned bridge.
Dan Mackey shared
A short video of the railroad swing bridge between Duluth, MN & Superior, WI
Ted Gregory: Pretty cool! Who owns the bridge and what railroads run on it?
Dan Mackey: Ted Gregory it’s former NP/BN now BNSF. It’s used by the BNSF, CP and UP