Des Moines Trail/Union Railway (Wabash+Milwuakee) Bridge over Raccoon River In Des Moines, IA

(3D Satellite)

If you are here because of the UP/C&NW/CGW bridge, then you need to go there.

Street View, Jul 2023

Christopher Robert posted
Downtown Des Moines, Iowa then and now.
Ray McCollough: Thanks. I don’t realize that bridge had MILW heritage.

 

Christopher Robert commented on Ray's comment

It was the Des Moines Union Railway (DMU) Bridge.

The DMU was jointly owned by the Wabash and MILW.

It was also used by the CB&Q, M&StL and CGW.

The bridge is now a footbridge and is the only remaining DMU structure.

1956 Des Moines SW and SE Quads @ 24,000

Bob Dover posted

Directly opposite the main part of downtown Des Moines, Iowa, crossing the Des Moines River, is the Red Bridge. Constructed by the Des Moines Union Railway in 1891, the Red Bridge is a hybrid construction type that has been partially reconstructed a few times. The ends of the bridge are steel-plate girder construction, but the two spans in the middle of the river are the original steel through-truss spans. The bridge was abandoned in 1996, but it was rehabilitated and reopened as a pedestrian and bicycle-only bridge in 2004. The bridge is painted bright red and lined with a modern white railing. In the center of the bridge, between the two through-truss spans, a modern platform extending off both sides of the bridge has been added to the original structure. This modern platform is outfitted with benches and is designed to provide a relaxing park-like space in the middle of the river. The Red Bridge is lighted at night, both from the outside, and with lighting of the steel components from within the truss. Because the Red Bridge is a very bright shade of red, the interior lighting makes the bridge appear as if it glows from within at night.

You can find photos of several of the downtown Des Moines bridges on www.bridgespotting.com. There are also detailed profiles of the Red, Green, and Riverside Park Drive bridges provided in my book, Bridgespotting Part 2: A Guide to Even More Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times.