1913 B&SV/C&NW Bass Point High Bridge near Boone, IA

(Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

I was going to skip yet another steel tower trestle. But when I saw that the public can ride on this trestle, I decided it was worth noting.

The 1913 bridge is 156' high. The steam locomotive that they run was the last one commercially produced. It was built in China for $350,000. [Readers Digest, Nov 2021, p45]

 

Iowa Road Trip posted

Rail Explorers crossing Bass Point Creek High Bridge in Boone, Iowa 

Brian Abeling / Iowa Road Trip

Adam Bonnell: I’ve worked for Rail Explorers for 2 years and i can tell you going out on the tracks hundreds of times never gets old!

Chris Ciesla posted six photos with the comment:

Bass Point High Bridge sit NW of Boone, Iowa and was originally built by the Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern, an electric interurban that ran from Des Moines to Fort Dodge and Rockwell City, Iowa.
It's still possible to ride over this bridge on the Boone & Scenic Valley RR who purchased the ;one from the C&NW in the 1960s to continue operate this section of the RR.

Dave Amo: Greatest trestle in the state.

[I wonder why Dave thinks this one is greater than the Kate Shelley Trestle just a mile or so southwest from here.]

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[This trestle is an example of the design that saves steel by using deeper girders between the towers than over the top of the towers.]

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A topo map shows that the Des Moines River has carved a bit of a canyon in this part of Iowa. Thus the tributaries such as Bass Point Creek also have a canyon. On this 1965 map, the railroad is still labeled Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern. So the C&NW was reluctant to purchase an interurban.

1965 Boone West Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

This extract of the topo map has the Kate Shelly High Bridge in the lower-left corner and the Bass Point High Bridge in the upper-right corner.

1965 Boone West Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

2 of 5 photos Marty Bernard posted posted with the comment: "5 of the Boone & Scenic Valley RR and the Bass Point High Bridge. Captions with photos"

Marty Bernard sharedshared

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4. Boone & Scenic Valley RR, Bass Point High Bridge, Boone, IA May 19, 1984. Unknown photographer, Iowa Chapter NRHS collection

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5. Boone & Scenic Valley RR, Bass Point High Bridge, Boone, IA Oct. 27, 1984. Unknown photographer, Iowa Chapter NRHS collection