Does anyone have any information on the type of bridge that was over the Little Arkansas river just west of Valley Center Kansas on the Burrton subdivision? Karl? Any sheets or pages that will help me? I need to model a bridge on this end of the subdivision and this one looks like it might have been substantial. Any help is appreciated. Dale S.
Bridge F-515.4, which crossed the Little Arkansas River consisted of three sections. The east approach was an open-deck pile trestle. It was 117 feet long and consisted of 9 panels with a maximum panel length of 14'-2"; there were 5 piles per bent, and it used a three-ply chord of 8" x 16" bridge stringers. The bridge ties were 6" x 8" x 9'. The pilings were driven during 1929. The maximum height through the ravine section was 22 feet. The middle span, which crossed the river, was on a 64 foot long, steel, deck-plate girder. It used 6" x 10" x 10' bridge ties, and its maximum height was 22 feet. The west approach was an open-deck pile trestle. It was 91 feet long and consisted of 7 panels with a maximum panel length of 14'-7"; there were 5 piles per bent, and it used a three-ply chord of 8" x 16" bridge stringers. The bridge ties were 6" x 8" x 9'. The pilings were driven during 1929. The maximum height through the ravine section was 29 feet. I will post a schematic later this afternoon
Examination of older B&B records, indicate that the center steel span is a "modern" addition to the bridge. Originally the bridge was a 20 panel open-deck pile trestle (ODPT) with a length of 264'. The original bridge was renewed, re-driven, in 1903, during 1919, and again during 1929. Since the 1929 notations are in ink, it would appear that treated bridge members were not used until 1929. Also notice how the length of the bridge changed during each renewal. The number of pilings per bent also changed. The attached B&B record was kept current through at least the middle fifties, so it wasn't until after that date when panels 10, 11 12, and 13 were replaced with a single steel, deck-plate girder (DPG) span. The specific date and the reason for the addition of steel span is not noted in the records.
Thanks Karl, I asked for a substantial bridge, now I have one! This bridge will take up some real estate even modelling N-scale. Your records are thorough enough that building this will be pre-engineered and fun to put together. Now I must find a picture of this for visual perspective. When they put in the steel girder span would they of had to put additional supports at each end to support it? Thanks for your help. Dale S.
