Best Kept Secret: Penstock Bridge in Leavenworth, Washington

All photos taken by Corey Pruitt, used with permission.

Recently, a fellow bridgehunter Corey Pruitt found this bridge with three of his companions. Located outside Leavenworth in Washington, the bridge looks like a typical Baltimore through truss bridge that had once carried a railroad but is now part of a hiking and biking trail. However, when looking at the bridge’s portal bracing, it looks rather different:

Looking into the bridge via tunnel-view, one can see a decking that rather looks like an aqueduct than a railroad:

As you can see, this through truss bridge is rather unusual for its use, even though the design. To find out more about this bridge, the author and another pontist did some research only to find that this structure, now a rails-to-trails crossing, was built by the railroad company but was used for another purpose, which was to provide Hydroelectric Power?!!!

Here’s a look at the history of the Historic Penstock Bridge over the Wenatchee River near Leavenworth, Washington.

The bridge is a riveted steel Baltimore Petit truss. It was built in 1907 by the Great Northern Railroad Company as part of the Tumwater Hydroelectric Plant. The hydroelectric plant was constructed in 1909 to power Great Northern trains from Leavenworth to Skykomish. The hydroelectric installation, which was an extensive system that required conductors and additional power stations, was built to power the Great Northern trains over a 57-mile mountain division from Leavenworth to Skykomish. The water, which was the power source for the electrification of the tunnel, was transported approximately two miles by a penstock from a 250-acre storage site to the powerhouse. The seven-panel bridge was constructed to carry the 8.5-foot-diameter penstock from the south bank of the river to a surge tank at the corner of the powerhouse. Most of the penstock was wood stave pipe; however, the last 952 feet of pipe, part of which passed through the bridge, was constructed of riveted steel. The penstock pipe through the bridge has been cut, to enable the bridge to be used as a pedestrian walkway. The bridge is one of the early examples of a riveted steel Baltimore Petit truss and remains as one of the few extant reminders of the early attempts to electrify the railroads through the Cascade Mountains. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 (NRHP No. 82004196)

It is highly recommended to not only see the bridge, but also take the Penstock Trail because of its gorgeous landscape and many activities you can do along the way. A link will show you the trail in its entirety. 🙂

 

Special thanks to Dave Denenberg for the help in the research and Corey Pruitt for the use of the photos.

 

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BHC Newsflyer 27 January, 2019

Collapsed Packard Skyway Bridge in Detroit. Photo taken by Tom Shumaker

The podcast on the Newsflyer can be found by clicking here. The links to the following headlines are available by just clicking on them.

Grimma Viaduct east of Leipzig to be replaced

New Bonner Bridge in North Carolina to open later than planned

Buchler Bridge (between Ronneweg and Gare/ Railroad Station) in Luxembourg to be bigger

Packard Skyway Bridge in Detroit Collapsed   (Packard Company Redevelopment)

Two Historic Bridges over the Erie Canal at Brookport and Albion in New York to be Rehabilitated

Historic Stone Arch Bridge near Fulda (Germany) to be Rehabilitated

Röhrensteg Reopens after Rehabilitation (including the survey)

Winter weather delays demolition of Bockau Arch Bridge (Rechenhausbrücke)

 

 

 

BHC Newsflyer: 20 January, 2019

Rendsburg High Bridge in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Click here to listen to the podcast via SoundCloud: Newsflyer 20 January, 2019

Headlines (click on them to get more details):

Two stone bridges on the East Coast to be replaced: in Pennsylvania and in Connecticut

Historic Truss Bridge in Mississippi succumbs to nature.

Mystery bridge on that here.

Major historic truss bridge in Germany to have its transporter span back.

 

People say good-bye to a historic icon in New York.

 

Mystery Bridge Nr. 107: The Buckatunna Truss Bridge

Historic Bridge Collapsed after over a half of century of abandonment

MOBILE, ALABAMA/ BUCKATUNNA, MISSISSIPPI-  A historic bridge that was a local piece of history in a small town in Mississippi is no more. The Buckatunna Truss Bridge, located over Buckatunna Creek on Millry Road collapsed last week on the 16th of January after having sat abandoned for over a half century. The collapse was a result of high water undermining the lally columns, one pair of which was leaning against the trees along the shoreline. Furthermore, the bridge had been without a decking system and lower chord for many years. This is vital to ensure the truss structure is intact and together. No one was around when the collapse happened.

The Buckatunna Truss Bridge was a three-panel, pin-connected Pratt through truss bridge with Howe lattice portal bracings, supported by subdivided heel supports. The overhead strut bracings were beam-shaped. According to history papers, the bridge was built in 1905, although it is unknown who built the structure, let alone if there had been a structure that existed before the truss bridge. Records indicated that the bridge was replaced on a different alignment in 1957 and had sat abandoned in the decades prior to its downfall. Passers-by had stopped to photograph the bridge because of its natural surroundings, which was left untouched, according to newspaper sources.

Plans are to remove the collapsed span once the floodwaters recede, however, to provide a proper closure, we need to know more about the bridge in terms of its date of construction and its life in a rural Mississippi setting. If you know more about it, leave a comment in the Chronciles page and tell us about the bridge’s story from your perspective.  We’ll be happy to read more about it. A map is enclosed below to show its location.

2018 Ammann Awards Results

Paper Mill Bowstring Arch Bridge in Newcastle, Delaware. Winner of the Best Example of a Restored Historic Bridge and Bridge of the Year. Photo taken by Julie Bowers

Last Year the Awards will be given using the name Othmar H. Ammann. Next year it will use the name Bridgehunter’s Awards.

First podcast on the Award results with table results here.

Results of the Awards under Best Photo

ZWICKAU (SAXONY), GERMANY/ SCHWARZENBERG, GERMANY/ KANSAS CITY/ LAWRENCEBURG (INDIANA)/ NEWCASTLE (DELAWARE)/ SAN FRANCISCO-

This year’s results of the Ammann Awards is nothing like anyone has ever seen before. A record setting number of votes were casted in eight categories, and with that, a lot of suspense that is comparable to any bowl game in college football and waiting under a Christmas tree for Santa Claus to provide gifts. It was that intense. And with that, a lot of commentary that led to making some new changes in the award format and that of the Chronicles itself.

For the first time in the history of the Ammann Awards, there will be a podcast with commentary of the Awards in all but one of the categories. This can be found here but also via SoundCloud. You can subscribe to Soundcloud by scrolling down on the left column, clicking and signing up once you arrive there. Details on how podcasts will be used for the Chronicles will be presented in the next podcast, which will also be posted here.  The table with the results of the Ammann Awards are presented here but in the order of the podcast so that you can follow. As in last year, the table features the top six finishers with some honors mentioned, but color coded based on the medals received in the following order: gold, silver, bronze, turquoise, quartzite and iron ore.

And so without further ado, click here to access the podcast but keep this page open to follow. The results in Best Photo is yet to come here.

2018 Ammann Award Results:

And lastly, the results of the Ammann Awards under the category Best Bridge Photo:

1st place:

Photo 5: Sigler Bridge in White County, IL by Melissa Brand-Welch

2nd Place: 

Photo 13: Trolley Bridge in Waterloo, Iowa by Diane Ebert

3rd Place:

Photo 10:  Manhattan Bridge in Riley County, Kansas by Nick Schmiedeleier

4th Place:

Photo 3: Chesterfield-Battleboro Bridges by Dan Murphy

5th Place:

Photo 11: Route 66 Gasconade Truss Bridge in Missouri by Dyuri Smith

6th Place:

Photo 2: Tappan Zee Bridge in New York by Dan Murphy

The full table with the results can be seen here.

As mentioned in the podcast, next year’s awards will be the same but under a new name: The Bridgehunter Awards. The name Ammann will be relegated to the Tour Guide Awards for US and international bridges; whereas the Best Example of a Restored Historic Bridge will be renamed the Delony Award, after the late Eric Delony.  An additional category is being considered for a historic bridge threatened with demolition but has the potential to being saved and reused. The Author’s Choice Awards will remain the same as is.

While we’re talking about those awards, you can see the results and commentaries here.

To those who won in their respective categories, as well as those who finished in the top 6 or were honored, congratulations. You may now bring out the sect and champaign and celebrate. Prost! 🙂

2018 Ammann Awards Ballot

Finally, after the last minute push for nominations, combined with all the registrations being added, the 2018 Ammann Awards voting Ballot is now here. Between now and 7th January, you have a chance to vote for your favorite bridges in each of the categories below. As in the past, there is no limit in the number of votes you can submit per category. Yet a couple minor items to keep in mind:

1. In the categories of Best Example of a Restored Historic Bridge, Mystery Bridge  and Best Bridge Photo, only the photos with little information is available. This way, voters can have a look at the photos more carefully before voting. Especially in the Restored Historic Bridge, the voter should have a closer look at what was done with each bridge and decide what was done with it. All the information will be revealed when the winners are announced in January.
2. Before you vote, you can look at the Information for each of the candidates and click on the links for more Details. For all except the category Best Bridge Photo, you can find the Information by clicking onto this link here.

In case of questions on the voting process or any issues that come about, please contact Jason Smith at the Chronicles at the following address: flensburg.bridgehunter.av@googlemail.com. The polls will Close on 7th January at 11:59pm Chicago time, which means 6:59am Berlin time on 8th January.

Good luck and may the voting begin! 😀 We have a bumper crop this time around!

 

Lifetime Achievement

 

Best Example of a Restored Historic Bridge

 

Tour Guide USA

 

Tour Guide International

 

Mystery Bridge

 

Bridge of the Year

 

Best Kept Secret Individual Bridge

 

Best Bridge Photo

 

 

2018 Ammann Awards Candidate Information for Ballot

Link and Information on the Candidates:

Best Kept Secret- Individual Bridge

Noojie Trestle Bridge in New Zealand

Hopfenbrücke in Pausa-Mühltropf (Saxony), Germany

Triple Whipple Truss Bridge in Dearborn County, Indiana

Hadrian’s Bridge near Alacantara, Spain

Opiki Toll Bridge in New Zealand

Devil’s Bridge in Tarragona, Spain

Maasen Pedestrian Bridge (the Netherlands)

Edisford Bridge near Clitheroe (the UK)

Temse Bridge (Belgium)

Waldheim Viaduct in Saxony (Germany)

 

Tour Guide USA

San Antonio, Texas

Roanoke, Virginia

Jennings County, Indiana

Covered Bridges of Oregon

Covered Bridges of Lehigh Valley

White County, Illinois

Monroe County, Florida

Lorain County, Ohio

Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Bridgeport/Frankenmuth, Michigan

 

Tour Guide International

Bilbao, Spain

Markersbach, Germany

Checkpoint Bravo near Berlin, Germany

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Venice, Italy

Norwich, England (UK)

Conwy, Wales (UK)

Florence, Italy

The Bridges of British Columbia

The Bridges along the River Scheldt (France and Belgium)

The Bridges of Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada

The Bridges of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

 

Mystery bridge

Wooden Arch Bridge north of Zwickau, Germany

DWP Railway Trestle in Duluth, Minnesota

Jones Bridge in Georgia (now removed after a collapse)

Truss/Arch Bridge in Van Loon, Illinois

Skewed Truss Bridges in Erla (near Schwarzenberg), Germany

Stone Arch Bridge on Former Pony Express Highway in California

Milford Lake Kingpost Truss Bridge in Kansas

Unknown Truss Bridge in Westwood, Iowa

Two joint bridges spanning a waterway in the Vogtland, Germany

Submerged Bridge in the Springs, California

Fischweg Bridge in Chemnitz, Germany

Sister Bridges at Schweizerthal, Germany

Frohnau Hammer (Annaberg-Bucholz, Germany)

Trestle Bridge Behind the Mall (Zwickau, Germany)

Trussed Arch Bridge in Chesterton, Indiana

Abandoned Stringer Bridge on Route 66 (Grants, New Mexico)

Two Bridges in a Park (Zwickau, Germany)

 

 

Lifetime Achievement

James Baughn- 16 years ago, Mr. Baughn created a website devoted to historic bridges in the midwestern part of the USA. Since then, Bridgehunter.com contains a database of millions of bridges, past and present, which includes photos, stories and history and interesting facts about the structures in the 48 mainland states, plus Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and other US territories.

Kitty Henderson- Kitty is the founder and executive director of the Historc Bridge Foundation, located in Austin, Texas. Since 2007, HBF has been assisting people and parties in the US and Canada in preserving historic bridges, whose numbers have been exceptionally high. The HBF is not only an agency that provides services in that aspect, it is an advocacy group and also provides a Newsletter on the successes and importance of preserving historic bridges.

Todd Wilson- Together with Lauren Winkler, Todd runs the bridgemapper Website, which provides tourists with an opportunity of finding bridges in the eastern part of the US. Todd has been active in the field of historic bridges in the greater Pittsburgh area and has produced several written works including a pair of books on this topic.

Clark Vance- Clark Vance is a long-time math and engineering teacher in the greater Kansas City area, whose other occupation also includes researching on lost bridges and photographing bridges in the midwest, focusing mainly on Missouri and Kansas. Both of which he has been doing for many years.

The Friends of the Bockau Arch Bridge (Rechenhausbrücke)- Consisting of several locals living in and around the Aue area in the German state of Saxony, the Friends of the Rechenhausbrücke have been working together to save the almost 150-year old stone arch structure from its demise in the name of progress. The beauty behind this Group is that they are people who have learned a great deal behind the trials and tribulations in saving the structure, having more knowledge of the Bridge and the ways to save and reuse them than the politicians in Dresden (Saxony’s capital) who want to see the Bridge destroyed.

Edgar Mehnert- The Bridges of Aue (Saxony) would not be the bridges as they are, if it hadn’t been for this Gentleman, who researched on the bridge’s history and contributed a great deal in a book published a few years ago. Like Todd Wilson, Edgar has reisded in the area all his life and has see a lot of changes to the bridge landscape.

Jason D. Smith- One of the fellow pontists nominated the creator of the Bridgehunter’s Chronicles for this Award and with having the News column since 2010, which features the Othmar H. Ammann Awards plus the Author’s Choice Awards, plus success stories and tour guides on historic bridges in the US, Europe and elsewhere, it is highly justified to being nominated in this category.

Vern Mesler- A bridge preservationist just isn’t a preservationist, and a welder is not a welder without the precise instruction and the practical know-how of this long-time welder and teacher at Lansing Community College and manager of VJM Craftsman. Mesler has been doing this for 35 years and has hosted a metal craftsman conference held every spring for a decade.

Nathan Holth- Nathan Holth’s experience in saving and advocating for the preservation of historic bridges in the US and Canada through his website historic.bridges.org and his other Engagements in restoring historic bridges both in theory and in practice. He has been doing this for over 17 years and counting.