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Documenting North America's past & present covered bridges

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C&E Railroad, Benton County

If you find errors in the data please contact Bill Caswell.

If you would like to provide information on covered bridges that no longer exist from your state, or adopt a state to work on, we would certainly welcome your assistance. Please contact Trish Kane for more information.

Inventory Number: OR/37-02-37x / OR-22-26x
County: Benton County / Linn County
Township: Albany
Town/Village: Albany
Bridge Name: C&E Railroad
Crosses: Willamette River
Truss type: Howe Through (2) & Howe Through Rotating Span (1)
Spans: 3
Length: 560'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1887
Builder: Oregon Pacific RR
When Lost: 1921
Cause:
Latitude: N44 38.451
Longitude: W123 05.804
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Topographic map of the area
Directions:

C&E Railroad Bridge, Albany, OR Built 1887
Richard Donovan / Trish Kane Collection

Comments:
Built by the Oregon Pacific RR. The central span was a rotating drawspan and was uncovered. The side spans had covered sides, but no roof. Per The Tarkio Avalanche (Tarkio, MO), October 21, 1921, "LASTING QUALITIES OF WOOD - The Southern Pacific Company is replacing with steel and concrete the old wooden drawbridge at Albany, Oregon, which has carried freight and passenger traffic on the Yaquina Branch for some 30 years. The old bridge had two 150 foot Howe trusses and one 260 foot Howe truss draw span. This was the longest wooden draw span in the world and it illustrates the strength of Douglas fir, the great construction timber of the Northwest. Roofed-over bridges of this material are being built on western highways in competition with steel, and when properly protected they render as long or longer service than the steel bridge."

Sources:
Nelson, Lee H.. A Century of Oregon Covered Bridges 1851-1952, 1960
Clark, Todd. Information received by email, September 2011
The Tarkio Avalanche (Tarkio, MO), October 21, 1921, p.2.

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