CurlyGeorge Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Well, I finally got around to taking pics of this old wrought iron bridge that sets over a creek about 2 miles from town. It was, at one time, the main crossing for the road in that area. But the county has rerouted the road and the bridge has not been used since the late 1950s-early 1960s, from what I have been able to find out from the naitive locals. Anyway, the bridge was left over the creek, but not "legally" abandoned by the county. So no one can touch it, as far as tearing it out. The farmers in the area want it gone, because it catches all the debris that comes down stream and causes the creek to flood the fields. But the old county engineer had plans to dismantle the bridge and rebuild it in the state capital as a foot bridge in a park. Well, that was umteen years ago, and nothing has ever been done. I am in the process of trying to get with the engineer to see if there is any way that I can get posession of it and dismantle it. There's a lot of wrought iron there. Here are a few pics showing how bad a shape the bridge is in and a few forge welds on the cross bracing. If I can get permission to get it, I'll let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 One piece at a time? Almost looks like if it slowly disappeared, no one would miss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junksmith Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 If bridges were still built like that we would be IN DEMAND! Nice pics George. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 "One piece at a time? Almost looks like if it slowly disappeared, no one would miss it." Nope. I'd get caught. I'm just lucky like that. I'm gonna do my best to try to legally salvage the metal. But I'm afraid that I'm gonna be fighting an uphill battle. I hope not, though. Joe, that bridge was built somewhere around 1890. Yep, we would still be in demand. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Furrer Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 "One piece at a time? Almost looks like if it slowly disappeared, no one would miss it." Nope. I'd get caught. I'm just lucky like that. I'm gonna do my best to try to legally salvage the metal. But I'm afraid that I'm gonna be fighting an uphill battle. I hope not, though. Joe, that bridge was built somewhere around 1890. Yep, we would still be in demand. Have a farmer send something real big down the river and then offer to "help free the item"..and in the process say that you would take the whole bridge out of the way. Ric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
its512eric Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 One or both of the farmers that own the land on either side can patition to have YOU remove it in their stead. The county's/state's rights to it DO expire, I just don't know how long Illinois' are; and without a maintained road, usually sooner than you think. As soon as you put them in a position to start having to send money/resources the state/county will be glad to see it go for free. Good Hunting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 UPDATE Just got off the phone with the current county engineer. He said that the problem is that at some point the old engineer had gotten the bridge listed as a "Historic Bridge" and in order to do anything at all to the bridge now, they must apply for permission from the state historic agency (I think), which he has already done. However, he has not yet heard anything back from them. He did tell me to keep in touch, and also took down my name and phone #, and said that when they get permission to remove it, I was welcome to have what ever I want from it, as they are just going to scrap it. WOW!! I can hardly wait til they get permission. There's quite a bit of one inch or inch and a quarter square stock, about 15 ft long on that thing. Now I'm hyped!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Another year or two and they won't have anything of historic value letf. Good luck and keep bugging them about it. <_< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunsmithnMaker Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 If you don't keep after them to get the process moving and keep it front and center you will be a very long forgotten part of the landscape before that bridge is. If Illinois is anything like Vermont someone from out of state will see it and have to preserve it. If I can remember I will get pictures of the RR bridge called the needle eye on the road that I basically live on. It should be dismantled as the railroad is long gone, but the State retains it's right of way. Even though an organization that likes to think that people use the "railtrail" for recreation says they maintain it that is a joke. I've used it to hunt on a few times, but very few people use it just to see the local trees and flowers. More people use it to shortcut through town and in the winter it is part of the snowmobile trails. Every year there are injuries and there have been fatalities due to the design of this bridge/underpass. There are also trespass issues with people trying to access the "railtrail" at the most logical points to get on the trail. All in all this "railtrail" is a total failure that continues to ensnare people in legalities, spend money that no one can afford to spend in taxes, and keep land away from people who would like to put it to good use. Rant over. Keep an eye on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Cool! Best of luck Curly George. There looks to be some nice material there. Careful thought should be made before making structures like bridges historical items. It's one thing to maintain a building to last another 2-300 years, but not much can be done to a bridge to make is last another 50 years, especially if it barely survived the first 100 years. It's continually exposed to harsh elements that don't really care if someone designated it historical or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce wilcock Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 if they do decide to re site the bridge ,you should get in on the job offer to do the complete works forge welds forged bolts rivets , and offer to be considerd for the upkeep checking fastenings and the like yearly ,restoration of wrought iron has found me some good paying work the last job i reclamed and forged out over one ton of iron ,used to re build a historic dock ,it could be worth more to you to keep it stood up . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 That would give you the opportunity to "upgrade" all the nasty ol' wrought iron to modern steel too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Don't know what happened to the old Carquinez Straits bridge in Vallejo California-probably sent to scrap, but it was built back in I believe 1922. Would it have been wrought iron, or steel? It was a large freeway bridge spanning the straits. They built a new concrete bridge to replace the old steel bridges since the freeway traffic had gotten a lot heavier since it was built. It would have been cool to been able to get a couple of the trussed sections. It was actually a neat looking bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason @ MacTalis Ironworks Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Built in 22 would be a crapshoot, though more likely to have been steel as most of the wrought production had stopped by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 OTOH wrought iron was still spec'd for some bridges as late as the 1950's for use in seacoast areas. So indeed a Crap Shoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 Got a quick question. The I beams and large pipe that is on this bridge, is it most likely wrought iron, also, or could it be steel? The bridge was built in about 1890. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Is the stream part of a managed flood control area? Is the stream used for game fishing? The Army Corps of Engineers have been removing weirs and fords near me because of these two reasons. A game fishing organization may also be of help. They may be able to help generate some momentum on the issue. It is a bit of a win/win once it gets unlisted as you are basically volunteering to remove the ironwork to bare stonework pilings at your own cost. Best of luck. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
its512eric Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Since the bridge was made in 1890, I would wager that the pipe is iron (notice the cracking in the picture). With that, the pipe could be cast and not wrought. I am a little too far to get a close look. As for the beams, without any metal deterioration, I would lean toward iron too. steel that has been laying imbeaded on a muddy exposed hillside would show signs of corrosion and metal fatigue and the images that you sent have none (very little). That is a lot of metal to store, better think of where you are going to put it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 The pipe could be either. The channel beams might be from a later upgrade, but most rolled product were steel anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob S Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Best wishes on the project Curly George. That said I guess I don't 'get' the infatuation with wrought iron that many seem to have. I guess they don't make it anymore so it must be good? I've tried a few pieces and it just frayed and split. I often see threads here that someone has 'discovered' a cache of wrought iron and some get wound up about how to save it, how to sell it, etc. Then everyone gets some and.... what? I know I know you have to work it hothothot. But if you get A36 or 1018 hothothot they will forge pretty easy too. I have heard some save it for a special project that could only be done with WI but don't recall seeing any pictures. A few years ago someone tried selling a WI comparable called 'pure iron'. Wasn't long before they disappeared. No market? Sorry to be a wet blanket (well not that sorry) but I'll take A36 or 1018 anytime. ps. had fun with the COLOR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Ahhh if you work A36 at the proper temp for wrought iron it's BURNING Most folks who learn on A36 can't keep wrought at the correct temperature to not fray out as all their instincts are screaming "It's gonna burn up!" This, however, is not a fault of the material but of the user's prior experience. Just like many people who have extensive experience working mild steel can have great difficulty working high alloy steels that have extremely narrow forging temp ranges. I tell folks that it takes me an act of will to work WI as I trained on high carbon steels that prefer a much lower forging temp than even mild or A36. Many people nowadays like WI for it's "character"; few use it for it's ease of forge welding---I don't have any pictures but you might try making forge welded socket arrow heads with A36 where the finished socket is almost paper thin and see how that goes for you---it's deucedly difficult with good wrought iron, but doable. Why there isn't much of a market for WI or Pure Iron---it was more expensive. Titanium would be a MUCH better material to make car bodies out of---you seen any around? There's an old engineering saying that to be a proper engineering equation it must include a dollar sign somewhere in it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 UPDATE Talked with the county engineer, yesterday. They finally got permission from the state to remove the old bridge. He said that I could have any of it that I wanted. I told him that all I want is the big wrought iron cross bracing. We just have to set a date and time to get together and get er done!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I would take whatever I could if it were me, all that material has to be good for something. Items that are of no use are still scrap and that is always worth something, recycle it and buy something else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Well, the county finally got the OK to tear out the bridge and they did so last week. I was finally able to get the bracing bars cut off of it yesterday. I ended up with 16 pieces aprox 1" square that vary in length from 8' to about 12'. There was also 4 pieces that are 3/4" X 1 1/2" about 10' long. Now, I just have to figure out what I'm gonna make with it. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsberg Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 How about a small scale model of the bridge to get used to the material and commemorate where it came from? Caleb Ramsby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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