I went back to check primary sources, including authoritative books on covered bridges.

"Square peg in a round hole" (actually, more roughly-hewn pegs than outright square pegs) was a technique used more in mortise-and-tenon construction typical of kingpost, queenpost, multiple kingpost, and Burr truss bridges.

By the time the Town lattice truss, patented in 1820, was in popular use, builders had shifted to augers to bore round joint holes, and mass-produced trunnels/treenails, turned on lathes and then soaked in linseed oil as both a preservative and a lubricant for pounding with a giant "potato-masher"-like "beetle" to make the joints. Treenails could have squarish heads or not, but often still show the lathe clamp marks a century later. By the 1840s, metal fasteners had become more commonplace, and indeed turnbuckles and rods were an integral part of the Howe truss design, patented in 1840.

Moving right along... roof now taking shape.



Photo: Susan Hammond. Used with permission.

Anyone know if those steel `I' Beams are staying there or only to support the erector set?

Rich C.

They're supporting the bridge at the moment. As noted in the original post, once completed, it will be craned onto the original piers and abutments. At the moment, the temporary bridge is in that location.

This is similar to how many replacement railroad bridges are built, the new bridge is constructed off to the side, and then slid into place on rollers. (They're too heavy to crane into position for the most part)

Are there any covered bridges in tourist railroad service, either replicas, reconstructions or original structures?

I seem to recall Clark's Trading Post has one? Presumably it's a replica? Anywhere else?

The covered bridge at Clark's Trading Post was relocated from the Montpelier and Barre railroad in Vermont. It is not a replica.

As noted, the Clark's Trading Post bridge was relocated from the M&B, and is an authentic bridge. It's the only railroad covered bridge you can ride through, a wooden "tunnel" advertised as a "covered bridge" on the Boothbay Railway Museum (2' gauge) in Maine notwithstanding.

The Fisher Bridge on the Lamoille Valley Railroad in northern Vermont was, for a while, the only actual RR CB in its original location you could ride through, but the tracks and railroad are now gone.

Aside from that, the number of surviving RR CBs is frighteningly small now:

Contoocook, New Hampshire
Wright's and Pier RR CBs on the abandoned Claremont & Concord near Newport, N.H.
Shoreham, VT on the old Rutland (no tracks, preserved)
Chambers, Cottage Grove, Oregon
Colfax Bridge, Washington
One in remote British Columbia
and a half-qualified example, a fire-damaged formerly shrouded deck-truss Pratt bridge in Franklin Falls, New Hampshire.

For the ultimate trivia, Knoebels Grove Park in central Pa. used to have a covered bridge on its live-steam Cagney steamer ride loop, but it was destroyed in the 1972 Agnes flood.

Sheathing on the south side of the roof...



Continued thanks to Susan Hammond for permission on the photos.

Ribbon-cutting set for Jan. 26th:

http://www.wcax.com/story/20621536/bart ... g-date-set

Bartonsville Covered Bridge...rebuilt and back open.
http://www.wcax.com/story/20714972/hist ... -back-open

Thats incredible. What effort and co-operation! Congratulations to Rockingham and the whole state of Vermont!
I can't wait to see pictures of Vermont Rail System and Green Mountain Railroad trains with the new bridge.
Thanks for sharing this Stephen!

Brian Hebert