C&NW Sunfish Slough Rail Bridge
C&NW Mississippi River Crossing At Clinton
Clinton, Iowa

C&NW Sunfish Slough Rail Bridge

• Structure ID:
• Location: River Mile 518.0.
• River Elevation: 572 Feet.
• Railroad: Union Pacific Railroad.
• Daily Traffic Count: 50 Trains Per Day (Estimated).
• Bridge Type: Steel Plate Deck Girder.
• Length: 550 Feet, 50 Foot Longest Span.
• Width: 2 Tracks.
• Navigation Channel Width: Non-Navigable.
• Height Above Water: 19 Feet.
• Date Built: February 1909.
The Sunfish Slough Rail Bridge is the third of three rail bridges that make up the Mississippi River crossing at Clinton, Iowa. This 1909 bridge replaced an 1878 iron bridge, which replaced an 1860 wooden trestle. The piers are interesting in that they consist of two round cylinders conected by metal cross-bracing.

The photo above is looking north from an RV campground located on the Illinois side of the river. The photo below is taken from the highway bridge that runs just north of the rail bridge. These two photos show two different sections of the bridge. The lower photo shows the east end of the bridge, while the upper photo shows the western end of the bridge.


C&NW Sunfish Slough Rail Bridge

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Photo and text by John A. Weeks III, Copyright © 2005, all rights reserved.
For further information, contact: john@johnweeks.com