Santa Fe Trestle Bridge / Trail

[JSteffen]

Striving to save bridge to the past



Preservationists want city to find way to save historic trestle's timbers


09:08 PM CDT on Saturday, July 31, 2004

By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News

For more than a decade, the Santa Fe railroad bridge has rested in the shadow of the thundering DART line, its support posts long overgrown with knee-high grasses and twisting vines.

In its prime, the historic wood beam and steel structure carried the weight of 6,000-ton freight trains, hooting and clattering over the murky-brown Trinity River near the Corinth Street viaduct south of downtown.

The nearly 80-year-old bridge hasn't seen the last of its traffic. Dallas officials are including the steel truss part of the bridge – built for the Santa Fe Railway – in their plans for an elevated hike and bike path through the floodway as part of the omnibus Trinity River Project.

But under the current design, the wooden approaches to the steel span would be razed, a point of contention for local preservationists.

Built in 1926, the Santa Fe bridge channeled freight and passenger trains into Dallas for nearly 70 years. In 1989, DART purchased the right of way for its light-rail system, building a modern line adjacent to the original structure. Officials rerouted the old Santa Fe's freight trains, sending the bridge and its intricate wooden trestle into retirement.

"We wanted to market the structure for reuse," said John Hoppie, DART project manager. "Unfortunately, there was not a lot of calling for old railroad trestles."

Over the last 15 years, the trestle's future has been precarious. The Army Corps of Engineers has made no secret of wanting to remove the structure, whose network of support beams catches debris and clogs up the riverbed when floodwaters rise. But its historic designation – as well as on-again, off-again interest from the city of Dallas – has kept the trestle in one piece.

"We have no use for it," Mr. Hoppie said. "We kept hanging on in case the city wanted it."

Ron Shindoll has been managing the city's flood plain since 1979, and the old Santa Fe line runs straight through his domain. Time slips away, Mr. Shindoll said. But it seems like just yesterday that giant sooty trains were charging across the tracks.

In 1985, the hard-wearing trestle survived a train fire that destroyed its original crossties and half the steel bridge. For hours, Mr. Shindoll watched giant plumes of black smoke drift into downtown Dallas as flames ravaged cars and spewed cinders into the Trinity River.

Despite his long history with the bridge – labeled a "local visual landmark" by the State Historic Preservation Office – Mr. Shindoll said he'd feel no great loss if the wooden trestle were removed. He's often wished it would accidentally fall down, he said, to make clearing the lower portion of the Trinity floodway easier.

"It's surprisingly sturdy," he said, chuckling.

The steel portion of the bridge is the true architectural feat, Mr. Shindoll said. Perched atop original stone columns, the rusty-red trapezoid is a puzzle of steel pegs and mechanical joints.



Issue of character


But the timber trestle has as much historical significance as the bridge, said Norman Alston, a Dallas architect who specializes in historic preservation. It would not be consistent to save one piece and not the other, he said.

"The wooden construction is just as much a part of the integrity as the actual things that hold it over the water," he said. "It's a character-defining feature."

The Texas Historical Commission seems to agree. In a January letter, the agency recommended that the city, DART and the corps develop a memorandum of agreement before making any changes to the bridge or its wooden trestle. Removing the "timber approach spans would have an adverse effect on the historic bridge," the commission reported.



'Flood-friendly' path


The city has been in discussions with the corps and DART and will be in close contact with the commission before construction begins, said Rebecca Dugger, director of the city's Trinity River Project. Under the plans, she said, a "flood-friendly" elevated path would replace the wooden trestle.

"The part that crosses the river will be original," Ms. Dugger said. "But all those wooden poles, those floodway obstructions, they'll have to come down."

Although the path, dubbed the Santa Fe Trestle Trail, will stretch only 2,000 feet from levee to levee, it will connect with sidewalks and roads all the way from Fair Park to the Oak Cliff bank of the river, Ms. Dugger said.

"The goal is to have a transverse over the floodway without getting wet," she said.

Early on, Ms. Dugger said, there was some interest in preserving the wooden trestle by putting the trail on top of it. But the timber pilings – most of which are original – may not be structurally sound, she said.

Mr. Alston agreed there could be liability issues in putting people on top of the old trestle. But he said it hasn't been long since enormous trains were rumbling across the tracks.

"You would think putting people and bikes on it is a pretty doggone safe thing to do," he said. "You can put something back that looks like it, but it won't be the same."



Saving the whole


Dwayne Jones, executive director of Preservation Dallas, said he would be surprised if the Texas Historical Commission allowed the city to remove the wooden trestle leading up to the bridge.

"It's been our understanding that they're not going to allow them to do that," he said.

Mr. Jones said safety and floodwater concerns must be taken seriously. But he said the trestle should be preserved in its entirety.

"We're going to be looking for solutions to do that," he said.

E-mail eramshaw@dallasnews.com (eramshaw@dallasnews.com)

If anyone has any pics that would be great.....

[gc]

Hmmmm...

[texman]

well it would be cool....but ONLY if they clean up the ugly thing.

[Mballar]

Whether this bridge is saved or not is not a big deal to me. I would much rather see the Deep Ellum Tunnel preseved befor this bridge, even though I realize that won't happen.

[Haretip]

Hey, what's that noise?!?!?

"MUCK.. MUCK.. MUCK.. MUCK".....

Sounds like preservationists running amuck again.

Here we go putting a ton of effort and political capital into trying to save a structure that has no historic significance. This structure has burned and been renewed several times since it was built and is not worthy of the effort. Sure, keep the iron bridge, but preserving the approaches is like arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Let's keep our powder dry until a really deserving artifact comes along.

H. Tip

[drumguy8800]

Hey, what's that noise?!?!?

"MUCK.. MUCK.. MUCK.. MUCK".....

Sounds like preservationists running amuck again.

HA. You're hilarious..

I was wondering why they wanted to save it too.

[mikedsjr]

I have a little compassion for the railroad structures because they signify the past. But this structure is not where people really see it everyday. And its basically just like many others Ive seen.

It wouldn't be missed by too many if torn down. If this was a structure that a endangered species called home, then I want to see a fight to keep it. Even if it was an endangered ant species.

[RobertB]

The biggest problem I see is this: if you tear out the trestle, you've got to build a new bridge in its place. So instead of pouring some asphalt and putting up some guardrails, we're talking about a multi-million-dollar project to build a trail that nobody will use. There's absolutely nothing at either end that will pull anyone away from, say, White Rock Lake. It'll stretch from the beer warehouse on the north side to the no-tell motel on the south side.

Here's a better use of that money. Spend a few million bucks to make the 8th Street Station area someplace worth visiting. Start at Townview school, and start building bike trails there. Get some money from TxDOT's Safe Routes to School (http://www.dot.state.tx.us/trafficsafety/srs/default.htm) program, and build a network of safe paths through the neighborhood. When they extend as far as the station, then we can talk about how to get across the river. Don't put the cart before the horse.

[DFWCRE8TIVE]

Here's the diagram of the trestle-bridge...

ftp://ftp.dallascityhall.com/Trinity%20River%20Corridor%20Project/90%25%20Historical%20Drawings2.pdf


Santa Fe Trestle Trail is utilizing the steel trestle from this abandoned railroad crossing (just downstream of the DART rail crossing) to make a pedestrian crossing for the Trinity River.
Removes the wooden pilings as they create a flood obstruction
Constructs ramps to either side of the trestle.
Working with Texas Historic Commission to preserve this structure of architectural significance.
Construction to begin in 2008; complete in 2009

[DFWCRE8TIVE]

^ A little history from the PDF:

The completion of the railroad tracks to Dallas and the arrival of the first Houston
& Texas Central train was a momentous occasion for the city; after some political
maneuvering, the Texas & Pacific Railroad arrived in Dallas the following year.
After this, the city's population exploded almost overnight, and Dallas became a
stopping point for a number of rail lines, including the two mentioned above, the
Missouri, Kansas & Texas, and the Dallas, Cleburne & Rio Grande Railroad
(DC&RG).

The first railroad bridge over the Trinity River built at the subject site was
constructed in 1879 for the DC&RG. The DC&RG failed shortly after the bridge
was built and the bridge was then acquired by the Chicago, Texas & Mexican
Central Railway Company in 1880. This Railway was in turn bought by the Gulf,
Colorado & Santa Fe (GC&SF) Railroad two years later, providing the latter with
entry to the still rapidly-growing city of Dallas. The GC&SF immediately began
rebuilding the roadbed and converted the tracks to standard gauge; the railroad
line was operational by the end of the year.

In 1886, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) acquired the
GC&SF as a wholly-owned subsidiary, and the railroad became popularly known
as "the Santa Fe." AT&SF rebuilt the railroad bridge over the Trinity River in
1886-87. This new bridge was a steel truss, 197' in length.

Numerous changes were made over the next fifteen years to this bridge and its
approaches (see description of bridge sections and timeline below). In 1890, the
bridge was raised to address flooding concerns along the Trinity River; it is not
known if this included the steel truss or only the approaches. Repairs are
assumed to have been made after a fire destroyed part of the bridge in 1901. A
new Pratt Through-Truss steel bridge from the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron
Company was installed at Section D in 1903-1904.

Prior to 1929, the bridge included several earthen embankments that have since
been removed. It is not definitely known if these embankments date from the
original bridge (1879) or were constructed and/or modified at a later date.
However, one might assume that they date from an early (or the earliest) period
in the history of this bridge.

In 1908, the Trinity River experienced its largest recorded flood in Dallas. The
steel truss bridge over the river channel was kept from floating away by railroad
cars of heavy material that the Santa Fe placed on the bridge before it was
under water, but it is thought that all approaches were destroyed and rebuilt by
the railroad following the flood. The bridge was raised again in 1916 in response
to flooding concerns.

Flooding had been a problem for Dallas since early in its history, and in the years
following 1908, plans were made to straighten and move the Trinity River; the project
was completed in 1935. This massive Trinity River channelization and levee project
ended near the Santa Fe railroad bridge - the levees extended almost to this bridge,
and the height of the bridge was again raised to match the height of the nearby levees
(see description of bridge sections and timeline below). This required the Pratt Truss
(Section D) over the river-as well as its approaches-to be raised, which was done with
'raising blocks' placed on top of the stone piers and under the truss. The date of the
stone piers is not known; it is assumed these were constructed in 1903 with the new
Pratt Truss, but is possible these piers date from an earlier time.

On the South Dallas side of the river, the earthen embankment adjacent to the Pratt
Truss over the river was removed and replaced with the wooden trestle (Section E1)
that now exists. The large expanse of the existing wooden trestle on the other side
of this embankment was retained and raised (Section E2). A concrete 'firewall'
(Section E3)was added between these two wooden trestle sections. The last earthen
embankment was at the approximate location of the new levee on the South Dallas
side; it is not known if the new levee was constructed over this embankment or if this
embankment was removed and the new levee constructed at this location.

The wooden trestle nearest South Dallas was located in what is now the other side of
the levee and is vacant land between the levee and the railroad tracks; the railroad is
located on an embankment in this area and the DART tracks (see below) are elevated.
It is thought that this wooden trestle was removed during the Trinity River
channelization and levee project and replaced with the existing earthen embankment.
Following the channelization, there have been few modifications to this trestle and
bridge. One recent major modification was the replacement of the wood trestle near
Oak Cliff with a concrete bridge following a fire that destroyed the historic trestle in
1985.

Santa Fe Railroad sold this right-of-way to Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) in 1989
and ceased use of the bridge for railroad traffic at that time. DART constructed a
new bridge for its use immediately to the north of the subject bridge in 1992. The
Santa Fe bridge was used to deliver girders for the construction of this DART bridge.
Following that effort, most of the railroad ties and all of the steel rails were removed
from the bridge.

Several of the subject bridge's historic components-wooden and steel trestle, stone
piers, and steel Pratt truss-are intact. Although the steel rails and large sections of the
railroad ties have been removed, the rail bed remains in place.
Refer to the history of the bridge for sources and additional information.

[RobertB]

Have there been any changes in the area that would make my 2004 comment invalid?

The cynical side of me sees "Removes the wooden pilings as they create a flood obstruction", and thinks that Leppert & co. are using "historical preservation" as a way to move the Trinity project forward without using any "Trinity" funds. That wouldn't be so bad -- if Dallas voters said "pave the river", then by all means pave it well -- but I hate to see the city waste money on ramps that will serve only as a canvas for SEKT (http://www.dallasobserver.com/2006-03-02/news/sekt-and-the-city/) & co.

[gshelton91]

If anyone is interested the "Friends of the Santa Fe Trail" from White Rock lake to Fair Park is having their first real general meeting this coming Wednesday.

here is the location
Professional Bank of Lakewood (Thanks to them!)
2101 Abrams Road, Dallas, TX 75214 US

June 25th at 6pm

[gshelton91]

Well I am on the committee for this trail and i was trying to find some ideas for games or activities to place along the trail. I have tried looking at other linear trails for guidance but not really found much. Below are a few of my ideas so far but would love some other ideas... thanks.

- Painted tracks on the trail and clues along the trail (signs) might form a kind of game where parents could get their kids to guess the animal
- Using the motion sensing bollards like on Katy trail at Knox--- the bollards would be distributed along the natural part of the trail to emit a bird call... the game would be if kids could name the bird
- Trail is too narrow in most parts for Frisbee golf --- would love any ideas along this line of thought
- Counting game of some kind perhaps starting at a rest area with a story problem???

Ok so hope you guys can give me some good out of the box ideas. Again, the thought is to make this trail more then just a trail but also something to do... something that engages people.

[shaun3000]

Um, how bout none of those? I don't want to come around a corner at 20 MPH and have to slam on my brakes for a group of people playing frisbee golf or guess the animal footprint.

[electricron]

Well I am on the committee for this trail and i was trying to find some ideas for games or activities to place along the trail. I have tried looking at other linear trails for guidance but not really found much. Below are a few of my ideas so far but would love some other ideas... thanks.

- Painted tracks on the trail and clues along the trail (signs) might form a kind of game where parents could get their kids to guess the animal
- Using the motion sensing bollards like on Katy trail at Knox--- the bollards would be distributed along the natural part of the trail to emit a bird call... the game would be if kids could name the bird
- Trail is too narrow in most parts for Frisbee golf --- would love any ideas along this line of thought
- Counting game of some kind perhaps starting at a rest area with a story problem???

Ok so hope you guys can give me some good out of the box ideas. Again, the thought is to make this trail more then just a trail but also something to do... something that engages people.

I'm not sure if this was done on the Katy trail, but I believe it should be done on every ex-railroad trail. Some sort of marker denoting who originally built the row, and its past history. The Katy Trail should use that railroad's public symbol/icon on that trail's signage, just like the Sante Fe Trail should use that railroad's public symbol/icon on that trail's signage. Including the history of the trail and the structures, and information about the geographical features and structures surrounding it turns the trail into a living museum for those willing to read them. All that's needed are signs like TXDOT uses for historical markers along our highways.
Forget manufacturing games and activities, people can develope playful activities on their own, people don't need expensive bells and whistles to have fun on a trail. What they need are benches, lights, trash cans, water spigots and fountains, and other basic park items along the trail.
Another feature I would really like is some G scale track along the edge of the row so I can have fun with my Garden Railroad equipment along the row.

[gshelton91]

First--- just want to make sure I am clear we are just at the brainstorming phase while we gather money for a master plan --- This is a very different trail then the Katy-- much more open -- boarders very urban low income areas -- etc.

Electricron: Interesting idea. This is outside of my knowledge base and i would like to know more about it. Do you know of a club or group that is into this in Dallas? Can I assume you don't just want a straight track that runs 30-40 feet along the ROW? Perhaps something much more like the garden tracks i see on the internet when i look up the "g Scale" -- Regarding the signage that is something we are following up on. The copy rights for that are for sale and the City may already on them.

Shaun3000: The idea of this would be that anything that would draw much of a group of people would be off the trail. In order to get grant money we want to try and draw as many people to the trail as we can. Also one of the things on my list for future is a 2 foot soft trail on each side of the main concrete trail for walkers and runners.

Thanks for the thoughts.

[electricron]

First--- just want to make sure I am clear we are just at the brainstorming phase while we gather money for a master plan --- This is a very different trail then the Katy-- much more open -- boarders very urban low income areas -- etc.

Electricron: Interesting idea. This is outside of my knowledge base and i would like to know more about it. Do you know of a club or group that is into this in Dallas? Can I assume you don't just want a straight track that runs 30-40 feet along the ROW? Perhaps something much more like the garden tracks i see on the internet when i look up the "g Scale" -- Regarding the signage that is something we are following up on. The copy rights for that are for sale and the City may already on them.

Shaun3000: The idea of this would be that anything that would draw much of a group of people would be off the trail. In order to get grant money we want to try and draw as many people to the trail as we can. Also one of the things on my list for future is a 2 foot soft trail on each side of the main concrete trail for walkers and runners.

Thanks for the thoughts.

I suggested G scale because it uses outdoor tracks, which is appropriate for a park/trail setting. The only G scale club I'm aware of in North Texas is the North Texas Garden Railroad Club, web site is http://www.ntgrc.org/.
I think you should ask the club what they think would be appropriate, but I would be happy with 300 feet of straight track, which most will never see in any urban backyard.

[tamtagon]

I always appreciate stuff for stretching along a trail. Dont know how practical it would be, but I've always thought a compressed air station would be fantastic along a trail.

[gshelton91]

Cool love the compressed air station idea (could also provide tools on a leash to help people on bikes)... Already found some great stretch/workout park equipment on the internet... amazing what they have.

[msutton]

If this thing picks up you'll need more than 2 feet each way for the soft trail...

[gshelton91]

hey everyone take a look at this... it is a Google map of the Whiterock trail system with the Santa Fe Trail --- I am trying to identify destinations, and facilities along the trail to help people plan a trip on the trail.

Any ideas on how i could make it better.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?client=firefox-a&hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=115944476682829457150.0004657c84717781bc7ab&t=h&z=11

[Lakewooder]

National Historic Trust - Successful Schools: Woodrow Wilson High

http://woodrowwildcats.org/historic_woodrow.pdf

Santa Fe Trail at S. Glasgow opposite Randall Park

[CasperITL]

South end of this trail is a hellhole.The burned out junkyard comes to mind. Neighbors need to clean up their property before one would even consider trying to do something nice with this BIKE PATH. Fencing in their pit bulls would be a good start.

[gshelton91]

lol a bit dramatic. But, yeah we know and are working on a number of things to get property owners on board and also landscaping to help.

[gshelton91]

Looks like phase 2 of the trail... from Randall Park/Woodrow Wilson area to Hill Street is just about complete. I got this photo this past weekend.

[smudoode]

When is the trail supposed to be extended to Commerce/Exposition? I hope to God that those train tracks will be pulled out of the street. So bad for my alignment.

[gshelton91]

Trail will split just past Hill Street and follow the DART alignment on the East side south to Fair Park and North to Baylor Station.

this is funded and is being designed but no date has been set for it to start construction.

The section from Randall Park/Woodrow to The White Rock Spillway will start in August 09.

[CasperITL]

Looks like phase 2 of the trail... from Randall Park/Woodrow Wilson area to Hill Street is just about complete. I got this photo this past weekend.

Yeah, that's a really nice bridge.

I saw over on the DORBA forum this thread started by a well known local racer guy last week:

http://www.dorba.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=50484

[tamtagon]

http://www.dorba.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=50484

Thanks for the link to the pictures. The trail through Lakewood shown in those pictures looks like it'll going to be pretty pleasant ride, with the trees and all.

[smudoode]

Thanks for the link to the pictures. The trail through Lakewood shown in those pictures looks like it'll going to be pretty pleasant ride, with the trees and all.

yes, it will be pleasant, just watch out for all the broken glass, especially if you don't want a flat tire.

[ericthegardener]

http://www.advocatemag.com/lakewood/blog/48610974.html
Jones Day donated $10,000 Wednesday to the Friends of Santa Fe Trail. It is the group's first major gift. The city is building the trail, which eventually will link Deep Ellum and Fair Park to White Rock Lake. But the friends group is raising money for and planning all of the extras, including lighting, benches, landscaping and public art.

The group is considering...

[gshelton91]

Hey everyone we are trying to build our email list and facebook friends for a public event we are planning in the future... so if you have not already please go to our website and add your name to our email list and friend us on Facebook.

www.friendsofsantafetrail.org

And please pass this on to anyone who might be interested!

[CasperITL]

Officially open according to the Dallas Morning News 7/1/2009. Ribbon cutting tonight at 7pm.

http://eastdallasblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/07/santa-fe-trail-official-opened.html

[DallasTT]

I rode this trail after looking at a website which led me to believe I could ride all the way out to white rock on it.

I would not send my wife down this trail. It has a LONG way to go. If you're on a bike don't try and get a pace going, the 10 stop sings will slow you down, and traffic does not seem to yield.

It's full of graffiti, almost every other yellow stripe has some marking on it.


If you want to use the Santa fe to get to whiterock I think this is the best way.

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=37234

If you wanted to get to white rock I think this lil map I made would help ( at least from the end of the santa fe trail.

[CasperITL]

DallasTT,

Yeah, it's only built out to Woodrow Wilson High School. I wonder why they did not build the section from White Rock Lake to Woodrow Wilson first. Would have been better.

Neighborhood is sketchy for sure. I have only ridden down there on weekend evenings when all the residents seem to have a beer in their hands. Katy Trail it is not. Nor will it ever be. Which is OK.

The bike paths in Far North Dallas have many stop signs too. Even more than the Santa Fe Trail/East Dallas Veloway.

The part of the trail that is unbuilt, is a little spooky, but much cleaner than it was a few years ago. There were once a number of homeless living back there and they were pretty territorial about their campsites.

[Lakewooder]

Are you calling my neighborhood, classmates and friends sketchy?

If so, I'll take that as a compliment!

[CasperITL]

Are you calling my neighborhood, classmates and friends sketchy?

If so, I'll take that as a compliment!

Pretty sure that the hombres I see out pounding beers in the street are not products of a DISD education.