I parents live within a 5-mile drive from that location. I don't think the commenters understand how windy that place is. The wood may look more sturdy but it's also a wind sail. The thin "toothpick" structure was most likely designed to allow the wind to pass through without blowing the bridge down.
There's an easy solution to make bridges stable in windy conditions:
(That bridge was built from 1846 to 1851 and it's still used today)
And how do you propose you get all those bricks to some remote pass in Wyoming in the late 19th century? There was 21,000 (non-native) people living in an area larger than the entire United Kingdom in 1880.
I mean... A train?
I get you though; built with what's readily available to meet the needs of the time.
I laughed out loud at this. Thank you.
It's not jist about what's readily available either. A giant brick viaduct would require thousands if workers, housing, food, and sanitation for them. On top of that, the army would have to dedicate a full company ti protecting the workers due to the risk of attack from natives. The logistics just make it impossible for such a remote area back then.
Windy in Wyoming, color me shocked 😲
Haha, according to the article, that photo is after the reinforcements were added. No thanks
Honestly the wood one looked more secure
Needs more triangles
That’s me playing polybridge.
“Well I think triangles are strong and don’t really know any other shapes so…”
Wood weathers incredibly fast in the sun
Civil Engineering took a while to catch on.
The number of rail bridge collapses covered by Well There's Your Problem where the episode opens with a retelling of how the railroad company owner designed the bridge himself because the engineers couldn't grasp the genius of his vision is too damn high.
That bridge looks rickety af
“Steel is stronger than wood, so let’s make our trestle out of metal toothpicks”
That's the kind of bridge I'd only want to cross at 88 mph.
FLOOR IT
Couldn't they have, idk... built a more substantial bridge?
Time is money, brother.
Just send it!
Maybe less weight at once? You've got two engines there after all...
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