GN Open Deck Four Span Trestle HO

Open Deck Four Span Trestle.

Short, low, and simple wooden trestles were found almost everywhere. Great Northern’s default trestle design was open deck, as is this model. Timber was abundant in Minnesota and West of the crest of the Rocky Mountains. Wood was cheap and trestles were quick and easy to construct. They were favored in initial construction for those reasons. Trestles were used to cross virtually any low spot and a creek or single lane roadway often passed under them. They were relatively short lived, maintenance intensive and susceptible to fire damage.