Black Point Railroad Bridge

The Black Point Railroad Bridge is a truss swing bridge[1][2] spanning the Petaluma River, located in Black Point-Green Point, California. The bridge was built in 1911,[3] and has been operated by Northwestern Pacific since 2011, despite previously having been in disuse for 10 years.[3] Although for 100 years the bridge required an operator to enter the operator house to turn the bridge, Northwestern Pacific installed control boxes on either side of the bridge to ensure smoother operations as part of upgrading the subdivision.[4] The backup engine for the bridge, an old Ford Model T engine, still resides in the operator's house.[4] As for the design of the bridge, it is 50 feet long with a deck width of 18 feet,[1][2] and is a single track center bearing swing bridge. The bridge is flanked by timber trestle approaches on either bank of the river. The west approach trestle is 311 feet long and the east approach trestle is 877 feet long.[1] Trains coming from Schellville bring grain across the bridge to 3 locations in Petaluma: Hunt and Behrens' Feed, Lagunitas Brewing Company, and Dairyman's Feed. It is for this reason that trains crossing the bridge rarely to have any cars other than covered hoppers.

The Black Point Railroad Bridge

The Operator's House atop the Black Point Railroad Bridge