Thanks Chris!

Sure are Ken!

You're welcome Gary! I got lucky on all of the timing that day👍

Yes it's a perfect hang out spot for a railfan!

huh.... it really isn't?

Is with a drone👍

Glad I could show you a familiar spot Debi!

Thanks Adriaan! Lots to do there along the river👍

Thanks TT! That's a unique spot👍

Thanks 9116 CNC!

Glad you liked it Penny!

Thanks DDH2o! Great spot to hang out👍

Great story osut688!

Thanks Timmy! Definitely a strange setup there around Dubuque👍

Yep that was a one stop shop!

You're welcome Jim!

Glad you liked my sound overlay edog! I'm not big on putting music to drone footage.

You're welcome Kevin!

Hey Robin, thanks! Lots of stuff going on at that spot👍

Very cool spot 👍🏻😎

Thanks Rob!

You're welcome Frank! That drone sure helps with the tunnel view👍

Thanks T&M!

Thanks Terry!

You're welcome Harley!

Thanks Diego!

Yes it does. It's interesting to cross the bridge and look below you at trains👍

Davenport has the trains on the top and the vehicles on the bottom.

The Fort Madison bridge is double-track.

Hey Carol, thanks! Definitely a beautiful spot for everything👍

You're welcome MrD!

Thanks ArchMan! Glad you like my narration😃

Thanks Anthony!

Thanks Michael Q! Yes the river traffic has priority👍

Thanks David S!

The wires on the top of the bridge provide power for operation of the bridge.

You're welcome Ronald!

You're welcome Bob! Railfanning on the motorcycle is my favorite 👍

You're welcome Jack!

Thanks HeyBeerDan!

For sure Gregory!

They need to make that subdivision for railfans only, birds-eye views and no drone required😔😢 😱❗

You're welcome Sdougherty!

Thanks HGFC!

Thanks Glenn!

Thanks Armageddon! Definitely an odd setup there. In the old days the CGW also used that tunnel. Had to have been a real waiting game especially once the barges got involved. Love those speedy Z trains👍

Had a friend who referred to another bridge over troubled waters. It was a narrow bridge (roadway, not railroad) crossing an estuary in Massachusetts to Nantucket, if my memory is correct. In perfect jest, he called a song about that bridge, "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" by Mary Jo and the Oldsmobiles.

Thanks Cristiano!

Confused. Has Shoestring passed away?. I know Stobe passed away several years ago.

Did Shoestring pass away?

​@robertdean9392 sadly yes. Went missing a little over a month ago and he was found a couple days later in the lake out behind his apartment.

Thanks Hal!

You're welcome Ben!

No problem Earl! It's a strange diamond and tunnel setup👍

Thanks HK86!

One thing though - if they leave it open, and the operator's cabin is in the centre of the bridge above the pivot, how does the operator get off the bridge? 🤨 No boat that I could see there....

@@adolphusarthuro I've seen small boats that get tied up to the center pier before

@@adolphusarthuro Many of these moveable spans, whether bascule, vertical lift, or swing, are controlled by the dispatcher remotely. That saves at least three operators on each bridge. A very few bridges are operated by a crew member by getting off and operating the bridge for train use then returning the bridge to open. One of the short lines in South-central Louisiana has such a bridge and the loco carries a bicycle for the person to ride about 2 blocks up to the highway which also has a moveable bridge, then back to the track to close the bridge for the train until the train is in the clear. When the train comes back, the process is reversed with the bicycle being back on the loco and the bridge is left open for water traffic.

Thanks Wildbill! Must be geared different.

Thanks Aranea! Not a whole lot of trains over that bridge. Yeah that was an old boy who kept rambling on to me. I don't think he realized I was doing a video.

Had some good timing that day! Have fun under the railfan tree in La Plata👍

Unique for sure!

Thanks Nancy! Pretty steady action there with the BNSF.

Thanks Brandon! That's my new go to spot when in Dubuque👍

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 you’re welcome buddy! Yeah I would favorite that one too.

Thanks David P!

Thanks BSRP! I got lucky on the timing. Hoping to catch the CPKC steam move next week👍

Thanks Sebastian!

You're welcome JOTC! I'll bet you're right about the jeep.

Thanks Christopher!

Thanks Randy!

The wire support on top of the turn-span is on bearings and the cables are for powering and controlling the bridge.

That would be quite the experience👍

Thanks Aleu650! It's made it a long time👍

I've been to Fort Madison but not with the drone yet. Definitely a busy spot👍

Thanks Happy home! I noticed that too. Looked like just the NS power was on line. That was actually kind of short for the CN M338 that day.

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 ♥🥰

I'll bet so.

Thanks Fred! Drove a cage that day.

Thanks Randy! Dji air 2s drone and Sony ax43 camera👍

Yep, CN and BNSF at that location.

Thanks Craig! Most likely yes with the Jeep.

I could fly higher and make it look like N scale😃

Thanks D.L.! I believe the bridge has an operator there. They may leave at times since the train traffic is low.

No DPU that day. I was surprised.

Thanks MWO! Dji air 2s.

It's actually the M338 that ends up in Gary. I called it the L570 by mistake!

The swing span opens to allow river traffic that is too tall to make it between the water surface and the underside of the bridge to go through; like barges with towboats pushing them.

It's known as the Julian Dubuque shot tower. Dropped molten lead from the top. The city is named for him.

That tower was only used a couple of years for shot. They used it for fire watch at one time. Not sure if the bridge is manned all the time. Not a whole lot of train traffic on that bridge.

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645I'd assume that the swing bridge is operated remotely, like by "traffic control". In combination with the switches and signals... Drifting away(!): I was caught by the view of open railway bridges when I made a boat trip on the bayou in 1981. Here in the Netherlands (and likely across Europe), railway bridges nowadays default to being closed (meaning: open to trains) at least during time-table hours. On the other hand, the main waterways (like the river Rhine) are spanned by fixed bridges of a height that matches barges carrying four layers of sea containers. - By contrast, the Meyer wharf at Papenburg (Germany) that builds large cruise ships requires special arrangements. For short: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friesenbr%C3%BCcke.

Along the Mississippi barges have priority. The swing bridge stays open until a train comes along. It looks like the bridge is manually controlled. That green jeep that was sitting on the tunnel side of the river was probably the operator.

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 Yes, that's what I was considering (manually, open, jeep). But then: would he have to cross to a control panel and back - and talk to "rail traffic control" about switches, signals and ships? It would seem so much easier, cheaper and more secure to install cameras around the bridge and have one person at "rail traffic control" handle the bridge too (excluding maintenance like greasing).

Usually by brushes on a rotating bearing, similar to an electric motor and slip rings. Since the bridge is not rotated end-for-end, the control cables and signal cables(?) would have a large enough loop to be able to make the quarter turn with no problem.

Sounds good Paul! CPKC steam tour through Iowa next week. Hopefully I can catch it👍

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 well, i'm not too fond of CPKC, and the train probably wont come to Springfield, even though they have a branch to come here, because theres no way to turn it around. The new addition to my stable is CNW 8816............in HO!, with DCC & sound!

Not much to hear enjoy watching trains!