This bridge was a puzzlement during my first ride in the early 1970s as a young teenager. The bridge does not resemble construction standards of other bridges on the route. That idiosyncrasy was all consuming to a hormonal teenage master nerd. Over the long bus ride back to Denver and during the lull times between frequently beating up my brother, watching out for freight trains and the pleasant views of mountains, my mind turned to that almost slapped-together bridge made by some local fiend. It tasked the scratchy unspoken crevices of my mind where normal folk carefully avoid treading on the droppings. Before reaching Pueblo I was struck with insight...or by my brother; the railroad would not expend cubic dollars on a large structure which would: A.) most likely be washed away in a torrent, b.) the length is such the cost of a substantial structure would be very costly, 3.) at the time of construction they would not have a good idea if the channel would remain within the current course, so the bridge might possibly become redundant a few years after construction.
Thus, the current bridge (as of the early 1970s) was a lucky survivor of a caring Mother Nature and benevolent rail road maintenance, even to the extent of repairs costing more than replacement since it was well known the Rio Grande wanted out of hauling bipedal camera carrying cattle especially on narrow gauge rails with external combustion devices.
Being slightly autistic or weird or downright strange (depending on the audience dujour) I have never liked that bridge as it seems out of place compared to the others. I am not attached to that bridge.
Finally, since I do not have one dollar invested in the railroad nor one iota of claim of right to cast any opinion on the propriety of a replacement, the new bridge can be anything which makes it happy. It can be the most ultra utilitarian brutalist minimalist design or it can be a Victorian Disney fantasy or it can be a Chinese structure made of bamboo(which is amazingly strong but not long lasting). Happy bridge, happy rails. But, I fully trust American Heritage Railways to make the absolute best decision. They consistently prove over and over the highest quality professionals. Not everyone will like the final design. But the final bridge will be correct for the current railroad.
