Piece of the Tempe Union Pacific (Southern Pacific) Railroad Bridge

Date1912

MediumSteel

Dimensions54 × 48 in. (137.2 × 121.9 cm)

ClassificationsBuilding Component

Catalog number2025.5.1

DescriptionThis is a piece of the Union Pacific (Southern Pacific) Railroad Bridge that crosses the Salt River in Tempe. On July 29, 2020, a train derailment and fire caused the destruction of a 150 foot long section of the bridge on the southern bank of the river. A portion of the bridge containing one of the iconic 1912 dates was brought to the Tempe Priest Yard for salvage. The piece was too large and heavy to bring to the museum, so in 2025 the decision was made to cut the piece and save a smaller portion containing the 1912 mark. This piece smaller piece of the bridge was mounted to a metal stand with casters to ease the transportation, storage and display.

The version of the bridge that this piece comes from was built in 1912, although previous versions of the railroad bridge existed in that location from the mid-1880s.

Status

Not on view