Railroad Covered Bridge. Contoocook, New Hampshire. Kit 1012 The Contoocook Bridge in April of 2009. The Contoocook Bridge after the 1936 flood. In 1849, the Concord & Claremont Railroad was chartered to build a sixty-mile line from Concord to Claremont, New Hampshire. At Contoocook Village in Hopkinton, the line spanned the Contoocook River on a 153-foot Childs truss covered bridge. In 1888 the Boston & Maine Railroad took over the line, and in 1889 replaced the then 40-year old bridge with the present double-web Town lattice truss covered bridge. At the turn of the century, there were an estimated one hundred Town lattice covered bridges on the Boston & Maine lines, mainly due to the work of bridge engineer Jonathan Parker Snow, an advocate of timber bridges. Patented by Ithiel Town in 1835, the double-web Town lattice truss featured two parallel webs of overlapping planks fastened together with treenails. While single lattice trusses could safely carry railroad loadings to 80 feet, they tended to warp under heavy loads; by doubling the lattice web, the truss became more rigid and resistant to warping. Due to its heavy construction, the Contoocook Railroad Bridge survived being washed off its abutments twice, in 1936 and 1938, and continued to carry railroad traffic until 1962. It was subsequently used as a warehouse until 1990 when ownership was transferred to the New Hampshire Division of Historic Resources. The Contoocook Railroad Bridge is one of eight surviving covered wood railroad bridges in the United States and an excellent example of the work of prominent bridge engineer Jonathan Parker Snow. Kit Dimensions:    • Length: 21 3/4"    • Width: 3" This kit features:    • Laser cut wood for easy assembly    • Peel-and-stick shingles    • Extra laser cut ends to create 2 smaller bridges instead of on long one    • Simple step by step instructions    • Proudly made in the USA This kit contains small parts and is not intended for small children. Price: 284.95
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