Columbia in Howard County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Pratt Through-Truss Bridge
Patuxent Branch Trail
In 1844, Caleb and Thomas Pratt developed a bridge that was built with wood and diagonal iron rods. They patented the design, which was made up of sections called trusses. Soon, they built the bridge entirely of iron. This bridge had the advantage of low-cost construction, because the iron parts were made in shops, the parts were easily transported to the site, and the bridge could be quickly erected by semi-skilled labor. It was so popular, it became the standard American truss bridge for moderate spans (from 25 feet to 150 feet), well into the 20th century.
The Pratt Bridge in Guilford is 83 feet long. The distance between the side trusses is 15 feet, 6 inches. It is a single-span structure designed to carry one set of train rails. Instead of crossing the river at right angles, the bridge has a built-in 35-degree left-hand skew. There are inclined end-posts at each end, and pin-connected eye-bars.
[Picture of Pratt Bridge in Guilford] Before: The old bridge lies neglected and overgrown with vines. There is no flooring and the beams are covered with graffiti.
[Picture of pin connection] A Bottom-Chord Pin Connection (Photo courtesy of GPI Greenman-Pederson Inc, designers of the bridge renovations)
This bridge was built in 1902 to carry the Patuxent Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad over the Little Patuxent River. The train carried heavy loads of granite stone from the Guilford quarries until 1925. The bridge abutments are made from this granite, which was used to construct many other bridge abutments and culverts on the B&O lines. After the railroad spur was abondoned, the bridge surface was planked to serve for a time as a local farm road.
Although hundreds of these bridges were built, only a few survive. Several miles downstream, a similar Pratt bridge, known as the Gabbro Bridge, once carried the quarry train over the Middle Patuxent River. It was washed away by floods.
Long abandoned, the Pratt Through-Truss Bridge was rescued by the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks and adapted to carry the Patuxent Branch Trail across the river. Its reopening was celebrated with a ribbon cutting on November 2, 2002 - over 100 years after it was built.
[Diagram of a typical truss bridge] Diagram of a Typical Truss Bridge (Courtesy of Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service)
Caleb and Thomas Pratt were father-and-son team from Boston. Caleb was an architect, and his son Thomas, born in 1812, became an engineer. By the age of 12, Thomas was preparing plans in his father's office. When he was 14, he attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy NY and then went to work for the railroads designing bridges and other structures. He designed his first truss bridge in 1842; then he and his father were granted a joint patent in 1844 for the Pratt Truss Bridge. When they made the bridge entirely of iron, the pioneered the age of iron railroad bridges.
[image of reopened bridge] After: Flags and bunting decorate the bridge on opening day of the Patuxent Branch Trail November 2, 2002
Truss Bridges
A Truss is a structural triangle formed by three pieces of material (usually wood or metal) that are joined together to form a set of trusses called a web. This arrangement provides great strength and is relatively light. The main pieces may be either stiff, heavy struts or thin, flexible rods. How they are arranged determines the type of truss. Many wooden covered bridges were truss bridges.
Two forces work against structural members: compression (pushing together) and tension (pulling apart). Heavy, rigid members may resist both forces, but thin rods can only resist tension. One of the early bridge designs for railroads was the Howe turss, which had the vertical members in tension and the diagonal members in compression. The Pratt truss was just the opposite, with the diagonals in tension and the verticals in compression. This was a superior arrangement because it resulted in better distribution of stresses.
What is a Through Truss? There are three basic arrangements of trusses, each carrying traffic in a different way:
[image of deck truss] The deck truss is below the travel surface.
[image of pony truss] The pony truss has trusses on the sides of the travel surface, but is not braced at the top.
[image of through truss] The through truss has trusses on the sides, as well as cross bracing on the top and bottom. Traffic travels through it.
(Diagrams of trusses courtesy of the Historic American Engineering Board, National Park Service)
Erected 2003 by Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1779.
Location. 39° 9.946′ N, 76° 50.46′ W. Marker is in Columbia, Maryland, in Howard County. Marker can be reached from Old Guilford Road, 0 miles Guilford Road. Marker on on the trail near the parking lot, on the north side of the restored bridge of the Little Patuxent River. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbia MD 21046, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Little Patuxent River (a few steps from this marker); The Granite Quarries (a few steps from this marker); The Patuxent Branch of the B&O Railroad (a few steps from this marker); The Town of Guilford (within shouting distance of this marker); Maryland Purple Heart Trail (approx. 1.4 miles away); Governor Harry R. Hughes (approx. 1.4 miles away); Explore your Chesapeake (approx. 1.4 miles away); Christ Episcopal Church (approx. 1˝ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 12, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 3, 2009, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 17,735 times since then and 119 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 3, 2009, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.