The Muir Trestle, or Alhambra Trestle, is a railway trestle bridge in Martinez, California located within the John Muir National Historic Site. It is owned and operated by

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

and carries their

Stockton Subdivision The Stockton Subdivision is a railroad line in the U.S. state of California owned by the BNSF Railway. It runs from the Port of Richmond, where trains interchange with the Richmond Pacific Railroad, to Fresno where the railway continues south as t ...

History

In 1897, for the sum of $10 in gold (), John Muir and Louisa Muir ceded a right of way to the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad. The agreement describes the land upon which a trestle bridge was to be located: through a pear orchard. The span was completed in 1899. A passenger station was located at the eastern approach.

Design

The trestle is of

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

construction resting on concrete piers, carrying a single set of railroad tracks. It spans in length, above the Alhambra Valley. The western approach feeds directly into the line's Tunnel Number 4.

References

BNSF Railway bridges Martinez, California Railroad bridges in California Bridges completed in 1899 Trestle bridges in the United States Bridges in Contra Costa County, California {{California-bridge-struct-stub