Baring Fog Bridge

Of the six bridges that cross the Arkansas River at downtown Little Rock, three of those were built for rail travel. And of those three bridges, only one is still actually used as a rail crossing. That bridge would be the Baring Cross Bridge, which is now used by the Union Pacific.

The first Baring Cross Bridge was built in 1873, and was the very first bridge to span the river in Little Rock. The Baring in the name was because funding was provided by the British bank Baring and Company. People aren't entirely sure where the Cross part of the named comes from. One theory is that it was because the street closest to the bridge in downtown Little Rock is Cross Street (or it could just be because they thought "Baring Cross" sounded cool). Along with rail traffic, the bridge also had a track for people and cars (along with a toll for crossing the river). Unfortunately that bridge would be destroyed by the great flood of 1927. The flooded Arkansas River washed most of the bridge away, despite efforts to weigh the bridge down by parking rail cars filled with coal along the tracks. The bridge was rebuilt and reopened in 1929. The bridge underwent changes in the 1960's when it was adapted with a lift span, which allowed the bridge deck to lift up and allow river barges to pass by.

On a recent foggy night, I headed down to the river to try to get a few pictures of the bridge. Since the bridge is said to be one of the busiest river crossings in the country, I didn't have to wait long for a train to cross the bridge. So here is a shot, with the lights from a passing train cutting through thick fog as it crosses the historic bridge.