Council Bluffs, Iowa.
From our hotel in Council Bluffs, Iowa, I could see a railroad bridge off in the distance. It wasn’t long and I could hear the unmistakable sound of a train. I was able to capture the freight train as it crossed the Missouri River into Omaha, Nebraska. There is a wealth of information on the history of this important bridge on Wikipedia. The bridge completed the final connection between the western and eastern parts of the transcontinental rail system.
The original bridge was completed in 1872, rebuilt twice, and since 1916 has carried traffic in its current configuration. The rail truss bridge stands 62 feet (19 m) above the river and uses piers built from the 1880 bridge. The total length of the bridge is 1,750 feet (533 m). There is much detail on the history of the three bridges built on this site on one of my favorite bridge reference sources at John Wicks’ site here.
About the photo: I used the 10X telephoto mode on my Samsung S23U as I was quite a distance from the bridge. Still, I needed two images to create this extra wide panorama. The resolution of the image as posted on my WordPress site makes it appear out of focus slightly. I recommend clicking on the image to view it on my Flickr site in 2K HD resolution.
Panoramic stitching was completed in Luminar Neo and the final image was tweaked with Enhanced AI. I added just a bit of Golden Hour to emphasize the color in the sky as sunset approached.
I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, and, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.
John Steiner
Lovely Bridge John and very interesting history 🙂! My entry here:
[…] John’s Cellpic Sunday […]
Can’t miss with a bridge photo John. This one is pretty good 🙂
Thanks, Brian! I’ve got more planned in the near future. >grin<
[…] Cellpic Sunday […]
You went outside, I went inside. Bridges are always good (and usually patient) models.
Yup, they don’t usually move… except maybe during an earthquake. >grin<
😁
[…] Trying to keep up with appearances. For a challenge I took a different kind of selfie with my mobile and now chose it for John’s Cellpic Sunday […]
Fantastic capture!
Our hotel was quite a distance from the bridge. That 10x zoom on the S23U has an amazing reach. Thanks, Philo!
The lens of the camera and the technology is amazing!
[…] Cellpic Sunday 7 January 2024 […]
What a great photo John!
[…] In response to Cellpic Sunday. […]
Well done to get the train too. I grew up “on the other side of the tracks”…in Omaha. Used to be a big part of the route to and from San Francisco.
Sometimes I get lucky with trains, then again, there’s the time we waited by a trestle for almost four hours and not a single train crossed the bridge.
John, I love photographing bridges. Older train bridges always get my attention. That bridge in your picture looked like the Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee I caputered during a trip. Formerly for freight trains it is now dedicated for walking.
https://robertsnapspot.com/2021/08/20/bridge-over-the-tennessee-river/
I really have fun capturing bridges, and if I’m lucky, I can catch a train on the bridge. Not a common occurrence, though. I’ll keep an eye on your page for more bridge photos, Robert!
[…] Cellpic Sunday Jan 7, 2024: […]
Bridges and reflections: two subjects I like. Your image is great, John.
[…] This is also my post for John’s Cellpic Sunday. […]
An impressive old bridge; good to see it standing up to the rigours of the modern world 😃 Here’s mine: https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2024/01/08/capturing-the-essence-of-winter-icy-puddle-photography-4-for-water-water-everywhere-204/
It is neat to see that it is still a working bridge, not relegated to pedestrian travel only.
[…] Steiner, the blogger behind Journeys With Johnbo, has this prompt he calls Cellpic Sunday in which he asks us to post a photo that was taken with a cellphone, tablet, or another mobile […]
Love the blog. Will give it a like and follow 🙂 May I leave a link to my latest blog?
Please feel free to pop over to my website and leave a comment with your link. All the best and good luck with your blogging !
[…] John S’s Cellpic Sunday […]
My contribution
[…] John’s Cell Pic Sunday […]
Beautiful blog and what an eye catching Bridge there at Iowa🛣🔥🔥🔥😍😍
These Cellpic Sunday posts are absolutely wonderful💯
Thanks! Glad you like it!
🩵
[…] Photobyjohnbo-Cell-Pic-Sunday24-0107 […]
[…] Cell Pic Sunday […]
Bridges are great topics for photographic studies, John. I didn’t know the story behind this one. What a time that must have been to be able to travel across this country in days instead of months. It changed the course of history probably as much as any war.
The development of the “iron horse” was truly a monumental accomplishment that led to so much western expansion, and a lot of grief for Native Americans.
I was going to say that. It ruined the Native Americans’ way of life forever.
[…] Cellpic Sunday by Johnbo […]
[…] Photobyjohnbo-Cell-Pic-Sunday24-0107 […]
[…] Link: /2024/01/07/cellpic-sunday-union-pacific-bridge/ […]
What a lovely photo, thanks for sharing!
Thank you!