High Ball at Fourth Iron. The morning clouds and mid-day showers are clearing away to the east as the Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts (MBRRE) steam excursion with CN 7470 rolls across Fourth Iron Bridge on the Sawyer River, en route back to North Conway.
There are three identical, steel truss bridges within just a few short miles of each other on the old Maine Central Mountain Division, just west of Bartlett, NH. All three were built in 1906 and are referred to as "Iron Bridges" or just "Irons". This is a throw-back to the very early days of railroading, when such bridges truly were made of iron. Today, the three are known as Second, Third and Fourth Iron. I am told that there is also a First Iron, but it's located many miles to the east, just outside North Conway and looks nothing like the other three bridges. Go figure. Anyway, all of the steel trusses on the old Mountain Division....now the Conway Scenic Railroad appear to be still going strong, more than a century after they were constructed.
