St. Anthony Industrial Lead

ID · St. Anthony → St. Anthony

An 1896 truss bridge on a branch no train has used in decades.

Heads up: Disused, but still owned by the Eastern Idaho Railroad — it's private property until the city buys it.

The Oregon Short Line (later Union Pacific) built the West Belt Branch west from St. Anthony in 1914 to serve the farm towns on the west side of the Henry's Fork valley. To cross the river it reused a Pegram truss bridge built in 1896 by Pencoyd Iron Works of Philadelphia — the landmark locals call the Bubble Bridge, on the National Register of Historic Places since 1997.

The branch later went to the Eastern Idaho Railroad as the St. Anthony Industrial Lead, about 12 miles out to Egin. Trains stopped running decades ago, and the track is no longer fit to carry one.

As of January 2026 the Eastern Idaho Railroad still owns the bridge, and the city of St. Anthony is trying to buy it to link its two greenways and open it to walkers, swimmers and fishermen.

⚠️ Before you go: every railroad on this map is private property. A line that looks abandoned may still be owned by a railroad, used to store rail cars, or put back into service at any time — sometimes with no warning. Before going near any track, make sure it's truly abandoned (no recent use, rails not polished, no signals or cars stored on it) and that you're allowed to be there. Never assume a track is dead.

📷 Photos & stories from riders

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