The Mossdale Railroad Bridge is a vertical lift draw bridge over the San Joaquin River near Lathrop, CA. It opened September 8, 1869 establishing itself as the last link in the transcontinental railroad. This was the last link allowing train travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Where is Mossdale Railroad Bridge?
The Mossdale Railroad Bridge high towers are clearly visible from the 5 freeway as you cross the San Joaquin River. It is located on the north side of the 5 freeway. The bridge can be accessed via Stewart Rd. on the west or the Mossdale Crossing Regional Park on the east of the river. If you visit via the park you will need to pay an entrance fee per vehicle.
I stopped by to take in the history for myself while staying in Tracy, CA a few days. Historic landmarks make great photo opportunities so I decided to create my own during this visit. I was able to capture the views from the ground and air. For this shoot I used the Canon EOS R mirrorless camera and DJI Mavic Air 2 drone.
You can view the photos I took with my camera and drone in the galleries below.
Photos Taken With the Canon EOS R
f/16 1/100 sec 105mm ISO 200 
f/16 1/640 sec 105mm ISO 800 
f/4 1/3200 sec 33mm ISO 500 
f/16 1/160 sec 24mm ISO 800 
f/16 1/100 sec 105mm ISO 800 
f/16 1/60 sec 105mm ISO 500 
f/22 1/125 sec 35mm ISO 800 
f/4 1/3200 sec 24mm ISO 400 
f/16 1/500 sec 31mm ISO 500 
f/5.6 1/1600 sec 24mm ISO 400
Photos Taken With DJI Mavic Air 2
Video Taken With DJI Mavic Air 2
If you are interested in learning more about the history of the Mossdale Railroad Bridge I suggest checking the resources below.
Resources
Tracy’s Place in Transcontinental History
Conclusion
I was really hoping for better clouds while shooting this historic landmark but I’m still happy with the angles I caught. It is always good to learn about our history and this bridge was just another example.
I took about 300 photos at this site between my camera and drone playing with different settings. The lighting kept changing throughout the time I was shooting so I adjusted my f-number often to adjust to the light. Due to the sudden light changes it made the shoot a bit more challenging but also offered great training.
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