To date we've looked at several Civil War bridges; the diminutive Safari Ltd bridge, the Marx so-called Burnside Bridge, and the more historically accurate Burnside Bridge from Americana. All three of those bridges were marketed specifically as Civil War accessories. Today's bridge by Multiple Plastics Corporation however, could be found in Civil War and Army playsets of the early-to-mid 1960s. Unlike the other bridges, this one was designed to 'explode' through the use of a spring-loaded mechanism located underneath the bridge. Today, it is very difficult to locate the actual spring mechanism resulting in most vintage bridges coming on the market sans spring. The bridge itself is split down the middle with one half simply tucking into the other and, if you look at the photos carefully, has a really steep approach span!! If this were a real bridge it would be one in which you didn't walk over, you would almost have to repel over! Reproductions of the bridge can be had for as little as $3.95 retail. And, as if these four bridges weren't enough for you, a company called Formtech puts out cast foam bridges in single arch and 3-arch versions and The Hobby Bunker has a cast foam bridge closely resembling the plastic Burnside Bridge from Americana - more than enough bridges to choose from! Enjoy!
Marx (L), MPC (R)
