- 1870: 82 miles completed from Fort Dodge to Des Moines, Iowa by the Des Moines & Fort Dodge Railroad
- 1879: 13 miles completed from Albert Lea, Minnesota to the Minnesota/Iowa State Line by the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
- 1879: 29 miles completed from Livermore to Fort Dodge, Iowa by the Fort Dodge & Fort Ridgeley Railroad
- 1880: 60 miles completed from the Minnesota/Iowa State Line to Livermore, Iowa by the Minnesota and Iowa Southern Railway
- 1881: M&IS and FD&FR combined into the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
- 1895: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1915: DM&FD purchased by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1916: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway
- 1960: Minneapolis & St. Louis purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1976: Albert Lea to Lake Mills, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1979: Luverne to Humboldt, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1981: Lake Mills to Luverne, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1982: Humboldt to Fort Dodge segment abandoned
- 1984: Grand Junction to Rippey, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1989: Rippey to Waukee, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1995: C&NW purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Tara to Grand Junction segment as the Tara Subdivision
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Des Moines to Waukee segment as the West Des Moines Industrial Lead
- 1980s-Present: Segments in Humboldt and Fort Dodge used as trails
- 2000s-Present: Perry to Waukee segment used as the High Trestle Trail
06/26/21
Located north of Moorland, this pony truss overpass crosses over the former Minneapolis & St. Louis tracks.
Built in 1921, the bridge reused a truss from the 1889 bridge at Carver, Minnesota. When that bridge was replaced, the two truss lines were stored at the depot at Carver, until a permanent home could be found.
In 1921, a contract was created for an overpass at this location. and the trusses were shipped by flatcar here. Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company rebuilt the trusses at this site. Another identical bridge once existed at Victoria, Minnesota; although that was replaced in 2003.
When these pony trusses were no longer qualified for railroad service, railroads would rebuild them into overhead bridges. The rebuilding process typically included the strengthening of the trusses and the replacement of the floor.
Currently, the bridge consists of the pony truss with riveted connections. In addition, it sits on concrete substructures. As the structure is well maintained, it continues to rank as satisfactory in the National Bridge Inventory. It is hoped that if this bridge is to be replaced that it can be preserved somewhere else.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with little severe deterioration.
The author has ranked the bridge as being regionally significant, due to the endangered truss design. A special thank you goes to Gene Green for searching M&StL AFE's to find this bridge.
The photo above is an overview.