In 1891, it would become a part of the Kansas and Colorado Pacific Railway; a railroad which had acquired a large amount of track throughout eastern Kansas.
By 1909, the railroad would be purchased by the Missouri Pacific Railway; which in turn reorganized as the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1917.
This line served as a small north and south branch line. Both Topeka and Fort Scott had several railroads in them; and the railroad connected to a Missouri Pacific mainline at Lomax (near Pomona).
However, the portion of the line between Fort Scott and Lomax was considered unnecessary in the MP system, as an existing mainline roughly paralleled it to the east.
This line would be abandoned in 1934.
The line from Topeka to Lomax continued to serve as an important connection for the Missouri Pacific, until the mid 1980s.
In 2017, the Topeka to Lomax segment is part of the Landon Hills Nature Trail; a 34 mile trail between the Flint Hills Nature Trail at Lomax and Topeka.
However, this trail will likely not be completed for a few more years.
06/26/21
This unique through truss bridge crosses 110 Mile Creek on the future Landon Hills Nature Trail.
It features an interesting Pratt Through Truss span, approached by trestle.
One very important detail of this bridge is unknown. The author is not aware of a confirmed build date for the structure. The most likely theory is that it was originally built in approximately 1890 along a mainline, and was later relocated here.
The bridge appears to match a structure of approximately this date. However, it has likely been rebuilt at some point.
The bridge consists of a main 5-panel, pin connected Pratt Through truss span. This truss has details which indicate a build date between 1885 and 1895.
In addition, trestle approach spans exist on either side.
The bridge rests on wooden substructures, suggesting that this bridge may also not be the original structure here and could have been relocated.
The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the unique truss design and the likely unique history.
Overall, the bridge is in fair to poor condition. The truss is in good condition, although the approaches appear to be severely deteriorated. The deck along the bridge is the biggest concern.
The structure will serve well as a bike trail. More research is needed to confirm the history of the bridge. In addition, the author hopes to return to this location soon for more photos.
The photo above is looking north across the bridge.