On the east end, this new line connected to an existing mainline between Omaha and Ashland, as well as a route between Plattsmouth and Ashland. The Plattsmouth route connected to Chicago.
In 1872, the railroad continued building westward, reaching Kenesaw. By 1880, the railroad became part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy system, which owned extensive trackage to the east.
In 1880, work continued to extend to Holdrege. From there, the original mainline continued west towards Sterling, Colorado.
Also in 1880, work begun at Oxford, Nebraska, reaching McCook the following year. By 1883, the CB&Q desired a connection between the two lines, and constructed it.
While the mainline continuing west from Holdrege went towards Cheyenne, the line west from McCook went towards Denver. The Lincoln-Hastings-Holdrege-Oxford-McCook route became an important backbone for the CB&Q.
In 1910, the CB&Q built a new cutoff between Cobb (near Denton), and Cushman, near the present day intersection at 48th Street and I-80. This connection allowed a connection between the Lincoln yards and the main line.
Other upgrades occurred along the route over the years, and the route was often met with well engineered infrastructure.
In 1970, the CB&Q merged with Northern Pacific and Great Northern to form Burlington Northern. BN continued to operate this route as a mainline, until it merged with Santa Fe to form BNSF Railway, the current owner.
Today, this route is still a significant backbone for BNSF, and is known as the Hastings Subdivision.
10/25/22
Located in the town of Crete, this long bridge crosses the Big Blue River.
At one time, there was a second truss bridge just to the south. That bridge once carried the Beatrice branch over the river. It was removed sometime before 1950.
This bridge is a large, multi span girder and I-Beam bridge. Built in 1901 to replace an older bridge, it features eight short deck girder spans (four on each side), which approach two large fishbelly deck plate girder spans. The entire bridge rests on concrete substructures.
The smaller deck girder spans were originally fabricated in 1879 for use on the approach viaduct to the Missouri River Bridge at Plattsmouth, Nebraska.
The deck girder spans are slightly unusual, as they are composed of fishbelly spans. These types of spans were commonly used to resist bending under loads. The design became unpopular by the turn of the century, although some were built again during the 1920s, when steam engines became too heavy for standard bridges.
These deck girders only have the fishbelly feature on one end, also unusual. No identifying plaques could be found on the bridge.
Unfortunately, the bridge is heavily surrounded by brush and trees, making photography difficult. The author fully intends to go back to this bridge at some point soon.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The bridge has not seen any significant upgrades since it was built.
Historic photo of the bridge
The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the large size of the bridge.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | BNSF Big Blue River Bridge (Milford) |
| Downstream | UP Big Blue River Bridge (DeWitt) |