The Sibley Bridge Company was chartered in 1888 to construct the large bridge across the Missouri River at Sibley. Similarly, the Mississippi River Railroad & Toll Bridge Company constructed the bridge across the Mississippi River.
The entire line became part of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1900. This mainline would see heavy reconstruction throughout the first decade of the 20th century. Reconstruction included tasks such as relocation and double tracking.
The line was critical to the development of the State of Missouri. The line provided the quickest and most direct route between the agricultural center at Kansas City and Chicago.
Throughout the 20th Century, the line remained one of the most critical rail lines in the United States. The heavy duty mainline saw guards during World War II, due to the critical connection between Southern California and Chicago.
Despite the importance of the line, the ATSF would see serious financial issues in the late 20th century. Because of this, they merged with rival Burlington Northern to form BNSF Railway. BNSF currently operates the line as the Marceline Subdivision; and it is a part of the greater Southern Transcon Line; completed in 1908.
The line connects to the equally as important Chillicothe Subdivision on the east, and the Emporia Subdivision on the west.
06/26/21
This small through truss bridge crosses the Little Blue River between Atherton and Sibley, Missouri.
The bridge consists of a single Pratt Through Truss with pinned connections and 7 panels. It is approached on either side by a typical ATSF pile trestle, which is constructed of wood and steel beam framing.
Built in 1908, the bridge rests on concrete and stone substructures. A portion of the east pier is made of stone. This implies an older single track bridge, which was likely a different size once existed here.
Such bridge could have been reused as an overpass, such as the Santa Fe Street Overpass in nearby Sibley. This structure fits the Ca. 1888 date of the predecessor structure here and also slightly longer.
Regardless of the predecessor, this bridge is still a notable example of a heavily built Pratt Through Truss still in use on one of the busiest lines in the BNSF system.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the more common design of the bridge. Despite this, the bridge appears to be in very good condition.
The photo above is an overview from the west bank.
| Upstream | UP Little Blue River Bridge (Ripley) |
| Downstream | Mouth at Missouri River |