This line was the base of construction operations of a new mainline across Kansas. This railroad would become the Kansas City, Lawrence and Southern Kansas Railroad by 1880, and later the Southern Kansas Railway in 1883.
Another segment of line was added by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1871. This segment connected Emporia, Kansas to Ellinor, Kansas.
In 1875, another segment from the Kansas City Union Depot to Olathe was added by the Kansas City, Topeka & Western Railroad; later leased to the ATSF in 1875.
By 1879, another segment between Mulvane and Wellington, Kansas was opened by the Cowley, Sumner and Fort Smith Railroad. This was leased to the ATSF in 1879.
In 1884, the Kansas City & Emporia Railway opened a connecting line between Ottawa and Emporia. This line would be leased by the Southern Kansas Railway in 1888; which in turn would be leased by the ATSF in 1889.
By 1887, the final segment of line between Ellinor and Mulvane would be opened by the Chicago, Kansas City & Western Railroad. This railroad would be leased by the ATSF in 1888.
The ATSF began purchasing all of the leased lines in 1899, and would complete it by 1901. This mainline connected to Chicago on the east and Los Angeles on the west.
The entirety of this line would be double tracked around 1905, due to an increased demand for freight service. This would be the backbone of the ATSF system.
Despite the heavy use this line saw, the ATSF oftentimes found itself in financial turmoil. As a result, it would merge with the thriving Burlington Northern in 1996 to form BNSF Railway; the current owner of the line.
BNSF operates this as the Southern Transcontinental Route, and the line between Kansas City and Wellington is known as the Emporia Subdivision. It is one of the most heavily used lines in the BNSF system.
06/26/21
This small bridge crosses Wilder Road near Holliday (Shawnee) in Johnson County.
The bridge carries one of the three tracks of the Emporia Subdivision over Wilder Road. This third track appears to have been added as an overflow track in 1953.
The bridge is simply built. A main I-Beam span crosses the road, and is approached by pile trestle spans. These trestle spans are indeed I-Beam spans resting on timber bents.
This design of pile trestle is common on ATSF lines.
In addition, the main piers of the bridge are constructed of concrete. The approach spans have substructures constructed of timber.
The author has ranked this bridge as being minimally significant, due to the common design and the new age.
The photo above is an overview of the bridge.