This new line would be completed in a staggering 208 days, opening in early 1899. The line was owned by the D&SC (which was a subsidiary of Illinois Central).
The line was also the most significant branch off the D&SC mainline through Iowa.
The new line connected mainly rural areas, and crossed into Omaha on a swing bridge over the Missouri River.
This bridge was leased from the Omaha Bridge and Terminal Railway Company.
When completed, the line was regarded as a mainline, connecting Nebraska to Chicago. East of Tara, the line connected Waterloo, Dubuque and Chicago.
By 1947, the IC fully absorbed any remains of the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad. IC became the sole operator and proprietor of this line.
In 1972, the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio merged with IC to form the Illinois Central Gulf.
In 1985, operations of the ICG western division (west from Chicago) was spun off into the Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad.
By 1996, the railroad was repurchased by Illinois Central. Canadian National Railway purchased Illinois Central in 1999, and continues to operate the line as the Omaha Subdivision.
06/26/21
Located in Logan, this multiple span girder bridge is the ninth crossing of the Boyer River.
The original bridge here was a three span through girder bridge, built in 1899. However, this bridge was upgraded several times.
The current bridge is built of three distinct spans. The southern span was built in 1928 by American Bridge Company, and installed here in 1957. This span was relocated from an unknown location. The center span was built in 1899 by American Bridge Works, and either was shorted by three feet or moved from elsewhere, likely along this line. The north span was also built in 1899, and is believed to be original to this location.
The substructures for this bridge are all concrete. The north (railroad east) abutment is original to the 1899 bridge, while the north pier was rebuilt in 1950, the south pier in 1953 and the south abutment in 1957.
It is not unusual for a Boyer River Bridge on this line to have such an unusual series of spans. When the Boyer River was channelized, many crossings were either filled or rebuilt. The filled crossings oftentimes seem to have donated spans to other locations.
Overall, the bridge is in fair to good condition. The superstructure appears to be healthy, as does the substructure. The biggest issue is the south abutment, which has bare pilings exposed.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.