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 south of Deloit, this bridge crosses an unnamed creek near Deloit Boulevard.
Built in 1954, the bridge features a single deck girder main span. At 30 feet long, the span was likely built around 1900 and was moved here from an unknown location in 1954. The span is exactly identical to other 30 foot deck girders built in 1899/1900 on the Tara-Council Bluffs route, indicating this could have come from nearby.
Additional evidence for an original location of nearby comes when comparing 1944 and 1973 track profiles. Most steel bridges in Crawford County were not in place in 1944, but were in 1973. The route crossed the Boyer River several more times at locations that have since been filled in.
Prior to 1954, a simple timber trestle stood at this location. It is possible that the stream became too big to sustain a small trestle.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good to fair condition. The steel on this bridge has not received paint in some time, unlike other bridges in the area.
The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | CN Boyer River Bridge #3 |
| Downstream | CN Boyer River Bridge #5 |