This short section track would be completed by 1879.
Another mile in Kansas City would be constructed in 1880 by the Union Transit Company. This track extended the Union Depot Company tracks along the Missouri River.
This line was purchased by the Kansas City Belt Railway in 1884. At the same time, the Kansas City Belt Railway began construction on an additional 10 miles of track, which expanded the line along the Missouri River towards Big Blue Junction.
In 1906, the Kansas City Terminal Railway was formed to operate a series of terminals and yards for the respective railroads that entered Kansas City.
Another goal of the KCT was to build a new Union Depot; since the old one continued to flood. The following railroads jointly operated the KCT:
Alton Railroad
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Chicago Great Western Railway
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railway
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
Kansas City Southern Railroad
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
Union Pacific Railroad
Wabash Railroad
In 1910, both the Union Depot Company and the Kansas City Belt Railway were purchased by the KCT to operate.
The first goal was to complete a new cutoff through Kansas City, including a new Union Depot. A cutoff from the south end of the KCT tracks to Big Blue Junction would be completed, with a Union Depot being constructed near Main Street.
The second goal was to build a large bridge across the Kansas River; which would be protected from flooding. A massive double deck bridge with long approach viaducts would be completed by 1916.
The railroad is one of the unchanged faces of Kansas City railroading; which is the second largest rail hub in the United States.
The long list of original owners has been reduced to only a few; which include BNSF Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, Kansas City Southern and Norfolk Southern.
Presently, the railroad is operated by the Kaw River Railroad, which is owned by Watco Companies.
01/14/22
View an article regarding the construction of this bridge.
The massive Highline Bridge in Kansas City is a large through truss bridge over the Kansas River; and is approached by four viaducts.
Viaduct #4 is the smallest viaduct of the four, and serves as a connector between Viaduct #2 and the Union Pacific Armstrong Yard.
The bridge is rather nondescript, featuring only 10 spans set onto steel supports and a concrete abutment.
However, most of the traffic that uses the upper deck of the Highline Bridge gets shifted off through viaduct #4.
In addition, as the railroad goes back down to ground level, it crosses a small bridge over 2nd Street.
The author has ranked this bridge as being minimally significant, due to the common design. One of the main reasons is the apparent replacement of various spans at various times; giving it an unknown historic integrity. For example, some towers have been replaced.
The photo above is an overview.
| Main Spans | Highline Bridge | |
| Missouri Approaches | Highline Approach Viaduct #1 | Highline Approach Viaduct #3 |
| Kansas Approaches | Highline Approach Viaduct #2 | Highline Approach Viaduct #4 |