The next year, another 20 mile segment from Marengo to Brookyln opened. By 1864, the route opened to Kellogg, located in Jasper County.
In 1866, the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad was purchased by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. The Rock Island completed the route into Des Moines by 1867.
While the route continued to Council Bluffs to the west and Chicago to the east, this middle segment of the route was equally as important. It opened up expansion and gave the Rock Island many connections to other railroads.
Due to the popularity of the route, much of it was extensively rebuilt between 1899 and 1901. While most of this segment would never be double tracked, the biggest project was building new bridges.
Despite the efficiency and popularity of this route under Rock Island, the Rock Island began seeing serious financial troubles as soon as the end of World War II. As a result, the railroad entered its final bankruptcy in 1980 and the property was liquidated.
In 1981, the Iowa Railroad Company began operating this line between Council Bluffs and Bureau, Illinois. Despite the birth of a short line railroad, shippers questioned the ability to effectively move goods.
As a result, the Iowa Interstate Railroad was born in 1984. Since the conception, the railroad has become well known and respected in Iowa. Presently, this route is known as the Third Subdivision.
02/25/23
This large deck girder bridge crosses Hilton Creek east of Marengo.
Built in 1912, the bridge clearly received updates to the substructures in the last 30 years. An encasement around the piers protects them from further scouring.
Consisting of a trio of deck girder girder spans, the entire bridge sits on concrete substructures. It would appear modifications to these occurred in approximately 1955, and included encasing an older abutment in concrete.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition. Like many structures along this route, the bridge has been rehabilitated into good condition.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design of the bridge.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from US-6.