After the Atchison, Solomon Valley and Denver Railway reached the area in 1878, a new line was surveyed to head north from Yuma, a junction just west of Concordia.
In 1880, Jay Gould, who controlled the Kansas Pacific desired to avoid competition from this set of lines. By purchasing the railroad, he then reformed it into a subsidiary of Union Pacific Railway, and turned UP over to the Missouri Pacific Railway, a system he controlled.
The same year, the Atchison, Republican Valley and Pacific Railway built 14 miles from Yuma to Scandia, Kansas. After becoming part of the Atchison, Colorado and Pacific Railroad the following year, 16 more miles were built to Warwick, Kansas. The line would be extended approximately two more miles by the Pacific Railway Company of Kansas to the Nebraska border. 71 additional miles were built by the Pacific Railway Company of Nebraska to reach Prosser the same year.
The line became part of the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1910, although it had been connected long before that. This branch line primarily served Hastings.
In the late 1930s, approximately 15 miles were abandoned between Hastings and Prosser. After Union Pacific Railroad purchased Missouri Pacific in 1982, the line was cut back from Hastings to Scandia.
The Scandia-Yuma segment was sold to the Kyle Railroad, who currently operates the line to connect two lines of theirs.
01/14/22
Located northwest of Concordia near the town of Yuma, this large through truss bridge crosses the Republican River near Vale Road.
Little is known about the history of the bridge. It is believed that the truss spans probably date to approximately 1895, while the through girder is likely newer. A 1944 stamp on a concrete pier indicates that these spans were either relocated here, or placed onto new piers at that time. It is highly likely that both trusses and the through girder were moved here from an unknown location.
Prior to December 2015, the bridge consisted of two pin connected Pratt Through Trusses, each 6 panels in length. While the southern span was 150 feet, the northern span was 152 feet. On the south end, a small trestle approach was replaced by a modern steel stringer span. On the north end, the bridge was approached by a 90 foot through girder and three more trestle spans. The bridge sat on concrete pile piers, which date 1944.
On December 22nd, 2015; a Kyle grain train derailed on the bridge, collapsing the northern truss span. The truss was removed from the river, and put onto the north bank. The remaining spans were not affected. This collapse cut the KYLE route between their southern and northern lines. Repairing the bridge became an immediate priority.
When the author visited on New Years 2020, the bridge was not yet reconstructed. During the summer of 2020, a new through girder span was installed to replace the collapsed truss.
Today, the bridge is again in service, with the remaining truss span still standing. Unfortunately, an inspection of the bridge revealed no further information of builders or build dates. The author is hoping to find more information soon.
The trusses follow a standard design for the mid to late 1890s, including laced members, lightweght portals and light connections. The through girder could not be inspected closer, but it may date to approximately 1910.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition. With the 2020 repairs, the bridge should continue to serve traffic for years to come.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | Kyle Republican River Bridge (Scandia) |
| Downstream | CB&Q Republican River Bridge |