- 1857: 44 miles completed from Clinton to Wheatland, Iowa by the Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad
- 1858: 20 miles completed from Wheatland to Lisbon, Iowa by the Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad
- 1859: 17 miles completed from Lisbon to Cedar Rapids, Iowa by the Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad
- 1861: 41 miles completed from Cedar Rapids to Belle Plaine, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1861: 41 miles completed from Cedar Rapids to Chelsea, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1862: 29 miles completed from Chelsea to Marshalltown, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1864: 29 miles completed from Marshalltown to Nevada, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1865: 29 miles completed from Nevada to Boone, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1867: 150 miles completed from Boone to Council Bluffs, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1867: 6 miles completed from Missouri Valley to California Junction, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1884: CI&N and CR&MR officially acquired by Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1887: 6 miles completed from Beverly to Otis, Iowa bypassing Cedar Rapids by the Linn County Railway
- 1887: Linn County Railway acquired by Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1891-98: Second track constructed between Clinton and Cedar River
- 1898-1900: Second track constructed between Cedar River and Mashalltown
- 1898-1901: New alignment completed between Boone and Ogden, Iowa; including the Des Moines River Bridge
- 1900-02: Second track constructed between Marshalltown and Council Bluffs
- 1933: Old route via Moingona between Boone and Ogden abandoned
- 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Clinton Subdivision between Clinton and Boone
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Boone Subdivision between Boone and Missouri Valley
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Omaha Subdivision between Missouri Valley and Council Bluffs
01/14/22
This bridge was the original crossing of the Cedar River for the C&NW mainline. It was bypassed to the south in 1887, although a new signature double track was built here in 1887.
Originally built in 1898, the bridge contains a quintet of 6-panel Pratt Through Trusses with pinned connections. These double track trusses are built using a standardized design created by the Chicago & North Western. These spans rest on stone substructures.
The intricate and ornate features of the bridge indicate a desire by the C&NW for the bridge to seem really important. However, no other bridges of this style were known to be built.
This bridge amazingly survived the flood of 2008 with minimal damage, and was one of few railroad bridges on the lower portion of the Cedar to do so.
The bridge is named the Quaker Oats Bridge as it is right next to the plant, a major landmark. The bridge is also extremely identifiable for traffic coming through the area. It is commonly seen from I-380/IA-27, welcoming people to downtown Cedar Rapids.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition despite the flood that nearly destroyed it. A huge amount of industry sits along this line, giving Union Pacific a reason to continue operating it.
Historic photo of the bridge. Credit to PhotoLibrarian on Flickr, used with Creative Commons permission.
The author has ranked this bridge as being highly significant, due to the landmark status and the survival of a number of bad floods.
The photo above is looking from the west bank. The east bank is impossible to access the bridge from.
Upstream | MILW Cedar River Bridge (Old) |
Downstream | CRandIC Cedar River Bridge (New) |