- 1867: 16 miles completed from Ackley to Eldora, Iowa by the Eldora Railroad and Coal Company
- 1868: 27 miles completed from Eldora to Marshalltown, Iowa by the Iowa River Railway
- 1868: Eldora Railroad and Coal Company sold to the Iowa River Railway
- 1869: Iowa River Railway sold to the Central Railroad Company of Iowa
- 1871: 65 miles completed from Northwood to Ackley, Iowa by the Central Railroad Company of Iowa
- 1871: 81 miles completed from Marshalltown to Albia, Iowa by the Central Railroad Company of Iowa
- 1878: Central Railroad Company of Iowa sold to Central Iowa Railway
- 1882: 98 miles completed from Oskaloosa to the Mississippi River across from Keithsburg, Illinois by the Chicago, Burlington & Pacific Railroad
- 1882: CB&P sold to the Central Iowa Railway
- 1883: 83 miles completed from Keithsburg to Peoria, Illinois by the Central Iowa Railway Company
- 1886: Mississippi River Bridge completed at Keithsburg by the Keithsburg Bridge Company
- 1889: Central Iowa Railway sold to the Iowa Central Railway
- 1895: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1901: Iowa Central Railway controlled by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1901: Keithsburg Bridge Company sold to the Iowa Central Railway
- 1912: Iowa Central Railway sold to the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- Ca. 1920: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway
- 1960: Minneapolis & St. Louis purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1962: Beacon, Iowa to Eddyville, Iowa segment abandoned, operations begin over parallel Rock Island tracks
- 1971: Oskaloosa, Iowa to Keithsburg, Illinois segment abandoned
- 1976: Keithsburg, Illinois to Middle Grove, Illinois segment abandoned
- 1988: Hampton, Iowa to Ackley, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1990: Rockwell, Iowa to Sheffield, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1995: C&NW purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 2001: Eddyville, Iowa to Albia, Iowa segment abandoned
- 2001: Sheffield, Iowa to Hampton, Iowa segment abandoned
- 2006: Ackley, Iowa to Marshalltown, Iowa segment sold to the Iowa River Railroad
- 2008: Middle Grove, Illinois to Peoria, Illinois segment abandoned
- 2011: Steamboat Rock, Iowa to Marshalltown, Iowa abandoned and purchased by Marshall and Hardin Counties
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Oskaloosa Subdivision between Marshalltown and Eddyville
- 2006-Present: Iowa River Railroad operates between Ackley and Steamboat Rock
- 2011-Present: Iowa River Rail Trail being developed between Steamboat Rock and Marshalltown
01/14/22
Read an article about the Schaub variant truss.
Another one of the unique trusses along a former Iowa Central Railway line crosses the North Skunk River near New Sharon.
Built in 1902, the unique design consists of a Schaub variant Through Truss. The truss features riveted connections and an A-Frame portal.
Diagram of this style bridge
Approaching the bridge are a series of wooden trestle spans, which were built on the north end. The substructures of the bridge are both concrete and wood.
The Schaub variant truss is a take on the traditional Warren design, developed by Julius Schaub in 1901. While the original design featured a combination of pin and riveted connections, this bridge utilizes purely riveted connections.
The Schaub design offered a savings of material and a reduction of traditional stresses in truss members. Schaub considered it to be an ideal link between long pin connected spans and short riveted spans.
The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the unique design of the truss and rather large span length.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from Iowa Highway 146.