Located in West Des Moines, this route was built in approximately 1912 to serve a coal mine south of the Raccoon River.
Little is known about the history of the bridge, although it appears to have been built by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway as part of their "Hollingsworth Spur".
As currently built, the bridge contains a large deck girder main span, approached by steel stringer spans on either side. These steel stringer spans are not believed to be original to the bridge, and appear to be various secondhand spans, probably from the 1920s-1940s throughout the C&NW system. These were likely moved here in the 1980s or 1990s. The entire bridge rests on steel pile piers.
Unfortunately, no more information can be found. The northernmost span has "M-598" written on it, which generally implies where the bridge came from, although this bridge cannot be found (it may be a CGW span). In addition, at least three plaques have been removed from the bridge, all of which appear to be different builders.
The author will continue to research this structure, as the large number of secondhand material makes this bridge unique. The main span may be original to this location, but almost certainly dates to Ca. 1920.
Overall, the bridge appears to remain in good condition, with no significant deterioration noted.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the relocated components.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | |
| Downstream | BNSF Raccoon River Bridge |