BNSF Meramec River Bridge (Hollywood Beach)

Name	BNSF Meramec River Bridge (Hollywood Beach) St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Bridge #T18.9
Built By	St. Louis, Memphis & Southeastern Railroad
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York (Trusses) Unknown (South Approach)
Substructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	1336 Feet Total, 150 Foot Main Spans
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Pratt Through Truss, Steel Stringer and Concrete Modular Girder
Substructure Design	Concrete, Concrete Pile and Steel Pile
Date Built	1902 (Trusses) 1955 (South Approach) c. 2000 (North Approach)
Traffic Count	5 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
St. Louisâ€“San Francisco Railway Bridge Number	T18.9
BNSF Railway Bridge Number	18.90
Significance	Regional Significance
Documentation Date	6/18/2016

In 1898, the St. Louis and Memphis Railroad (StL&M) constructed a 13 mile line, extending from Lilbourne to Caruthersville, Missouri. In 1900, the Deckerville, Osceola and Northern Railroad (DO&N) began construction of a 36 mile railroad line, extending from Deckerville (now Turrell) Arkansas to Luxora, Arkansas. The railroad line connected to an existing mainline heading northwest from Memphis. The railroad would be acquired by the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railway (KCFS&M) in 1901. At the same time, the St. Louis and Memphis Railway (StL&M) would construct 12 miles further north to Blythesdale. In addition, the St. Louis, Caruthersville and Memphis Railroad (StLC&M) would construct another 27 miles north to Caruthersville, Missouri. In addition, the Memphis and St. Louis Railroad built between Caruthersville and Portageville, Missouri. The various railroads would be merged into the St. Louis and Memphis Railroad. The St. Louis and Memphis Railroad would inevitably be purchased by the St. Louis, Memphis and Southeastern Railroad in 1902 (StLM&SE). This series of lines were affiliated with a St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) attempt to construct a line between St. Louis, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee.

The StLM&SE would continue construction on the line in 1902, completing 223 miles to St. Louis in 1904. The StLM&SE would be acquired by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) in 1907. The Frisco had developed an extensive network of railroad lines in the south central United States. This line provided a critical connection for the Frisco, allowing traffic from St. Louis to head straight south along the Mississippi River. The Frisco would build and acquire a respectable railroad network in the south central United States, with significant connections through Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) in 1980. BN merged with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996 to form BNSF Railway. BNSF currently operates the River Subdivision between St. Louis and Turrell. The route continues to serve as a mainline for BNSF.

Located between Oakville and Arnold, this large through truss bridge carries the BNSF Railway across the Meramec River. The bridge was originally constructed in 1902, as part of the initial construction of the line. The bridge initially featured three 150-foot, 6-panel pin-connected Pratt through truss spans, set onto concrete piers and approached by timber pile trestle spans. The south approach of the bridge would be reconstructed between 1955 and 1956 with 24 new steel stringer spans, with spans of 22 feet, 27 feet and 28 feet. The south approach would utilize standard concrete pile piers. The north approach of the bridge was replaced by concrete modular girder spans in approximately 2000. The truss spans utilize a design that was standard for the St. Louis, Memphis & Southeastern, with pinned connections, laced members and A-frame portals. It is believed that the truss spans were fabricated by American Bridge Company as part of a contract to construct the steel bridges for the line. The Pratt truss design was arguably the most popular truss design in the late 19th Century, as the spans were cost effective, durable and of simple design. This design fell out of favor in the early 20th Century, as riveted Warren through truss spans superseded this design. These particular trusses are lighter than expected for this era. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked the bridge as being regionally significant, due to the use of several truss spans.

Build dates	St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Bridge Index
Builder	The Iron Age; Volume 62
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

BNSF Meramec River Bridge (Hollywood Beach)

Arnold, Jefferson County, Missouri

To

Oakville, St. Louis County, Missouri