BNSF Spring River Bridge (Galena)

Name	BNSF Spring River Bridge (Galena) Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway Bridge #S429.5
Built By	Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	A&P Roberts Company (Pencoyd Iron Works) of Pencoyd, Pennsylvania
Length	348 Feet Total, 150 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Pratt Through Truss, Through Plate Girder and Timber Pile Trestle
Substructure Design	Concrete and Timber Pile
Date Built	1897
Traffic Count	1 Train/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway Bridge Number	S429.5
BNSF Railway Bridge Number	429.5
Significance	Moderate Significance
Documentation Date	10/28/2017

In 1895, the Southwestern Mineral Railway Company would construct a 17 mile railroad line, extending from Cherokee Junction (Labette), Kansas to Mineral, Kansas. The railroad was merged into the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway (MKT) in 1896. Between 1900 and 1901, the Missouri, Kansas & Northwestern Railroad Company (MK&NW) constructed an additional 29 miles into Joplin, Missouri. The MK&NW would be sold to the MKT the following year. The MKT had constructed a sizable railroad network throughout Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. This line provided direct access from the major junction at Parsons with terminals at Joplin. In 1923, the MKT reorganized as the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. A portion of the line between Cherokee Junction and Columbus was abandoned in 1979. In 1988, the MKT was merged into Union Pacific Railroad (UP). As UP sought to shed excess lines from the MKT, the Columbus to east of Galena, Kansas segment was sold to Burlington Northern Railroad, and the remainder of the line abandoned. In 1996, BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway. Today, BNSF operates the remaining portion of the line as the Joplin Branch.

Located northwest of Galena, this through truss bridge carries the BNSF Joplin Branch across the Spring River. Built in approximately 1897, the bridge consists of a 150-foot 6-panel pin-connected Pratt through truss, approached by an 85-foot through plate girder span on the west side and timber pile trestle spans on the east side. The piers and west abutment are constructed of concrete. The truss span has missing plaques which indicate it was fabricated by the A&P Roberts Company, also known as the Pencoyd Iron Works. This company fabricated a number of similar truss spans for the MKT in the late 1890s. This span utilizes similar features to other MKT truss spans built during this era, including a crested portal and laced vertical members. Research into the history of this bridge is ongoing. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with no significant defects noted. Significant amounts of debris from flooding were pushed against the bridge at the time of documentation. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.

Build date	Estimated based on identical spans
Builder	Missing A&P Roberts Company plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

BNSF Spring River Bridge (Galena)

Galena, Cherokee County, Kansas