BNSF Walnut River Bridge (North)

Name	BNSF Walnut River Bridge (North) Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge #228B
Built By	Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York
Length	370 Feet
Width	2 Tracks
Height Above Ground	30 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Warren Through Truss Concrete Modular Girder
Substructure Design	Concrete Steel Pile
Date Built	1921 2003 2017
Traffic Count	10 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
	Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge #228B
	BNSF Railway Bridge #215.2
Significance	Moderate
Documentation Date	10/29/2017

In 1877, the Florence, El Dorado and Walnut Valley Railroad Company completed 29 miles of new railroad, extending from Florence, Kansas to El Dorado, Kansas. An additional 24 miles from El Dorado to Douglass, Kansas was completed in 1881, followed by an additional 19 miles from Douglass to Winfield, Kansas. The railroad was leased by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in 1888, and was merged into its successor, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) in 1901. The ATSF had acquired and constructed a large number of railroad lines throughout the western United States, particularly in Kansas and Oklahoma. A portion of this line served as one of the principal mainlines of the ATSF, providing a direct connection between the mainlines at Florence, El Dorado and Winfield. The Florence to El Dorado segment of this line was abandoned in 1942 in favor of the more direct route between El Dorado and Ellinor. The ATSF would merge with Burlington Northern Railroad in 1996 to form BNSF Railway, the current owner of this line. Today, BNSF operates the Augusta to Winfield segment as the Douglass Subdivision.

Located on the north side of Winfield, this large through truss bridge carries the BNSF Douglass Subdivision over the Walnut River. The previous bridge at this location was a 164-foot Pratt through truss, constructed in 1906. By 1921, the single track bridge had become a bottleneck, and would be replaced by the current bridge. Currently, the bridge consists of a 149-foot 6-panel riveted Warren through truss span, set onto a concrete abutment and pier. The bridge was originally approached by timber trestle spans on the north end. The east track trestle was replaced in 2003, and the west track was replaced in 2017. The truss span was fabricated by the American Bridge Company, and utilizes design features typical on later ATSF trusses, such as massive members and riveted connections, a deep floor, and a ballasted deck. The truss also utilizes an M-Frame portal bracings, standard for bridges of this era. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.

Builder and build date	American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

BNSF Walnut River Bridge (North)

Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas