UP Smoky Hill River Bridge (Salina)

Salina, Saline County, Kansas

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Name	UP Smoky Hill River Bridge (Salina)
Built By	Missouri Pacific Railroad
Currently Owned By	Union Pacific Railroad
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York
Length	335 Feet
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Schaub Variant Through Truss Timber Pile Trestle
Substructure Design	Concrete Timber Pile
Date Built	1903
Traffic Count	1 Train/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Significance	High Significance
Documentation Date	10/29/2017

In 1879, the St. Louis, Kansas and Arizona Railway (StLK&A) would construct a 21 mile branch, extending from Osawatomie, Kansas to Ottawa, Kansas. In 1880, the railroad was consolidated into the Missouri Pacific Railway (MP). In 1886, the Council Grove, Osage City & Ottawa Railway (CGOC&O) constructed an additional 70 miles to Council Grove, Kansas. At the same time, the Topeka, Salina and Western Railroad (TS&W) constructed an additional 71 miles to Salina, Kansas. In 1887, the Kansas & Colorado Railroad (K&C) completed an additional 126 miles to Ness County, the Denver, Memphis & Atlantic Railway (DM&A) completed 139 additional miles to the Colorado State Line, and the Pueblo and State Line Railroad (P&SL) constructed an additional 152 miles to Pueblo, Colorado. The CGOC&O, TS&W, K&C and DM&A were all consolidated to form the Kansas and Colorado Pacific Railway (K&CP), which would be consolidated with the P&SL and merged into the MP in 1909. MP had amassed a large collection of railroad lines, particularly in Missouri and Kansas. This line served as a secondary mainline, serving agricultural industries in Kansas and Colorado. The railroad reorganized to the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1917. The MP was merged into the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982. A portion of the line from Geneseo, Kansas to Towner, Colorado was sold to the Kansas Southwestern Railway (KSW) in 1991. A segment of the line between Geneseo and Hope, Kansas was abandoned the same year. In 1994, the segment from Herington, Kansas to Osawatomie, Kansas was abandoned, and acquired for future trail use. The Pueblo to Towner segment was sold to the State of Colorado, which is currently operated by the Colorado Pacific Railway. The KSW was merged into the Central Kansas Railway in 2000, which was acquired by the Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad in 2001. The K&O continues to operate the Geneseo to Towner segment of this line. Union Pacific operates the Herington to Hope segment, as well as a short segment in Salina. The Osawatomie to Herington segment is currently being converted to the Flint Hills Nature Trail, with some portions of the trail now open.

View an article discussing the Schaub variant truss.

Located on the east side of Salina, this unique through truss span once carried the Missouri Pacific across the Smoky Hill River. The previous bridge at this location was likely a timber trestle or truss. In 1903, a 124-foot 6-panel riveted Schaub Variant through truss would be constructed on new concrete substructures. A trestle approach was originally constructed on the east end of the bridge. In approximately 1930, the bridge would be extended west by adding timber trestle approach spans. The truss span utilizes all riveted connections, built up members and an A-frame portal, typical of Missouri Pacific spans from this era.

The Schaub Variant truss was developed in 1901 by Julius W. Schaub, a Chicago based bridge engineer. The Schaub variant truss was designed to provide a truss design which would be used for medium length spans. The design utilizes a Warren design with subpanels, and a combination of riveted and/or pinned connections, depending on the span. The location of the riveted connections prevented any movement of the pins in the pinned connections. Spans with all riveted connections utilized the advantages of riveted Warren spans, with additional members to strengthen the truss. The design was used by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, the Missouri Pacific Railway, and the Iowa Central Railway (later Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway). A number of Schaub variant trusses were built, in different sizes, configurations and with different connections. Several contractors also fabricated the various spans. More information about this innovative design can be found at the link above. This particular span utilizes exclusively riveted connections, which was typical for some Missouri Pacific and all Iowa Central bridges of this design. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked the bridge as being highly significant, due to the truss design.

Citations

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