IAIS Spring Creek Bridge (Atkinson)

Atkinson, Henry County, Illinois

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Name	IAIS Spring Creek Bridge (Atkinson) Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Bridge #1546
Built By	Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway
Currently Owned By	Iowa Interstate Railroad
Superstructure Contractor	Lassig Bridge & Iron Works of Chicago (West Spans) Unknown (East Spans)
Substructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	124 Feet Total, 34 Foot Largest Spans
Width	2 Tracks, 1 In Use
Height Above Ground	15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Stone Masonry and Concrete
Date Fabricated	1890 (West Spans) c. 1900 (East Spans)
Date Erected	c. 1940
Original Location	Unknown
Traffic Count	5 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Bridge Number	1546
Iowa Interstate Railroad Bridge Number	1546
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	10/29/2022

In 1852, the Chicago and Rock Island Rail Road Company (C&RI) constructed 40 miles of new railroad, extending from Chicago, Illinois to Joliet, Illinois. The following year, the railroad constructed an additional 119 miles of new railroad to Geneseo, followed by an additional 22 miles to Rock Island, Illinois in 1854. Work was continued in 1856 by the Mississippi and Missouri Rail Road Company (M&M), which constructed a bridge across the Mississippi River to Davenport, Iowa and continued the line westwards across Iowa. In 1866, the two railroads were consolidated into the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, which was renamed the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway (Rock Island) in 1880. The line between Chicago and Joliet was double tracked prior to 1874, due to the heavy use. The Rock Island constructed and acquired a large network of railroads, primarily in Iowa during the late 1880s. This line served as a principal mainline for the railroad, connecting Chicago to the network of railroad lines west of the Mississippi River.

In approximately 1892, the remainder of the line would be double tracked, and in the late 1890s, additional tracks were added in Chicago. Track elevation projects within Chicago were made throughout the late 1890s and early 1900s. Throughout the 20th Century, the line continued to be a critical component of the Rock Island system. In 1913, the Rock Island elevated the line through Joliet. The Rock Island was a poor railroad, facing financial trouble regularly and often in bankruptcy. This route hosted passenger trains known as "Rockets" for many years, and the Rock Island offered a suburban commuter service over the line. After World War II, the Rock Island struggled to survive, proposing mergers and deferring maintenance on their routes. By 1964, the Rock Island began attempts to merge with Union Pacific, and restructure railroads west of the Mississippi River. This merger was eventually denied, and Rock Island turned its last profit in 1965.

In the mid-1970s, the railroad was in serious decline. The railroad received loans to attempt to fix slow orders, received new equipment and turn a profit. By 1978, the railroad came close to profit, but creditors were lobbying for a complete shutdown of the Rock Island. During the fall of 1979, a strike crippled the railroad, and by January of 1980, the entire system was ordered to be shut down and liquidated. Many of the lines and equipment were scrapped. Profitable sections of railroad were prepared for sale. Between Joliet and Chicago, the line would be sold to the Regional Transportation Authority. From Joliet to Utica, the line would be sold to the Chessie System, which became part of CSX Transportation in 1986. The portion from Utica into Iowa would be sold to the Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS). Today, the Chicago to Joliet segment is operated by Metra as the Rock Island District; CSX operates the line between Joliet and Utica as the New Rock Subdivision; and IAIS operates the Rock Island to Utica section as the Blue Island Subdivision.

Located between Atkinson and Geneseo, this deck plate girder bridge carries the Iowa Interstate Railroad over Spring Creek. Little is known about the history of this bridge. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle. In 1890, the line through this area was double tracked, and the original bridge was likely replaced by a double track iron girder bridge, set onto stone substructures. It is unknown what sizes these original girders were. In approximately 1940, the bridge would again be reconstructed, giving the bridge its current configuration. The bridge consists of two 34-foot and two 28-foot double track deck plate girder spans, set onto concrete substructures. A stone pier from the previous bridge was also reused, and capped with approximately 3 feet of concrete. The 34-foot (western) spans utilize four girder lines per track, and were reconstructed from their original configuration in approximately 1940. These spans were fabricated by the Lassig Bridge & Iron Works in 1890. The 28-foot (eastern) spans utilize a traditional two girder lines per track, and have evidence of other strengthening, such as additional plates. No plaques could be found on these spans, although the spans appear to have been fabricated in approximately 1900. It is unknown if any of these spans were reused from the previous bridge, or if they were all relocated from other locations. The piers of the bridge use a rounded design with an embedded rail, typical of Rock Island piers constructed by contract during the 1930s and 1940s. Both sizes of spans were standard for the Rock Island, and were preferred as the shallow design required less material. Deck plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as they were durable and easy to construct.

Railroads often reused steel spans, as it provided a cost effective way to replace and strengthen bridges. The Rock Island heavily relied on improving bridges by strengthening existing spans with additional components, mainly reused from similar spans. On a deck plate girder span, this involved adding two additional girders to a span, and constructing new interior bracing. During the 1930s and 1940s, the Rock Island heavily relied on this technique. Often, a bridge could be rebuilt by combining spans of the existing structure, and installing new or other secondhand spans to replace the reused spans. It is possible that the bridge originally consisted of four 34-foot spans, which were combined to form two spans; and two spans of a new size were constructed. Today, only the southern track remains in use; although the northern track is still intact. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design and unknown history.

Citations

Builder and build date (west spans)	Lassig Bridge & Iron Works plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele