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| Name | Future Sangamon Valley Trail - Mansion Road Bridge Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge #1891 |
| Built By | Chicago & North Western Railway |
| Currently Owned By | Sangamon County |
| Superstructure Contractor | King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio |
| Length | 80 Feet Total, 30 Foot Main Span |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 12 Feet 5 Inches |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder and Timber Pile Trestle |
| Substructure Design | Timber Pile |
| Date Built | 1912 |
| Traffic Count | 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Abandoned) |
| Current Status | Abandoned, Awaiting Future Trail Development |
| Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge Number | 1891 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 2/17/2024 |
In 1890, the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad (CP&StL) completed 44 miles of new railroad from Madison, Illinois to Litchfield, Illinois. The railroad became part of the Litchfield & Madison Railway (L&M) in 1900. In 1901, the Peoria & Northwestern Railway (P&NW) completed 83 miles of railroad, extending from the existing Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) mainline at Nelson, Illinois to Peoria, Illinois. The P&NW was a subsidiary of the C&NW, and would be fully absorbed by 1902. In 1904, the Macoupin County Railway (MCR) constructed an additional 24 miles from Benld, Illinois to Girard, Illinois. The MCR was acquired by the St. Louis, Peoria & Northwestern Railway (StLP&NW) in 1912. The StLP&NW was another C&NW subsidiary, and constructed an additional 93 miles from Kickapoo (Peoria) to Benld in 1913 before being sold to the C&NW. The same year, the Macoupin County Extension Railway (MCER) completed an additional 3 miles from Girard to Staunton, Illinois before being acquired by the C&NW in 1914. In 1927, the C&NW constructed an additional 2.5 miles to DeCamp, where the line met the L&M. The C&NW obtained trackage rights over the L&M to reach Madison at the same time. This route provided the C&NW with a direct source of quality coal, and connected to other railroads throughout southern Illinois.
The C&NW would become a prominent railroad in the Midwest,
eventually building a system over 11,000 miles long. The L&M would be acquired by the C&NW in 1957, and the C&NW would abandon the line from Mt. Olive to Litchfield in 1961, and from DeCamp to Mt. Olive in 1972. By the late 20th Century, this route slowly had lost importance. In 1995, the
C&NW would be purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP). UP abandoned the line between DeCamp and Stallings in 1998, as well as the segment from Barr to Girard. In addition, the DeCamp to Monterey Junction segment was sold to the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in 1998. Today, UP operates the Peoria Subdivision between Nelson and Barr, and NS operates the Monterey Branch from Monterey Junction to DeCamp. Portions of the line near Springfield have become part of the Sangamon Valley Trail. When complete, the trail will connect Girard to Athens (Barr).
View historic articles discussing the construction of this line (digitalized by Internet Archive)
Located near the former station of Lick northwest of Chatham, this deck plate girder bridge carries the former Chicago & North Western Railway over Mansion Road. Built in 1912, the bridge consists of a 30-foot deck plate girder span, set onto timber pile piers and approached by timber pile trestle spans. While most of the bridges along this line originally used timber trestle approaches, most of the timber components were replaced by the early 1920s. The intention of using timber during the initial construction was to allow the approach embankments to properly settle before constructing concrete substructures. This structure is somewhat unusual, as the timber components were never filled and replaced by concrete. It is possible that the use of timber continued at this location as it was more cost effective than constructing large concrete abutments. The deck plate girder span was fabricated and erected by King Bridge Company at a cost of $450.61, and uses a standard shallow design with four girder lines. Railroad records indicate the approaches were rebuilt in 1932, although they have likely been rebuilt again since then. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. Currently, the bridge is abandoned, although it is planned to reuse the bridge as part of the Sangamon Valley Trail in the coming years. The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
Citations
| Builder and build date | King Bridge Company plaque |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |