BNSF Waubonsie Creek Bridge (Bartlett)

Bartlett, Fremont County, Iowa

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Name	BNSF Waubonsie Creek Bridge (Bartlett) Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Bridge #164.73
Built By	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Substructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	140 Feet Total, 60 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Through Plate Girder and Concrete Slab
Substructure Design	Concrete
Date Built	1914
Date Replaced	2019
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge has been Replaced)
Current Status	Replaced by a new bridge
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Bridge Number	164.73
BNSF Railway Bridge Number	164.73
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	10/17/2015

In 1859, the Council Bluffs and St. Joseph Railroad Company (CB&StJ) began construction on 51 miles of new railroad, extending from Council Bluffs, Iowa to the Missouri State Line near Hamburg, Iowa. At the same time, the Platte County Railroad (PCR) began construction on 35 miles of new railroad, extending from St. Joseph, Missouri to Weston, Missouri. Work on this section was completed in 1861. In 1863, the Missouri Valley Railroad (MVR) began construction on an additional 25 miles of railroad, extending from North Kansas City to Winthrop, completing this segment in 1867. The same year, the MVR acquired the Platte County Railroad, and the CB&StJ began construction on an additional 81 miles of railroad, extending from the State Line to St. Joseph, Missouri. Work on the first section of the CB&StJ would be completed in 1868, and work on the second section would be completed in 1869. The MVR and CB&StJ consolidated to form the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad (KCStJ&CB) in 1870.

By 1901, railroads throughout the United States were consolidating. The KCStJ&CB would be acquired by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in 1901. The CB&Q had acquired and constructed a large railroad network throughout the Midwest, and this route provided a direct connection between Kansas City and Council Bluffs/Omaha. Double tracking of the Napier to Kansas City segment of the line began in 1908, including segments from Kansas City to Waldron, Weston to Armour, St. Joseph to Nodaway and Curzions to Napier. Further double tracking would be completed in the 1910s and 1920s, including segments from Nodaway to Forbes in 1913, Forbes to Curzions in 1917, Waldron to Beverly in 1920, Beverly to Weston in 1922, and Iatan to St. Joseph segment at an unknown date. Much of the second track was removed in the late 1950s, after this segment of line became of reduced importance after the CB&Q constructed a new cutoff line from Brookfield to Kansas City. CB&Q merged with Northern Pacific Railway and Great Northern Railway to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) in 1970. In 1996, BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway, the current owner of this line. The North Kansas City to Napier segment forms the southern half of the St. Joseph Subdivision, and the Napier to Pacific Junction, Iowa segment forms the Napier Subdivision. The Pacific Junction to Council Bluffs segment of this line is part of the Council Bluffs Subdivision.

Located south of Bartlett, this through plate girder bridge once carried a Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad mainline over Waubonsie Creek. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle, constructed when the line was first built. During the early years of the 20th Century, the CB&Q invested significant capital into this line, upgrading bridges with steel and concrete substructures. A new through girder bridge was constructed in 1914. The bridge consisted of a 60-foot through plate girder span, approached by two 20-foot concrete slab spans on either end. The entire bridge was set onto concrete substructures. The main span followed a standard design, with two heavy plate girders, deep tapered girder ends and a standard floor composed of numerous parallel I-beams between the girders. The approach spans also followed a standard design, with thick reinforced slabs and no decorative elements. The substructures also used a standard design, with rounded piers under the girder span, square piers under the approaches and abutments with short wing walls. An unknown contractor fabricated the main span, and it is unclear if the concrete portions were constructed by an unknown contractor or by railroad company forces. Through plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads, as they were durable and easy to construct. Slab spans also became popular in the early 20th Century, as they could easily be constructed offsite and installed with little disruption to traffic. In 2019, the bridge was destroyed during the historic Missouri River flooding, and was replaced by a longer modern bridge. At the time of replacement, the bridge appeared 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.

Citations

Build date	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Valuation Summary at the Newberry Library
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele