Two years prior, the Nebraska City, Sidney and North Eastern Railway built from Sidney to Hastings, Iowa.
In 1880, the Hastings and Avoca Railroad connected the two lines.
Also in 1880, the AM&SW became part of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. In 1901, the other two railroads became part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy.
This is an example of a rare instance when two competing railroads directly connected to one another.
It is unknown why this arrangement was constructed.
A section from Oakland to Carson was abandoned in 1953 by RI. This correlated with the opening of the new Atlantic Cutoff.
However, the CB&Q merged with Northern Pacific and Great Northern in 1970 to form Burlington Northern.
Another segment, between Avoca and Hancock was abandoned in 1979, as the Rock Island began to go bankrupt.
The Oakland to Hancock segment was purchased by Iowa Interstate in 1982, along with the Rock Island mainline.
Segments from Henderson to Carson, and from Sidney to Randolph were abandoned by Burlington Northern in 1972.
In 1980, the Hastings to Randolph and Hastings to Henderson segments would be abandoned.
Today, little remains of this line. Iowa Interstate uses the remaining portion as car storage.
06/26/21
This beautiful through truss bridge crosses the W. Nishnabotna River south of Avoca.
The bridge sits on private land. After the rails were removed, a local farmer purchased the spans to access his fields.
Currently, bridge is comprised of a single Quadrangular Through Truss span with riveted connections. This span features a very lightweight construction, with typical portals seen on Lassig Bridge & Iron Works structures. In addition, the structure is approached by wooden trestle on either side and sits on timber pile substructures.
Unfortunately, the history of the bridge is largely unknown. It appears this span dates to approximately 1885, as it is lighter than a typical 1890s truss of this design. It is also likely that it was moved from another location, possibly after a replacement or double tracking project.
Regardless, this bridge appears to be in good condition.
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the old design of the truss. This bridge should be preserved at all costs.
The photo above is looking north across the bridge. It was accessed by asking permission from the owner at the end of Sycamore Road.
A special thank you is in order to the owner, who allowed me to access this bridge!