By 1880, the Des Moines & Knoxville would complete the line a remaining 32 miles to Des Moines. Both routes became part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.
CB&Q had built a number of routes throughout southern Iowa. In 1968, a new Des Moines River crossing opened near Runnells, and the CB&Q route into Des Moines was abandoned. In 1970, they merged with Great Northern and Northern Pacific to form Burlington Northern.
By 1996, the BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe to form BNSF Railway, who currently operates this route as the Des Moines Subdivision.
10/24/21
Located near Harvey, this large through girder bridge is the middle crossing of English Creek.
The through girder was originally built in 1898 over a small overflow in rural Lewis County, Missouri on the mainline between Burlington and St. Louis. In 1916, the Lewis County bridge was filled, and the girder moved here. In addition, the bridge is approached by trestle on either side.
In addition, the girder also saw floor renovations in 2016, which involved replacing the stringers.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. The piers of the bridge are unusual, as they are a shape more commonly seen on highways.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.