At the same time, the Des Moines, Indianola and Missouri Railroad built a 21 mile route from Des Moines, to Indianola, Iowa.
This mainline connected critical towns in North Central Missouri, such as Trenton and Princeton. It also continued to Davenport, Iowa on the east.
By 1876, the DMI&M became a part of the Iowa Southern and Missouri Northern Railroad, becoming a part of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific in 1880. The C&SW followed suit in 1878.
While effective at transferring goods and customers from Eastern Iowa to St. Joseph, the railroad failed to connect Des Moines or Kansas City.
In 1911, the St. Paul and Kansas City Short Line Railroad made a connection from Carlisle, Iowa to Allerton, Iowa. This line would be completed by 1913.
While an independent railroad on paper, the Short Line was actually operated by the Rock Island. Another extension would be made in 1931, connecting to Kansas City from a junction point near Jamesport, Missouri.
Two uses of the Chicago, Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific tracks were required; both from Polo to Lawson, and from Mosby to Kansas City.
The Short Line would be fully absorbed by 1948. The Rock Island operated this route as a critical mainline. Further extensions to the north fully connected Kansas City and Saint Paul with a direct route.
The Rock Island oftentimes had financial issues. By 1980, the deterioration and severity of these issues led to an abandonment.
The redeeming factor for the line was an interest by Chicago & North Western Railway, who wanted a more reliable route to Kansas City from Des Moines.
In June of 1983, the C&NW acquired the line and began reconstructing it to meet operational standards. By 1995, the C&NW became a part of the Union Pacific Railroad.
Presently, this route is operated as the Union Pacific Trenton Subdivision, and is a mainline between Kansas City and Iowa.
12/03/21
View an article about the construction of this route.
Located south of Carlisle, this large deck girder bridge crosses the Middle River.
Built in 1912, the bridge consists of four standard deck girder spans, set onto concrete substructures. It is unknown if these spans were originally built here, or if they were moved from elsewhere, as some other bridges on this line were.
Girder bridges like these are common in multiple span structures to cross larger rivers and streams.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significance, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.