- 1879: 41 miles completed from Waverly to Hampton, Iowa by the Dubuque & Dakota Railroad
- 1887: Dubuque & Dakota Railroad becomes part of the Chicago, St. Paul & Kansas City Railway
- 1893: CStP&KC becomes part of the Chicago Great Western Railway
- 1902: Waverly to Hampton route sold to the CGW controlled Mason City & Fort Dodge Railway and rehabilitated
- 1902: 27 miles completed from Hampton to Clarion, Iowa by the Mason City & Fort Dodge Railway
- 1904: 29 miles completed from Waverly to Oelwein, Iowa by the Mason City & Fort Dodge Railway
- 1905: Mason City & Fort Dodge Railway changes name to the Mason City & Fort Dodge Railroad
- 1909: Chicago Great Western Railway reorganized as the Chicago Great Western Railroad
- 1940: MC&FD formally merged into the Chicago Great Western Railroad
- 1968: Chicago Great Western purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1980: Clarion to Coulter segment abandoned
- 1986: Oelwein to Shell Rock segment abandoned
- 1988: Shell Rock to Clarksville segment abandoned
- 1995: C&NW purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 1998: Clarksville to Allison segment abandoned
- 2003: Allison to Coulter segment abandoned
- 1998-Present: Rolling Prairie Trail being developed between Hampton and Waverly
08/15/21
Located in the town of Waverly, this large deck girder bridge crosses the Cedar River.
Originally built in 1903, likely to replace an older truss bridge, this structure features six spans of deck girders, arranged in a double track layout. These girders rest on stone substructures.
While many bridges were damaged or destroyed in flooding in 2008, this one survived. As a result, it is considered to be a Waverly Landmark.
Currently, the bridge is used as a trail. A small plaque on a rock near the bridge indicates the history of the bridge. It also is likely that American Bridge built the structure, although the missing plaque in the southwest corner of the bridge may possibly indicate that it was built by someone else, due to the use of four mounting holes.
Overall, the structure appears to be in fair condition. The superstructure appears to be in excellent condition, while the substructures are in rougher condition. Pier #2 (second pier from the west) appears to have begun to fail, splitting and sinking down the middle.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | Nashua Rail Bridge |
| Downstream | Janesville Railroad Bridge |