logo

BNSF Sugar Creek Bridge (Dahinda)

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over Sugar Creek
Dahinda, Knox County, Illinois

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name BNSF Sugar Creek Bridge (Dahinda)
Built By Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
Contractor (1897 Span) American Bridge Works of Chicago
Currently Owned By BNSF Railway
Length 65 Feet Total
Width 2 Tracks
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Fabricated (One Span) 1897
Original Location (One Span) Bridge #421 over Bridge Creek; Baring, Missouri
Date Built 1910
Traffic Count 75 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
BNSF Bridge Number 163.32
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date April 2017


Located west of Dahinda, this deck girder bridge crosses Sugar Creek next to Pumping Station Road.
Built in 1910 during a double tracking project, this bridge features a single deck girder span, set onto concrete substructures.
One of the two tracks was reportedly relocated from a bridge near Baring, Missouri in 1907 and stored before finally being placed. That span was built in 1897.
It is surprising that a secondhand span would be used for a mainline. However, the railroad believed that there was more life in a 10 year old girder span.
Girders were oftentimes used for small spans, due to the ease of construction.
While the bridge lies along Pumping Station Road, the road is closed immediately west of Sugar Creek and posted with no trespassing signs.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition.

The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway 1937 Bridge Book
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele