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New Franklin Trail Bridge

Parker Pony Truss Bridge over Bonne Femme Creek
New Franklin, Howard County, Missouri

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name New Franklin Trail Bridge
Built By Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway
Contractor A&P Roberts Company of Pencoyd, Pennsylvania
Currently Owned By State of Missouri
Length 100 Feet Total
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Parker Pony Truss
Substructure Type Stone Masonry and Concrete
Date Built 1897
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rails to Trails
Significance Moderate Significance
Documentation Date October 2016


This beautiful Parker Pony Truss sits hidden in the woods in New Franklin, Missouri. It crosses Bonne Femme Creek.
Built in 1897, it likely replaced a wooden trestle bridge. This structure is similar to many other pony trusses along the former MKT lines.
The bridge features 7 panels of riveted Parker Pony Truss. It rests on concrete and stone abutments. It is one of the shorter pony truss spans along the Katy Trail.

The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the common design in Missouri. Despite this, the bridge is still a significant example of a relatively rare type of railroad truss.
The photo above is looking west along the bridge.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Missing A&P Roberts Company plaque
Contractor Missing A&P Roberts Company plaque
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele