Pine Street Overpass (Melvern)

Melvern, Osage County, Kansas

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Name	Pine Street Overpass (Melvern) Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge #79.7
Built By	Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
Currently Owned By	City of Melvern
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	140 Feet Total
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	22 Feet
Superstructure Design	Pratt Through Truss
Substructure Design	Concrete
Date Built	1909, Using a Span Fabricated c. 1890
Original Location	Unknown
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Open to Pedestrian Traffic)
Current Status	Open to Pedestrian Traffic
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge Number	79B
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge Number	79.7
Significance	Regional Significance
Documentation Date	9/3/2016

In 1870, the Kansas City and Santa Fe Railroad and Telegraph Company (KCSFRT) began construction on a 32 mile railroad line between Olathe, Kansas and North Ottawa, Kansas. In 1871, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad (ATSF) continued construction of the line westwards towards Newton, Kansas. In 1879, the Cowley, Sumner and Fort Smith Railroad (CS&FS) completed a disconnected segment, 44 miles in length, between Mulvane, Kansas and Caldwell, Kansas. In 1882, the Kansas City and Olathe Railroad completed a 10 mile line, connecting Olathe to Holliday, Kansas; where an existing ATSF mainline had previously been constructed. This route would immediately be leased to the Southern Kansas Railway (SK). The CS&FS would be consolidated into the Wichita and Southwestern Railway (W&SW) in 1882. In 1883 and 1884, the ATSF would construct an additional 54 miles of railroad for the Kansas City and Emporia Railroad (KC&E) from North Ottawa to Emporia, Kansas. The KCSFRT was sold several times, eventually becoming part of the SK in 1885. The KC&E would also become part of the SK in 1885. In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas & Western Railway (CK&W) constructed an additional 20 miles from Mulvane to Augusta, Kansas, as well as a short segment from Ellinor to Bazaar, Kansas. The CK&W was leased by the ATSF in 1889. The W&SW and SK would be leased by the ATSF in 1899, and all three railroads were consolidated into the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) in 1901.

The ATSF had acquired and constructed a large number of railroad lines throughout the western United States, particularly in Kansas and Oklahoma. This line served as a portion of the principal mainline between Chicago, Kansas City and the West Coast. In addition, this line connected to numerous other ATSF lines, and would quickly become one of the heaviest used lines in Kansas. The entire line from Holliday to Ellinor was double tracked between 1905 and 1910. In 1922, the Eldorado & Santa Fe Railway would complete a connection between El Dorado, Kansas and Bazaar, Kansas. This railroad would be consolidated into the ATSF in 1942. The ATSF would merge with Burlington Northern Railroad in 1996 to form BNSF Railway, the current owner of this line. The Holliday to Wellington segment of this line is operated as the Emporia Subdivision.

Located in the town of Melvern, this historic through truss bridge once carried Pine Street over the BNSF Railway. The bridge was constructed in 1909, as the ATSF double tracked the line through the area. The bridge consists of a single 140-foot 7-panel pin-connected Pratt through truss span, set onto concrete abutments. The truss appears to have originally been fabricated in approximately 1890, for railroad use at an unknown location. When the span was relocated, it was partially rebuilt, as evidenced by empty rivet holes, weld marks and cut portions of the floor system. The truss utilizes a design typical of ATSF trusses from the era, including a double intersection lattice portal, subdivided heel bracings, and vertical members constructed of lightly built up members. This particular design was a standard medium sized truss for the ATSF, and was utilized from the late 1880s through the early 1890s. During the mid-1890s, the ATSF developed a similar standard design, using heavier members.

Railroads often were creative in reusing scrap and spare bridge spans. When a bridge was no longer adequite for one location, it could feasibly be moved and occasionally rebuilt to serve traffic at another location. Numerous overpasses throughout the United States utilized old railroad spans, as they provided more than enough loading capacity for wagon, and later automobile traffic. This particular span may have been part of the original mainline through the area, or may have been relocated from elsewhere on the ATSF system. When the truss was installed here, a wooden deck was added to the existing floor system. A similar truss once carried Main Street over the ATSF west of here, but it was later replaced. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration to the superstructure noted. The bridge now serves as a pedestrian path and overlook for rail fans. The author has ranked the bridge as being regionally significant, due to the relocation history and older design.

Citations

Build date	Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge Records; Part of Railroad & Heritage Museum Fred M. and Dale M. Springer Archive; Temple, Texas
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele