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| Name | BNSF County 221 Bridge Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge #372D |
| Built By | Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway |
| Currently Owned By | BNSF Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor | American Bridge Company of New York |
| Length | 42 Feet Total |
| Width | 2 Tracks |
| Height Above Ground | 15 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder (South Track) Through Plate Girder (North Track) |
| Substructure Design | Stone Masonry (South Track) Concrete (North Track) |
| Date Built | 1903 (South Track) 1910 (North Track) |
| Traffic Count | 60 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge Number | 372D |
| BNSF Railway Bridge Number | 372.5 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 8/26/2017 |
In 1873, the Chicago, Pekin & Southwestern Railway (CP&SW) began construction on 52 miles of new railroad, extending from Pekin to Pekin Junction, Illinois and from Eureka, Illinois to Ancona, Illinois. At the same time, the Chicago & Illinois River Railroad (C&IR) began construction on a 28 mile spur from Coal City, Illinois to Streator, Illinois, but work was soon ceased. The CP&SW purchased the incomplete line from Gorman to Streator, and connected it to Ancona. The CP&SW was purchased by the Chicago, St. Louis & Western Railroad in 1881, which constructed an additional 60 miles into Chicago, opening in 1884. The railroad was reorganized into the Chicago & St. Louis Railway (C&StL) in 1886. By the mid-1880s, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) was contemplating on extending their network from Kansas City, Missouri to Chicago, where the railroad could interchange with other large railroads. In 1887, the Chicago, California & Santa Fe Railway (CC&SF) began construction on 350 miles of new railroad, extending from Ancona to Sugar Creek Junction, near Kansas City. Work would be completed in 1888. The portion of the line from Ancona to Chicago would be reconstructed at this time to meet new standards.
The new line featured the most direct railroad route between the two cities, crossing the Mississippi River at Fort Madison, Iowa; and the Missouri River at Sibley, Iowa. The new line was leased to the ATSF in 1888, and fully absorbed into the ATSF in 1900. The line immediately became a core line for the ATSF, serving as part of the principal mainline (Chicago to Los Angeles) for the ATSF. During the first decade of the 20th Century, the Kansas City to Chicago line was extensively rebuilt for double track use. Due to dwindling traffic, the route from Ancona to Pekin was abandoned in 1983 and 1984. In 1996, the ATSF was merged into Burlington Northern Railroad to form BNSF Railway. Today, BNSF operates this line as the Chillicothe Subdivision and the Marceline Subdivision. The line continues to be one of the heaviest used railroad routes in the Midwest.
Located east of the small town of Bosworth, this girder bridge carries the BNSF mainline across Carroll County Road 221 and an unnamed creek. The bridge at this location was initially built in 1903, using a 42-foot "Class A" deck plate girder span, set onto stone abutments. In 1910, the line in this area was double tracked, and a 42-foot "Class DD" through plate girder span would be added to the north side of the bridge. The 1910 span would be set onto concrete abutments, and would be constructed using a floor with numerous parallel floorbeams. Both spans were fabricated by American Bridge Company, which fabricated a large number of bridges for the ATSF during the early 20th Century. In addition, both spans utilize a ballast deck, standard for the ATSF. At this location the north track (westbound mainline) is significantly lower than the south track (eastbound mainline). As the ATSF constructed a second track between Chicago and Kansas City, the railroad often widened the existing bridges instead of completely reconstructing them. This often led to a mix of designs within a single bridge. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. A number of repairs have been made to the bridge, including a concrete encasement of portion of the stone abutments. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
Citations
| Build dates | Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge Records; Part of Railroad & Heritage Museum Fred M. and Dale M. Springer Archive; Temple, Texas |
| Builder | American Bridge Company plaque |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |