BNSF Grand River Bridge (Snyder, Old)

Name	BNSF Grand River Bridge (Snyder, Old) Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge #369C
Built By	Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York
Length	447 Feet Total, 149 Foot Spans
Width	2 Tracks
Height Above Ground	25 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Pratt Through Truss
Substructure Design	Concrete
Date Built	1910
Date Replaced	2017
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge has been Replaced)
Current Status	Replaced by a new bridge
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge Number	369C
BNSF Railway Bridge Number	369.9
Significance	Moderate 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 between Snyder and Bosworth, this large through truss bridge once crossed the Grand River. The first bridge at this location reportedly consisted of 164-foot pin-connected Pratt through truss spans, fabricated by the Edge Moor Bridge Works in 1887. In 1910, that bridge would be replaced with three double track 149-foot, 7-panel pin-connected Pratt through truss spans, set onto concrete substructures. It is believed that one of the old spans was used for an overpass near Bosworth, while another span was potentially used for an overpass in Sibley. The 1910 bridge utilized a standard Santa Fe design, with heavy members, pinned connections, an M-frame portal bracing and a channel style ballast floor. This design of bridge was the most commonly used type of through truss in the 1890s and 1900s, as it provided an easy to design, durable and economical span. Due to the aging nature of the bridge and closely spaced piers, the bridge was replaced by a 270-foot truss span in 2017. This bridge was documented during the replacement process, immediately prior to the new truss being installed. The bridge was accessed with permission from a construction worker at the site. Overall, the bridge appeared to be in fair condition at the time of replacement. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.

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

BNSF Grand River Bridge (Snyder, Old)

Snyder, Chariton County, Missouri

To

Bosworth, Carroll County, Missouri