BNSF Roys Creek Bridge (Parkville)

Name	BNSF Roys Creek Bridge (Parkville) Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Bridge #12.75
Built By	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	46 Feet
Width	2 Tracks, 1 In Use
Height Above Ground	5 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Through Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Concrete
Date Built	1908
Traffic Count	15 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Bridge Number	12.75
BNSF Railway Bridge Number	12.75
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	9/22/2018

In 1859, the Council Bluffs and St. Joseph Railroad Company (CB&StJ) began construction on 51 miles of new railroad, extending from Council Bluffs, Iowa to the Missouri State Line near Hamburg, Iowa. At the same time, the Platte County Railroad (PCR) began construction on 35 miles of new railroad, extending from St. Joseph, Missouri to Weston, Missouri. Work on this section was completed in 1861. In 1863, the Missouri Valley Railroad (MVR) began construction on an additional 25 miles of railroad, extending from North Kansas City to Winthrop, completing this segment in 1867. The same year, the MVR acquired the Platte County Railroad, and the CB&StJ began construction on an additional 81 miles of railroad, extending from the State Line to St. Joseph, Missouri. Work on the first section of the CB&StJ would be completed in 1868, and work on the second section would be completed in 1869. The MVR and CB&StJ consolidated to form the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad (KCStJ&CB) in 1870.

By 1901, railroads throughout the United States were consolidating. The KCStJ&CB would be acquired by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in 1901. The CB&Q had acquired and constructed a large railroad network throughout the Midwest, and this route provided a direct connection between Kansas City and Council Bluffs/Omaha. Double tracking of the Napier to Kansas City segment of the line began in 1908, including segments from Kansas City to Waldron, Weston to Armour, St. Joseph to Nodaway and Curzions to Napier. Further double tracking would be completed in the 1910s and 1920s, including segments from Nodaway to Forbes in 1913, Forbes to Curzions in 1917, Waldron to Beverly in 1920, Beverly to Weston in 1922, and Iatan to St. Joseph segment at an unknown date. Much of the second track was removed in the late 1950s, after this segment of line became of reduced importance after the CB&Q constructed a new cutoff line from Brookfield to Kansas City. CB&Q merged with Northern Pacific Railway and Great Northern Railway to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) in 1970. In 1996, BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway, the current owner of this line. The North Kansas City to Napier segment forms the southern half of the St. Joseph Subdivision, and the Napier to Pacific Junction, Iowa segment forms the Napier Subdivision. The Pacific Junction to Council Bluffs segment of this line is part of the Council Bluffs Subdivision.

Located west of Parkville, this through plate girder bridge crosses Roy's Creek along River Road. The previous bridge at this location was likely a wooden trestle. In 1908, the bridge would be reconstructed during a double tracking project. Initially, the bridge consisted of a 46-foot through plate girder span, set onto concrete substructures. The girder span utilizes features typical of a CB&Q bridge, including a ballast deck and deep tapered edges. Also typical of this design, the floor of the bridge is constructed using a series of parallel floorbeams, connected to the girders. The second track was removed at this location in 1958, and the ballast deck removed from the bridge. This design of bridge was commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as it was durable and easy to construct. A second bridge was added to the south face of this bridge in 2005 as part of a project to reconstruct the double track. It is likely that the former second track was not reused due to concerns with loading. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Build date	Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Valuation Summary at the Newberry Library
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

BNSF Roys Creek Bridge (Parkville)

Parkville, Platte County, Missouri