Mopac Trail East - Stove Creek Bridge

Elmwood, Cass County, Nebraska

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Name	Mopac Trail East - Stove Creek Bridge Missouri Pacific Railroad Bridge #17
Built By	Missouri Pacific Railroad
Currently Owned By	Lower Platte South Natural Resources District
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	120 Feet Total, 30 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Steel Stringer and Timber Pile Trestle
Substructure Design	Concrete Pile and Timber Pile
Date Built	c. 1940
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status	Open to Trail Traffic
Missouri Pacific Railroad Bridge Number	17
Significance	Minimal Significance
Documentation Date	10/7/2019

In 1882, the Missouri Pacific Railway (MP) constructed a series of branch lines, extending west from Union, Nebraska. Lincoln, Nebraska was reached the same year. MP had amassed a large amount of railroad lines, primarily throughout Missouri and Kansas. The MP would be reorganized in 1909 and again 1917, becoming the Missouri Pacific Railroad. This line served as the primary connection to Lincoln for the MP, and was classified as a branch line. The MP was merged into the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982. A portion of the route from Weeping Water to Lincoln was abandoned in approximately 1985, and later converted to the Mopac Trail. Today, UP continues to operate the route between Union and Weeping Water as the Weeping Water Industrial Lead.

Located in Elmwood, this small steel stringer bridge carries the Mopac Trail East across Stove Creek. Built in approximately 1940 to replace a timber trestle, the bridge consists of a single 30-foot steel stringer span, set onto concrete pile piers. The bridge is approached by timber pile trestle spans on either end. This style of bridge was commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as it was durable and easy to construct. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked the bridge as being minimally significant, due to the common design.