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Name	Rock Island Trail - Crawford Creek Bridge (West) Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Bridge #2542
Built By	Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
Currently Owned By	Missouri State Parks
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York (Deck Girders) Unknown (Through Girder)
Length	165 Feet Total, 45 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Through Plate Girder and Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Steel Pile
Date Fabricated	c. 1910 (Through Girder) c. 1920 (Deck Girders)
Date Erected	c. 1975
Original Location	Unknown (Through Girder) Unknown (Deck Girders)
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Open to Pedestrian Traffic)
Current Status	Open to Pedestrian Traffic
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Bridge Number	2542
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	11/9/2019

In 1888, the Kansas City Rock Island Railway (KCRI) constructed 16 miles of new railroad, extending from Forsyth Junction to Creve Coeur, Missouri. At the same time, the St. Louis, Kansas City and Colorado Railroad (StLKC&C) extended the line to Union, Missouri. Between 1902 and 1904, the StLKC&C would construct a line from Union to Strasburg, Missouri; where it connected to a line constructed by the KCRI the same year. Both railroads were merged into the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway in 1905. The Rock Island had acquired and constructed a network of railroads throughout the Midwest, and this line served to connect the two largest cities in Missouri, and expand the reach of the Rock Island into St. Louis. After World War II, the Rock Island struggled to survive, proposing mergers and deferring maintenance on their routes. The Rock Island struggled to compete with a stronger and better constructed Union Pacific system. By 1964, the Rock Island began attempts to merge with Union Pacific, and restructure railroads west of the Mississippi River. This merger was eventually denied, and Rock Island turned its last profit in 1965. In the mid-1970s, the railroad was in serious decline. The railroad received loans to attempt to fix slow orders, received new equipment and turn a profit. By 1978, the railroad came close to profit, but creditors were lobbying for a complete shutdown of the Rock Island. During the fall of 1979, a strike crippled the railroad, and by January of 1980, the entire system was ordered to be shut down and liquidated. Many of the lines and equipment were scrapped. Profitable sections of railroad were prepared for sale. This line was sold to the St. Louis & Southwestern Railway (S&SW) in 1980. No trains ever operated over much of this route under the S&SW, and trains were limited to a short segment to Owensville, Missouri. and the S&SW was merged into the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in 1992. SP became part of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1996. UP sold the line west of Union to Amaren, a utility company in 1996, and leased the remainder to the Central Midland Railway. A portion in Jackson and Cass County, Missouri was converted to the Rock Island Trail in 2016, and the remainder of the line from Windsor to Union was donated to Missouri State Parks in 2019. Development of the trail is ongoing. The Missouri Eastern Railroad now operates the segment to Union.

Located south of Strasburg, this deck plate girder bridge carries the Rock Island Trail across the western channel of Crawford Creek, east of Dillon Road. The first bridge at this location was a timber pile trestle. By approximately 1975, the bridge had significantly deteriorated, and the current bridge would be constructed. The bridge consists of a 45-foot through plate girder span, approached by two 40-foot deck plate girder spans on the east end and one 40-foot deck plate girder span on the west end. The entire bridge is set onto steel pile and concrete cap substructures. All four of the spans were relocated to this location from other bridges. The through girder has a faded Rock Island herald, and appears to be a standard design, dating to approximately 1910. The deck plate girders all have missing plaques, and appear to be a standard Rock Island design used in the 1920s. Stenciling on the easternmost span lists the number "7598", possibly indicating where this span came from. This design of bridge was used extensively, both along this line and by railroads throughout the United States, as it was durable and easy to construct. The bridge was repaired and reused as part of the Rock Island Trail in 2016. At the time of conversion to a trail, a new concrete deck and decorative handrails were added to the bridge. 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.

Rock Island Trail - Crawford Creek Bridge (West)

Strasburg, Cass County, Missouri