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| Name | NYC Trenkle Slough Bridge New York Central Railroad Bridge #315 |
| Built By | New York Central Railroad |
| Currently Owned By | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Substructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Length | 98 Feet Total, 44 Foot Main Span |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 15 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder |
| Substructure Design | Concrete |
| Date Fabricated | c. 1900 (Center Span) c. 1900 (Outer Spans) |
| Date Erected | 1919 |
| Original Location (Center Span) | Unknown |
| Original Location (Outer Spans) | Unknown |
| Traffic Count | 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Abandoned) |
| Current Status | Abandoned |
| New York Central Railroad Bridge Number | 315 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 11/6/2022 |
In 1869, the Indianapolis, Crawfordsville & Danville Railroad constructed 85 miles of new railroad, extending from Indianapolis, Indiana to Danville, Illinois. At the same time, the Danville, Urbana, Bloomington & Pekin Railroad Company (DUB&P) constructed 117 miles of new railroad, connecting Danville with Pekin, Illinois. The two lines operated jointly, connecting the railroad hub of Indianapolis with the Illinois River at Pekin. The two railroads were reorganized as the Peoria & Eastern Railway (P&E) in 1890. The P&E was affiliated with the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway, known as the Big Four. This route provided the Big Four with a crucial branch line to reach the Peoria area, which provided an inland port connection (via the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers) for the railroad. The route also connected to many other moderate sized cities in Illinois, such as Danville, Champaign-Urbana and Bloomington. The Big Four came under the control of the New York Central Railroad (NYC) in 1906. The NYC was controlled by railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, and operated an extensive network of railroad lines in the eastern United States. The P&E formally merged into the Big Four in 1913, and the Big Four was operated as a separate entity from the NYC until approximately 1930.
This route was maintained by the NYC, and the parallel Lake Erie & Western Railroad (LE&W), which was controlled by NYC, was sold to the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate) in 1922. While the LE&W route did not connect with Indianapolis, the two routes interchanged at Bloomington. In 1968, NYC merged with rival Pennsylvania Railroad to form Penn
Central Railroad. The Penn Central Railroad was short lived, as it was
plagued by operations issues stemming from the merger of the two
systems. The railroad filed for bankruptcy in 1974, and many of the lines were
reorganized into Conrail. Conrail was formed by the Federal Government
to take over profitable lines of multiple bankrupt railroad companies in
the eastern United States. A short segment in Indianapolis would not be included in Conrail, and would be abandoned. The section between Crawfordsville, Indiana and Olin, Indiana would be abandoned in 1982, followed by the section from Bloomington to Pekin in 1984. In 1997, Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation agreed to
purchase the bankrupt Conrail System. CSX took control of the remaining
portions of the line between Indianapolis and Crawfordsville and between Bloomington and Olin, and NS took control of the line between Champaign and Danville. The section between Danville and Urbana would be abandoned in 1999, and the segment to Olin would be sold to the Vermillion Valley Railroad in 2003. Today, CSX operates the Indianapolis to Crawfordsville portion as the Crawfordsville Branch. Norfolk Southern operates the Urbana to Mansfield portion of the line as the Mansfield Branch. Between Mansfield and Bloomington, the line is out of service, but has not been formally abandoned. Negotiations were underway to acquire the right-of-way for trail use. The Vermillion Valley Railroad continues to operate a short segment east of Danville.
Located along US Route 150 between Farmer City and Mansfield, this unusual deck plate girder bridge carries the former New York Central Railroad over Trenkle Slough. Little is known about the history of this bridge. It is believed the first bridge at this location was a timber pile trestle, constructed when the line was built. In 1919, the bridge was rebuilt with a three span deck plate girder bridge, set onto new concrete substructures. The bridge consists of a 44-foot and two 27-foot deck plate girder spans, set onto concrete substructures. All three deck plate girder spans use four girder lines, and all components of the substructure appear to have been relocated here from an unknown location. The two 27-foot spans each use a typical design, including shallow girders. These spans were constructed by adding two additional girders, which are spaced somewhat unevenly. Empty rivet holes indicate that the interior bracing of these spans was rebuilt when the additional girders were constructed. The center span uses an unusually shallow design, with the additional girders spaced more evenly.
All three spans appear to have originally been fabricated in approximately 1900, and were likely rebuilt with additional girder lines upon relocation here. The superstructure was fabricated by unknown contractors, and the substructures are also believed to have been constructed by an unknown contractor. Railroads often were creative in reusing steel bridge spans, as it allowed for a cost effective way to strengthen and repair bridges. Combining girder spans to form "twinned" or double strength spans was a common technique to provide a durable and strong span, without requiring significant amounts of new material. Since the last reconstruction, the bridge has largely been unchanged. It appears the west pier began to sink at some point, and timber blocks were used to keep the bridge intact. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with some deterioration noted throughout the structure. The timber risers on the west pier appear to be largely hollow, and will likely need to be replaced in the near future to avoid damage to the superstructure. Repairs were made during the 20th Century, encasing the lower portions of the west pier. Currently, the bridge is out of service, although it continues to be owned by Norfolk Southern Railway. There have been talks of turning this line into a trail. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design and unknown history.
Citations
| Erection date | Date stamp |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |