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| Name | NS Drummer Creek Bridge Norfolk Southern Railway Bridge #340.43 |
| Built By | New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad |
| Currently Owned By | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Substructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Length | 75 Feet Total |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 15 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Through Plate Girder |
| Substructure Design | Concrete |
| Date Built | 1948 |
| Date Replaced | 2024 |
| Traffic Count | 5 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Lake Erie & Western Railroad Bridge Number | 826 |
| Norfolk Southern Railway Bridge Number | 340.43 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 11/6/2022 |
In 1872, the LaFayette, Muncie and Bloomington Railroad (LM&B) constructed 36 miles of new railroad, extending from Lafayette, Indiana to the Illinois/Indiana State Line. At the same time, the LaFayette, Bloomington and Mississippi Railway (LB&M) constructed an additional 80 miles of railroad to Bloomington, Illinois. The two railroads would be reorganized into the Lake Erie and Western Railway Company in 1879. The railroad would be reorganized as the Lake Erie and Western Railroad (LE&W) in 1887, and the following year completed a 36 mile extension from Bloomington to Peoria, Illinois.
The LE&W had acquired a modest railroad network, with several lines throughout Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. This line served as the mainline for the railroad, connecting Lake Erie at Sandusky, Ohio to the Illinois River at Peoria. The LE&W came under the control of the New York Central Railroad (NYC) in 1900, and was sold to the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate) in 1922. This line served as a secondary line for the Nickel Plate, running roughly parallel to the Nickel Plate line between Lake Erie and St. Louis. In 1964, the Nickel Plate merged with the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W), which merged with the Southern Railway in 1982 to form Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). NS abandoned the segment between Gibson City and Cheneyville in 1986, and sold the Cheneyville to Lafayette segment to the Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern Railroad (KBSR) in 1991. Today, NS continues to operate the Bloomington District between Peoria and Gibson City, and the KBSR continues to operate the Cheneyville to Lafayette section.
Located along Illinois Route 9 on the west side of Gibson City, this through plate girder bridge once carried former Nickel Plate over Drummer Creek. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle. In 1899, the bridge would be rebuilt with a 75-foot through plate girder span, set onto concrete abutments. During the late 1940s, the Nickel Plate spent significant capital upgrading this line, replacing lighter bridges with new heavier structures. In 1948, this bridge would be reconstructed as part of that program, reusing the concrete abutments from the previous. This bridge consisted of a 75-foot through plate girder span, set onto concrete abutments. The girder span used a standard design, including a traditionally composed floor of stringers and floorbeams, and rounded girder ends. It is unknown which contractors fabricated the superstructure and constructed the abutments of the bridge. No plaques were visible on the bridge at the time of documentation. Through plate girder bridges were popular with railroads, as they were simple, durable and easy to construct. Overall, the bridge appeared to be in fair condition at the time of documentation, with no significant deterioration noted. In April 2024, the bridge would be replaced by a new bridge. During the replacement, the replacement span was accidentally dropped in the creek. The author has ranked this bridge as being minimally significant, due to the common design and newer age.
Citations
| Build date | Physical Data and Other Information of Interest; Lake Erie and Western District (1954), courtesy of the Nickel Plate Archive |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |