Shady Rest Railroad Bridge

Located west of White Heath in Shady Rest, this historic through truss bridge once carried the Illinois Central Railroad over the Sangamon River. It is believed that the first bridge at this location was a timber pile trestle, constructed when the line was first built. In 1891, this bridge and another nearby bridge were replaced with new steel through truss spans, set onto stone substructures. The new bridge retained a lengthy pile trestle approach on the west end to accommodate overflow from flooding of the Sangamon River. The pile trestle approach was last renewed in 1957, giving the bridge its current configuration. Currently, the bridge consists of a 158-foot 6-inch, 8-panel, pin-connected Pratt through truss span, approached by a lengthy timber pile trestle approach on the west end. The east abutment and one pier are constructed of cut limestone, which was quarried at an unknown location. Pencoyd Iron Works fabricated the superstructure, while the stonework was completed by an unknown contractor. Since the initial construction, the truss has seen only minor repairs, which appear to include the replacement of the lower lateral bracing with higher strength steel.

The main span of the bridge is lightly constructed, and uses a fairly ornate design for the era. Vertical members consist of built-up beams, while the tension members consist of solid eyebars. The floor is traditionally composed, consisting of plate girder floor beams and four stringers, which are set slightly above the lower chord. The upper chord and endposts both consist of built-up beams, while the lower chord consists of eyebars. The second from the end lower connections use a double connection, a feature seen on some 1880s and 1890s truss bridges. Typical of some truss bridges from this era, the portal bracing uses a crested lattice design, with heel bracing consisting of curved lattice bracing. The sway bracing of the bridge uses a thin lattice beam, and the upper lateral bracing is constructed of slender rods. Many of these features were standard on Pencoyd Iron Works bridges. This company constructed a handful of truss spans for the Illinois Central, although it does not appear this company was the preferred contractor of this railroad. Other railroads, particularly in the eastern United States, used bridges constructed by this company much more extensively.

Pratt trusses became popular in the second half of the 19th Century, as the design was simple, strong and easy to construct. Many of these spans constructed in the 1880s and early 1890s used a variety of decorative features, which both enhanced the appearance of the structure and provided greater strength. Overall, the truss span and stonework appears to be in good condition, while the approach has severely deteriorated since the abandonment. The original ties throughout the bridge are in extremely poor condition, with many rotted completely through. After abandonment, the right-of-way and structure was purchased by environmentalist and preservationist David Monk with the intention of developing a nature trail. These plans were never realized before his death in 2022, and the land has sat unused since. Currently, new plans to develop the right-of-way into a trail are being proposed, and it is believed that the truss span will be reused as part of the trail. It is unknown if the timber approach will be reused, or if it will be replaced by modern spans. The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the attractive truss design and age.