NS Grimm Road Bridge

Name	NS Grimm Road Bridge Lake Erie & Western Railroad Bridge #996
Built By	Lake Erie & Western Railroad
Currently Owned By	Norfolk Southern Railway
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	16 Feet Total
Width	1 Track (21 Feet)
Height Above Ground	11 Feet 6 Inches
Superstructure Design	Stone Arch
Substructure Design	Stone Masonry
Date Built	c. 1890
Traffic Count	2 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Lake Erie & Western Railroad Bridge Number	996
Norfolk Southern Railway Bridge Number	392.40
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	4/7/2017

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 between Goodfield and Congerville, this stone arch bridge carries the former Lake Erie & Western Railroad over Grimm Road. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle, constructed when the line was initially built. During the 1890s, the LE&W made a number of significant upgrades to this line, including replacing wooden bridges with stone and steel. It is believed that this bridge was constructed in approximately 1890. Currently, the bridge consists of a 16-foot semicircular stone arch, set onto stone substructures. The bridge was constructed for a single track, and is 21 feet wide. Typical of stone arches from this era, the bridge utilizes wing walls which extend at an angle from the structure. The bridge was constructed by an unknown contractor, and uses a blue/grey stone. Stone arches such as this were popular with railroads, as they were durable and easy to construct. Since the initial construction, the only major alteration to the bridge was the addition of concrete walls on top of the structure, likely constructed in the late 1940s. 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.

NS Grimm Road Bridge

Goodfield, Woodford County, Illinois