CB&Q - Republican River Bridge

This is one of those bridges that truly has to be seen in person to fully appreciate. It has a lot of really interesting details as John mentioned. I really hope this one does not get demolished.

This is an absolutely stunning example of a standard through truss design for the CB&Q railroad. It's unfortunate this one will likely never be opened to pedestrians, as the location would make it an excellent spot for an overlook on the river. It is apparent that the bridge is also a local gathering spot, with beat down trails and trash scattered everywhere on both sides. The bridge features the "double pinned" lower connections typically seen on 1880s and early 1890s railroad bridges. The use of concrete for substructures is highly unusual for this time period, although not completely unheard of.

I field visited this bridge this afternoon (08/22/2017). It is still the same awesome bridge. I didn't stop for photos as locals were having a gathering on the bridge.

This one is becoming even more overgrown than it used to be. I would recommend visiting in the winter - or at least not in the summer.

Mr. Marsh is correct. The webmaster did state his preference after we punted the football to him. It looks like the entry has been changed back to his preference - the local name in scare quotes.

CB&Q "U.P. Crossing" works for me.

I insist that there be a hyphen after the "A"!

Didn't the owner of the site state his preference for the name in the comments below?

This bridge may have set a record for number of name changes. I would like to suggest that we call it the abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz - Republican River Bridge.

The same plan was used for a single span over Salt Creek in Ashland, Nebraska (abanonded 1982, removed 1984) on the former CB&Q Schuyler branch, and three spans of the Platte River bridge on the same branch just south of Schuyler (abandoned 1941, removed 1942 when the branch was shortened to end at Prague).

I think that is probably the best way to handle it. Good thought.

When in doubt, I always choose the most commonly used local name. Recognizing that the name is a misnomer, though, I've changed it to use scare-quotes, like this: Republican River "U.P. Crossing" Bridge

Why don't we compromise and just punt this one to the webmaster?

I realize that UP did not build the bridge, but locals call it the UP Crossing.

I am very much against using reporting marks on bridge names because they are not going to turn up in most keyword searches.

Put yourself in the shoes of a researcher for a minute. Most researchers (save for true rail fans) will not know the reporting marks nor use them as keywords. They will however know the river crossed, the local name, and other information.

Technical details can be put in the appropriate categories. But, let's use the common name even if it is not technically correct.

Hi, everyone. Just a note about the name debate. Indeed, this bridge was neither owned nor operated by the Union Pacific Railroad at any time. It was in fact the bridge just to the south of this one, known locally as the 'Republican River Pegram Truss', which was built for the Junction City and Fort Kearney Railroad in 1893, acquired by the Union Pacific in 1899 and operated by the UPRR until the line was abandoned in 1933. Hope this helps! :)

Sources:

1. http://www.abandonedrails.com/Junction_City_and_Fort_Kearney...

2. http://skyways.lib.ks.us/orgs/svha/history/ref_com_theme/07_...

3. http://historicaerials.com/

Luke:

We are in complete agreement about this except I think that U.P Crossing should remain as the main name. Republican River Bridge is already listed as an alternate name.

I have been wanting standarized categories for years on here, but I have been content to let the railfans determine exactly what the name should be.

Regardless of which railroad ran where, this bridge is known locally as the U.P. Crossing or U.P. Bridge. I have changed the name of this bridge back to reflect that. Even if the local term is not exact, it needs to be reflected in the name on this site.

I am not certain if this bridge (1894) is constructed of wrought iron or steel. The metal shows surprisingly little section loss, which is remarkable considering that the bridge is over 110 years old and has been abandoned for many years.

I was just getting off of it a few years ago and a deputy told me you're not supposed to go on it...so be careful and feign ignorance.

Oops, I guess you had mentioned when the bridge was abandoned. I did not read carefully enough, sorry.

Interesting, this bridge is often simply referred to as the "UP Crossing", even an old sign refers to it as such. Perhaps this is a misnomer. Thanks for mentioning the easy access. There is even a small "parking area" at the east end of the bridge. Does anybody know aproximately when this bridge was abandoned?

Robert

This bridge was actually a CB&Q railroad bridge, not UP. It was on the branch line that left the main west of Odell, Nebraska and ended at Concordia, Kansas. This bridge saw activity until 1983-1984. I was young at the time but remember driving across the Pelgram Truss Bridge (only about a quarter mile away) to see trains go across this one. There is excellent easy access from the road.