Historic Bridges
of the United States

Glasgow Railroad Bridge

Howard County, Missouri
and Saline County, Missouri

Overview
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Photos 

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View from north

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Close-up of main span

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Overview from northeast

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View from east

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Overview from west

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Westernmost through truss

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Oblique view of deck truss

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Close-up of deck truss

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Side view of deck truss

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East portal

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East portal looking from depot

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Oblique view of trestle

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Highway underpass

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Original underpass

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Underneath deck truss

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Underneath trestle

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East abutment

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Close-up of metal pier

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West portal

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Underneath both bridges

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West abutment

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Oblique view of trestle

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Underneath trestle

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Underneath new trestle

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Oblique view of deck truss

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Close-up of deck truss panel

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Lower joint and rollers

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Deck truss eyebar

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View from highway bridge

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HABS photo

This photo collected by the Historic American Buildings Survey shows the first bridge ca. 1880
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Postcard: West portal

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Postcard: Side view

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Rail Bridge approach side view

Gateway Western Sign on Railroad Bridge in 2008 on Saline County side approach.

Photo taken by David B. Haun

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Close up Side view rail bridge truss span

Close up side view of Glasgow rail bridge truss span.

Photo taken by David B. Haun

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Glasgow Bridges

Upstream view of the Glasgow Bridges.

Photo taken by Al Haun in May 2008 posted by David B. Haun

View high-res version

Map 

Vicinity Map

Vicinity map

Map links:

Facts 

Overview
Four-span through truss railroad bridge over the Missouri River on the Gateway Western Railroad at Glasgow
Status
Open to traffic
History
Originally built 1878-79 by Gen. William Sooy Smith as a five-span Whipple through truss and described as the world's first all-steel bridge. Replaced by a new bridge in 1900 reusing some of the substructure, but with Parker truss spans
Builder
- William Sooy Smith
Design
From west to east:
Three steel trestle spans
Four steel trestle spans replaced 1993 after flood damage
One pin-connected, 10-panel Pratt deck truss
Two pin-connected, 11-panel Parker through trusses
One pin-connected, 12-panel Parker through truss
One pin-connected, 11-panel Parker through truss
Two riveted, 8-panel double-intersection Warren deck trusses
Seven steel trestle spans
Approximate latitude, longitude
+39.22300, -92.84972   (decimal degrees)
39°13'23" N, 92°50'59" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Inventory number
BH 21656 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Chicago & Alton Railroad (1)
Glasgow, Missouri (2)
HAER documented (347)
Howard County, Missouri (27)
Missouri (2,392)
Missouri River (58)
Open (21,712)
Owned by railroad (650)
Parker truss (435)
Pin-connected (473)
Replaced superstructure (1)
Riveted (374)
Saline County, Missouri (40)
Through truss (5,357)
Truss (15,964)
William Sooy Smith (1)

Update Log 

Sources 

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Comments 

Glasgow Railroad Bridge
Posted March 15, 2008, by Mark Frazier (mfrazier [at] kc [dot] rr [dot] com)

Photographs showing the reconstruction of the bridge (span replacement) in September 1900.

Uploaded file: JPEG image data, JFIF standard 1.01, 1877022 bytes

Uploaded file: JPEG image data, JFIF standard 1.01, 2159066 bytes

Glasgow Railroad Bridge
Posted December 11, 2006, by Edward S. Gray (ed652gray [at] socket [dot] net)

Railroad Bridge at Glasgow, Missouri over the Missouri.

Current owner is the Kansas City Southern, which took over the Gateway Western Railway. Bridge was damaged in the flood of 1993 and repaired that fall.

Prior owners of the Bridge:

Kansas City Southern

Gateway Western

Chicago, Missouri and Western (went bankrupt)

Illinois Central Gulf (1972-?)

Gulf, Mobile and Ohio (1947-1972) Merged with Illinois Central

Chicago and Alton (to 1947) That's why the C & A is imprinted in the superstructure.

When the G.M. & O took over they rehab the line from Mexico, Missouri to Kansas City with money received from the Burlington (Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy RR) who received rights to send two frieght trains a day each way + one passenger train. For a while they used the Pioneer Zephyr consist that is now at the Museum of Science and Industry as the "Ozark State Zephyr). It had a special logo on the front that Alton Burlington instead of the normal Burlington Route.

Hope this helped. If I can locate it I have a picture of the repaired span (deck plate type )that has the name Gateway Western painted on it.

Best wishes,

Ed Gray

Mid-Missouri Railfan.

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