Rating:
4 votes

Henley Bridge

Miller County, Missouri
Share:

Photos 

View from a distance

This was taken from S. Neal Bottom Road, about half a mile away

Request this photo

Map 

Description 

Bridge built at Hoecker/Henley, MO in 1903 for Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific Railroad to span the Osage River. With the bankruptcy of the railroad in 1980, ownership of the line was transferred through many hands until it was sold by the Union Pacific Railroad to Ameren Corp, a St. Louis-based utility, which now owns it. Despite this, the majority of the line (including the Henley Bridge) has not been used since 1979.

Facts 

Overview
Through truss bridge over the Osage River on the Rock Island Railroad
Location
Miller County, Missouri
Status
Rail line currently out of service
History
Bridge built at Hoecker/Henley, MO in 1903 for Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific Railroad.
Design
Main span: Pin-connected, 14-panel Pennsylvania through truss
Approximate latitude, longitude
+38.33370, -92.30419   (decimal degrees)
38°20'01" N, 92°18'15" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/560812/4243069 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Saint Elizabeth
Inventory number
BH 22043 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

14-panel truss (11)
Built 1903 (268)
Built during 1900s (4,247)
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (335)
Closed (2,073)
Miller County, Missouri (28)
Missouri (4,522)
Osage River (27)
 Owned by railroad (4,046)
Pennsylvania truss (308)
Pin-connected (1,521)
Railroad (4,075)
Southern Pacific Railroad (150)
Through truss (9,210)
Truss (23,574)
Union Pacific Railroad (793)

Update Log 

  • April 2, 2013: Updated by Dylan VanAntwerp: Added categories "Southern Pacific Railroad", "Union Pacific Railroad"
  • November 22, 2012: Updated by Brian Parkinson: Description expanded.
  • February 29, 2012: Updated by John Oechsner: Added photo; Year bridge was built; Description
  • February 25, 2011: New photos from John O
  • August 21, 2006: Posted additional photos from Jim Ridge

Sources 

  • Nathan Morton - morton890 [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • Jim Ridge
  • John Oechsner
  • Brian Parkinson - railstoruin [at] yahoo [dot] com
Post a comment here
Contact webmaster

Comments 

Henley Bridge
Posted October 16, 2009, by John Oechsner (bigtex144 [at] yahoo [dot] com)

Actuallu, Union Pacific doesn't even own the line anymore. In fact, the whole line was sold to Ameren and the operate a small section from STL to Union, MO. It's called the Missouri Central Railway. You can read more about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Central_Railroad

Or here, although this site doesn't appear to have been updated in over 10 years judging by the dates mentioned:

http://www.missouri-central.railfan.net/

I think its safe to say most of the line will never be operated again :( I am glad I stumbled upon these pictures though...I plan on trying to ride my bike on some of the abandonded sections this winter and get as many pictures as I can. Never know how much longer it will be around before it disappears into history!!

Henley Bridge
Posted September 11, 2009, by jack (jackkav [at] sbcglobal [dot] net)

should be reused is UPRR considering reusing this line?

Henley Bridge
Posted April 10, 2009, by Anthony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

Impressive bridge. Would be nice to see it reused.

Henley Bridge
Posted April 10, 2009, by david yates (david_y [at] bellsouth [dot] net)

Just one of the two impressive bridges on the old Rock Island line. Turning this semi abandoned line into a rail to trail would save this bridge.

Uploaded file: JPEG image data, JFIF standard 1.01, 115140 bytes

Uploaded file: JPEG image data, JFIF standard 1.01, 67556 bytes

Uploaded file: JPEG image data, JFIF standard 1.01, 51150 bytes

Henley Bridge
Posted February 18, 2009, by M.B. (Berendzen545 [at] hotmail [dot] com)

Just a friendly correction. The road you took the picture from is South Teal Bottom Road, not South Neal Bottom.

Henley Bridge
Posted June 11, 2006, by Nathan Morton (mortons03 [at] sbcglobal [dot] net)

Thought I could outdue your viewpoint so I drove around the town of Henley for half an hour trying to find better access. When I couldn't, I found a local who shared a beer with me and told me about a private drive leading to a boat ramp just to the south of the bridge. I made the visit to which no one seemed to mind any trespassing, and the view was indeed better. One could walk the old rails in the winter months but not during the spring or summer.