Lost/Aban/C&NW/Minneapolis & St. Louis Bridge/Iowa Central over Mississippi River at Keithsburg, IL

(Bridge Hunter, no Historic Bridges, John A Weeks III, John Marvig, 3D Satellite)

This route was still the Minneapolis & St. Louis railroad on the 1928 RR Atlas, but I'm using the label rrCaNW since it is more informative than rrOther.

C&NW bought the M&StL in 1960. Bridge built 1909; Abandoned 1971; Partially lost to fire in 1981. "The vertical lift section was locked in the up /open position until the lift portion was accidentally destroyed by fireworks and the ensuing fire on June 29, 1981. The 220 ft lift section fell into the river blocking river traffic on the main channel of the Mississippi River for more than a week until it was removed by the US Army Corps of Engineers." [Bridge Hunter] John Week's page provides more details of the fire and describes the decline of the town.

Keith Hoy posted
This old photo was taken in Keithsburg Illinois on the M & ST. L railroad over the Mississippi river my great grandpa operated the work engine when this bridge was built.
Keith Hoy posted
Keith Hoy posted
Keith Hoy posted
Lance Erickson: Kids blew it up and wrecked it. The main span is gone but the rest is still there.
Mike Johnson: Lance Erickson the whole thing is still there
Richard Fiedler: Mike Johnson no it’s not. The lift span crashed down due to the cables breaking due to the fireworks fire the kids caused. The lift span is gone as well as some other the approach spans.

Lois Bopp Retherford commented on Keith's post
I think this might be an article to accompany that photo from the 4-17-1941 Keithsburg News.
[Lois posted two more clippings about repairs and maintaining their freight schedules. They ran on CB&Q to Ottumwa, IA, and then on Milwaukee to Hedrick, IA.]

Richard Fiedler commented on Keith's second and fourth posts

 

Richard Fiedler commented on Keith's fourth post

Robert Daly posted two photos with the comment: "Remains of the Minneapolis & St Louis bridge over the Mississippi, Keithsburg, April 13 2013."

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Image contributed by John Marvig to Bridge Hunter

Bridge Hunter Previous
[This was the original Iowa Central Bridge that was built in 1886. We cans still see most of the stone piers of this bridge south of the 1909 bridge in a satellite image.]

The original bridge had a swing span.

Retro Quad Cities posted
An early 1900's postcard showing the Albatross paddle wheeler clearing the original swing span and railroad bridge at Keithsburg. The bridge would soon be replaced by another bridge and a lift span in 1909.
Judy Patsch: The Albatross was a railroad transfer ferry. Her hull was used to build the excursion steamboat Admiral in St. Louis in 1940.

The image below is interesting for several reasons. Notice how low the river level is. In most of the photos of this bridge, the shore-side tower is in the water. No wonder the steamboat is hugging the far side of the opening, the draft must be shallow. The old bridge was removed in 1910, and this photo must have been taken while they were planning the removal. Note the men standing to the right of the stone pier on the right. A swing span had been added to the old bridge. The problem is, this image shows the old bridge behind the new one. But that would put it north of the new bridge. But the satellite image shows the old piers were south of the new bridge. Furthermore, there does not appear to be enough room between the two bridges for a swing span to open. But the swing span looks symmetrical, which rules out using a short span on the new-bridge side with a heavy counterweight. I wonder if the smokestacks can be hinged at the white lines. If the river level was as high as it is in the other photos we have of the bridge, then those stacks would have a tough time clearing the lift span. That is, the up position is not very far up.

1910 Image from Bridge Hunter

Reichard Fiedler commented on a post

John Vize posted
I think it will fit, as viewed from the Mississippi Queen on her maiden voyage on the Upper Mississippi.

Keith Hoy posted seven photos with the comment: "RAILROAD BRIDGE BEING BUILT IN KEITHSBURG, ILLINOIS OVER THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.  MY GREAT GRANDPA MOVED TO KEITHSBURG AND WAS THE ENGINEER ON THE WORK ENGINE WHILE THE BRIDGE WAS BEING BUILT IN EARLY 1900."

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safe_image for The Demolition of the Keithsburg Rail Bridge (July 6, 1981)

Lee Lewis: Author

Minneapolis and St.Louis.

Later Chicago North Western.

Richard Fiedler: The bridge was fatally damaged when some teenage boys lit off fireworks that caught the operator’s cabin on top on fire. The bridge was in the raised position as the line was abandoned. The fire spread to the ties and as a result the cables attached to the counterweights snapped causing the bridge to drop out of control and in a way which blocked the navigation channel.