- 1854: 36 miles completed from Elgin, Illinois to Genoa City, Wisconsin by the Fox River Valley Railroad
- 1860: FRVR sold to Elgin and State Line Railroad Company
- 1871: 9 miles completed from Genoa City to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin by the State Line and Union Railroad Company
- 1880: SL&UR acquired by the Elgin and State Line Railroad Company
- 1883: E&SL acquired by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1884: Second track completed from Mayfair to Des Plaines
- 1888: 6 miles completed from Lake Geneva to Williams Bay, Wisconsin by the Lake Geneva and State Line Railway
- 1889: LG&SL purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1966: Lake Geneva to Williams Bay segment abandoned
- 1982: Ringwood to Lake Geneva segment abandoned
- 1983: Elgin to Crystan Lake segment abandoned
- 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 1980s-Present: Elgin to Crystal Lake segment part of the Fox River Trail
- 1980s-Present: Ringwood to State Line segment part of the Prairie Trail
- 1984-Present: Metra operates the Union Pacific Northwest Line between Crystal Lake and McHenry
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the McHenry Subdivision from Crystal Lake to Ringwood
06/16/22
Located in Algonquin, this large deck girder bridge crosses the Fox River.
Built in 1891 to replace an older truss bridge, the bridge features three spans of deck girder, set onto stone substructures.
The superstructure was fabricated by Lassig Bridge & Iron Works, a prolific builder of railroad bridges. This type of span is relatively common along railroads, as it was durable and easy to construct.
Currently, the bridge serves as part of the Prairie Trail. Little alterations have been made since the original construction.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with no serious deterioration noted.
The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.
Fox River Railroad Bridges
Upstream | Cary Rail Bridge |
Downstream | Carpentersville Rail Bridge |