In 1896, the railroad became incorperated into the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad. This railroad was a fully owned and operated subdivision of the Illinois Central Railroad.
In 1900, the Albert Lea and Southern Railroad extended the line to Glenville, Minnesota. This location was on the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern (Rock Island) just south of Albert Lea.
The line immediately became part of the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad.
The Dubuque & Sioux City ceased to exist, and became a full part of the Illinois Central in 1947.
The Illinois Central spun the line off to the Chicago Central Railway, a short line in 1985. The CC came back into Illinois Central in 1996.
In 1998, the Canadian National Railway gained control of the Illinois Central. Today, this line continues to be operated as the Osage Subdivision, with the portion south of Lyle, Minnesota (on the IA/MN Border) seeing steady traffic.
06/16/22
This massive railroad bridge is one of the most southern in Minnesota.
Built in 1900 to cross the Cedar River, the bridge uses a massive 190 foot long Baltimore Through Truss with pin connections and 7 panels.
In a region where Baltimore Through Trusses are rather rare, this bridge is significant on a regional level. Surviving numerous floods which have plagued the area, it still stands in extremely good health.
The truss is downright massive, using extensive lacing on built up columns and heavy latticed portal bracings.
Supporting the bridge are a series of concrete and timber substructures.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. With little traffic, the future of this line is cloudy.
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the unique design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | CGW Cedar River Bridge (Austin) |
| Downstream | DM&E Cedar River Bridge (Otranto) |