UP Franklin Avenue Bridge (River Forest)

In 1836, the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad (G&CU) was charted to construct a railroad line between Chicago and Galena, Illinois.  After attempts to construct the railroad in the late 1830s, the company came to a halt due to lack of funds.  William B. Ogden was elected director of the G&CU in 1847, and construction on the railroad began in 1848.  That year, the first four miles to present day Oak Park were constructed.  By 1849, the railroad reached Turner Junction (West Chicago), thirty miles west of downtown Chicago.  The mainline of the G&CU then diverged north, reaching Freeport in 1853.  After completion of the initial line, the G&CU focused on expansion into Iowa.  In 1854, the railroad constructed 68 miles from West Chicago to Dixon, Illinois; followed by an additional 38 miles to Fulton, Illinois; located across the Mississippi River from Clinton, Iowa.  In 1859, construction resumed westwards into Iowa, and a bridge across the Mississippi River was completed later that year.  The G&CU was consolidated with the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) in 1864.  The C&NW was beginning to construct and acquire a large network of railroads throughout the midwest.  This line formed a portion of the principal western mainline of the C&NW, eventually reaching into Nebraska; where it connected with Union Pacific's First Transcontinental Railroad. The route became the mainline of the Galena Division under the C&NW.

Early on, the importance of the route necessitated significant improvement projects.  In 1855 and 1856, the line was double tracked from Chicago to West Chicago.  An additional 15 miles to Elburn were double tracked in 1884; followed by the double tracking of the remaining line to Fulton in 1889.  Starting in 1895, the C&NW elevated the tracks through Chicago, eventually elevating the entire line to the Des Plaines River by 1910.  During the elevation process, additional tracks were constructed, with the railroad reaching over six tracks wide in many locations.  In the early 20th Century, significant realignments were made to the route.  In 1909, the C&NW constructed a new bridge and short cutoff at Fulton; and in 1910 subsidiary Lee County Railway constructed a bypass of Dixon, which had become a chokepoint along the line.  A third track was added between Oak Park and West Chicago in 1924.  Through the 20th Century, this route continued to form a vital portion of the United States railroad network.  The C&NW would become a prominent railroad in the midwest, eventually building a system over 11,000 miles long.  In 1995, the C&NW would be purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad.  Today, UP continues to operate the Chicago to Clinton line as the Geneva Subdivision.  In addition, Metra operates the Union Pacific West line between Ogilvie Transportation Center and Elburn.  UP continues to upgrade the line, and has added a third track to Elburn.  This line continues to serve as a critical railroad line in the United States.