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| Name | MILW Rock Run Bridge Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Bridge #E-330 |
| Built By | Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway |
| Currently Owned By | Private Owner |
| Superstructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Length | 203 Feet Total, 75 Foot Main Span |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 40 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder and Concrete Arch Skeleton Abutment |
| Substructure Design | Concrete |
| Date Built | 1915 |
| Date Removed | c. 1980 |
| Traffic Count | 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Abandoned) |
| Current Status | Abandoned and Partially Removed |
| Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Bridge Number | E-330 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 1/20/2024 |
In 1855, the Racine and Mississippi Rail Road (R&MRR) constructed 69 miles of new railroad, extending from Lake Michigan at Racine, Wisconsin; to Beloit, Wisconsin. The railroad would be reorganized as the Racine and Mississippi Railroad (R&M) in 1856. In 1857, the R&M completed an additional 35 miles of railroad to Freeport, Illinois. Between 1861 and 1865, the Northern Illinois Railroad (NIR) completed an additional 76 miles between Freeport and Port Byron, Illinois, running through Savanna, Illinois. In 1862, the Warsaw, Rock Island and Galena Railroad (WRI&G) constructed an additional 9 miles from Port Byron to Rock Island, Illinois. The NIR became part of the Western Union Rail Road (WURR) in 1866, the R&M was consolidated into the WURR in 1868 and the WRI&G was consolidated in 1872. In 1879, the railroad would be leased by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, known as the Milwaukee Road. The railroad would be purchased outright by the Milwaukee Road in 1900. The railroad connected to the Davenport, Rock Island & North Eastern Railway (DRI&NW) at East Moline.
The Milwaukee Road had become a prominent railroad
in the United States, operating a network of railroad lines primarily in
the Midwest. The railroad sought for a shortened route for traffic going between Chicago and Kansas City. In addition to constructing a new line in Iowa, the Milwaukee Road built a cutoff between Ashdale Junction and Ebners in 1902. This line allowed trains to bypass the steep grades and congested conditions at Savanna. The Milwaukee Road was often in financial trouble,
especially after the
costly Pacific Extension was completed in 1909. In 1925, the company
declared bankruptcy, and reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul
and Pacific Railroad in 1928. During the 20th Century, this line served as a secondary connecting line between the Quad Cities and mainline to Kansas City with Lake Michigan. The Ashdale Cutoff would be abandoned in 1952. Throughout the 20th Century, conditions on the Milwaukee Road continued to deteriorate. The railroad entered bankruptcy in 1977, and was forced to liquidate unprofitable lines. Much of the Rockton to Kittredge line was abandoned in 1980, as well as the line from Savanna to Albany. In 1980, the segment from Beloit to Clinton, Wisconsin was sold to the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW); and the segment from Allens Grove to Elkhorn was sold to the Wisconsin Southern Railroad (WSOR).
By 1985, a suitor for the Milwaukee Road was being sought, and the Soo
Line Railroad, controlled by Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) purchased the
Milwaukee Road in 1986. In 1995, the segment from East Moline to Cordova was acquired Burlington
Northern Railroad (BN) when the DRI&NW was dissolved. C&NW was merged into Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in 1995, and BN was
merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996 to form
BNSF Railway. In 1997, CP would sell the portion of this line between Savanna and Kittredge to I&M Rail Link, which was purchased by the Dakota,
Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (DM&E) subsidiary Iowa, Chicago
& Eastern Railroad (IC&E). Portions of the route between Albany and Cordova would be abandoned in 2006. The DM&E/IC&E were purchased
by Canadian Pacific in 2008. CP merged with
Kansas City Southern
Railway in 2023 to form CPKC.
Today, much of the line is abandoned, but some portions remain in service. Between Rock Island and Cordova, BNSF Railway continues to operate the line as the Nitrin Subdivision. Between Savanna and Kittredge, the line is operated as part of the larger CPKC Chicago Subdivision. UP operates the State Line Industrial Lead between Beloit and Clinton; and Wisconsin & Southern continues to operate the Elkhorn Branch. Between Elkhorn and Kansasville, the White River State Trail now uses the railroad grade. Some industrial trackage in Burlington is still in use. Between Sturtevant and Kansasville, the railroad is operated by CPKC as an industrial lead.
Located near Rock City, this partially removed deck girder bridge once carried the Milwaukee Road over Rock Run. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle, constructed when the line was built. In 1884, this bridge would be replaced by an iron deck plate girder viaduct. This bridge was constructed of eleven 30-foot spans, set onto iron towers and stone pedestals and abutments. The bridge was again upgraded in 1915, when a new concrete and steel bridge was built. It is unknown if spans from the old bridge were reused elsewhere, although the Milwaukee Road very rarely let spans go to waste. It is possible that some components of the 1884 bridge still exist in the Midwest. Railroads often reused steel and iron spans, as this provided a cost effective way to upgrade bridges without requiring new material. Often, these spans were heavily strengthened or reconstructed prior to installation elsewhere.
At the time of removal, the bridge consisted of a 75-foot deck plate girder span, approached by two 26-foot concrete arch spans on either end. The entire bridge was set onto concrete substructures, and the girder span utilized a ballast deck constructed of precast concrete panels. It is currently unknown what contractor fabricated the girder span, and the approaches and substructures were constructed by railroad company forces. The abutments of this bridge utilize a standard Milwaukee Road design for "skeleton abutments", which were intended to help stabilize approach slopes while requiring less material than a traditional solid abutment. A number of different variations of this design were used by the Milwaukee Road, although most used either concrete arches or a frame structure. The arches of this abutment consist of outer frame style arches, connected by a solid concrete floor. Deck plate girder spans were popular for railroad use, as they were durable and easy to construct. The center span of the bridge was removed in approximately 1980, after the railroad was abandoned. Today, only the concrete approaches of this bridge remain. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design and partial removal.
Citations
| Build date | Milwaukee Road Archives - Industrial Department Records - located at the Milwaukee Public Library |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |