The line would be extended to Pequot in 1876. By 1881, the railroad would become part of the Chicago, St. Louis and Western Railroad.
By 1885, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway would purchase the C&StL as part of a project to connect Kansas City to Chicago.
It would be merged into the subsidiary Chicago, Santa Fe and California Railway.
The line would be extended to Chicago by 1885, using the B&O Depot.
In 1888, the line would be extended from Ancona to Fort Madison, Iowa. This also included a new crossing of the Mississippi River at Fort Madison; and crossing of the Illinois River at Chillicothe.
In 1900, the subsidiary was fully merged into the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. The ATSF system expanded to the west and southwest United States.
Between 1905 and 1911, the line would be double tracked from Chicago heading westward. The new line was important for freight heading from Iowa and Missouri to Chicago.
While the line provided a solid freight base, ATSF began to struggle. Through the era of mergers, there were a few attempted mergers.
Finally, the line merged with Burlington Northern Railway to form BNSF Railway in 1996. Today, this line is owned by BNSF and known as the Chillicothe Subdivision.
06/26/21
Located in the city of Joliet, this girder bridge crosses 5th Avenue near the intersection of Eastern Avenue.
Built in 1910, the bridge is the western of the two structures at this location. Unfortunately, the Union Pacific bridge was replaced in 2015.
Currently, the bridge consists of a three span through plate girder, set onto concrete and steel substructures. The piers are made of built up members, and the bridge also contains a ballasted deck.
Structures like these were common for grade separations, as they were easy to construct and were durable.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition. Despite being mostly free of significant deterioration, a helper bent was added on the south side of this bridge. It is likely that this bridge will be replaced in the next 10 years.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.