- 1890: 44 miles completed Madison to Litchfield, Illinois by the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad
- 1900: CP&StL acquired by the Litchfield & Madison Railway
- 1901: 83 miles completed from Nelson to Peoria, Illinois by the Peoria & Northwestern Railway
- 1901: P&NW acquired by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1904: 24 miles completed from Benld to Girard, Illinois by the Macoupin County Railway
- 1912: Macoupin County Railway sold to the St. Louis, Peoria & Northwestern Railway
- 1913: 93 miles completed from Kickapoo (Peoria) to Benld, Illinois by the St. Louis, Peoria & Northwestern Railway
- 1913: StLP&NW sold to the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1913: 4 miles completed from Girard to Staunton by the Macoupin County Extension Railway
- 1914: Macoupin County Extension leased to the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1927: 3 miles completed from Staunton to the Litchfield & Madison at DeCamp by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1957: Litchfield & Madison purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 1998: DeCamp to Stallings segment abandoned
- 1998: Barr to Girard segment abandoned
- 1998: DeCamp to Monterey Junction sold to Norfolk Southern Railroad
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Peoria Subdivision from Nelson to Barr
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Monterey Subdivision from Nilwood to Monterey Junction
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Granite City Industrial Lead from Madison to Granite City
- 1998-Present: Norfolk Southern operates the Monterey Branch from DeCamp to Monterey Junction
- 2010-Present: Sangamon Valley Trail is developed in pieces between Barr and Girard
12/23/21
Located in Bartonville, this large through truss bridge dominates the surrounding area.
Built in 1913 as the Chicago & North Western extended their empire towards St. Louis, the bridge features five massive riveted Quadrangular Through Trusses. These trusses run at a heavy skew, and sit on concrete substructures.
Multiple span bridges are rather uncommon. The area under this bridge was clearly expected to be a large rail yard. However, 1939 aerial photos show the railroads taking up approximately the same area as in 2017.
Another unique feature of the bridge is the piers. Because of the unusual angle the bridge runs at, the piers consist of two individual concrete columns. These are connected by a built up component that closely resembles a deck plate girder.
Today, the bridge continues to serve traffic, although only one track is still active.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition. Like many bridges along this route, the steel has begun to show signs of age.
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the unusual multiple span structure.
The photo above is an overview.