This line would be acquired by the Chicago & Northern Pacific Railroad in 1889, later the Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad in 1897 and the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad in 1910.
The sole purpose of the line west of Western Avenue Junction was to connect the Chicago Great Western and Wisconsin Central (Soo) to downtown Chicago. In addition, another B&OCT line went south from Western Avenue Junction.
The entire line was double tracked between 1890 and 1893.
The B&OCT was controlled by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, a mainline to the east coast. The B&O was partially controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1901.
By 1963, the railroad went bankrupt, and the Chesapeake & Ohio began controlling the B&O, renamed the Chessie System.
In 1986, the Chessie and subsidiaries (including B&OCT) were merged to form CSX Railway.
Today, CSX owns from Western Avenue Junction to Forest Park, and the remaining portion to Chicago has been abandoned.
It is now known as the Altenheim Subdivision, and is disused almost entirely.
08/15/21
Like many other bridges in Chicago, this bridge, as well as its neighbors are simple steel stringer bridges, resting on steel bents.
However, unlike many other bridges in Chicago, this bridge has the outer faces encased, which once contained many decorative tiles.
Built in 1912, the bridge consists of six steel stringer spans, set onto concrete and steel substructures.
The bridge once crossed US-66, a major road to the American Southwest.
In addition, the bridge also borders the CN Bridge and the UP Bridge.
However, the bridge has seen a significant alteration by local advertisements and paint, which cover up the original architectural details.
The bridge once carried a maximum of 4 tracks and is currently not in use. It is not known if the bridge will ever be used again.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, recently receiving a coat of paint.
The photo above is an overview.