- 1880: 54 miles completed from Chippewa Falls to Abbotsford, Wisconsin by Wisconsin and Minnesota Railroad
- 1885: 109 miles completed from St. Paul, Minnesota to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin by predecessors of the Wisconsin Central Railroad
- 1888: W&M acquired by Wisconsin Central Railroad
- 1897: Wisconsin Central Railroad changed to Wisconsin Central Railway
- 1910: 12 mile realignment completed between Colfax and Howard, Wisconsin
- 1910: 19 miles completed between Owen and Spencer, Wisconsin by Wisconsin Central Railway, bypassing Abbotsford
- 1911: 18 mile realignment and new bridge completed between Withrow, Minnesota and New Richmond, Wisconsin
- 1916: Old St. Croix River Bridge removed
- 1934: Abbotsford-Curtiss segment abandoned
- 1938: Curtiss-Owen segment abandoned
- 1961: WC merged with Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway and Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway to form Soo Line Railroad
- 1980: Carnelian Junction to St. Paul segment abandoned and acquired by Minnesota DNR
- 1984: Soo Line Corporation created by Canadian Pacific Railway as a holding company
- 1987: Route sold to Wisconsin Central, Ltd
- 1993: Gateway Trail opens on St. Paul-Carnelian Junction segment
- 2001: Canadian National Railway acquires Wisconsin Central, Ltd
- 2001-Present: Canadian National operates the Withrow-Owen line as the Minneapolis Subdivision
06/16/22
This absolutely massive Pennsylvania Through Truss bridge crosses the Red Cedar River near Colfax.
The bridge was built in 1906 to replace an older two span, Pratt Through Truss which was destroyed in a flood. Unfortunately, no builder could be found on this bridge.
The bridge here is an absolutely massive structure. It contains 8 panels, and riveted connections. It sits on stone abutments.
While this bridge may not seem overly significant, it in fact is. It is the only Pennsylvania Through Truss built for railroad traffic in the State of Wisconsin.
Due to this, the author has ranked the bridge as having regional significance. It is an extremely rare design in Wisconsin, as well as the upper midwest (Minnesota and Iowa).
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | WN Red Cedar River Bridge |
| Downstream | UP Red Cedar River Bridge |