In 1883, the line would be purchased by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. At this time, the line would be standardized to ease operations.
The Milwaukee Road operated the line as a branch line to Fond Du Lac. Other branches existed in this region to serve towns such as Waupon, Oshkosh and Markesian.
In 1913, the Milwaukee Road would be reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railway.
In the early 1980s, the Milwaukee Road would enter its final bankruptcy. As a result, the Fond Du Lac-Mayville segment would be abandoned.
In 1980, the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad would purchase a substantial amount of trackage from former Milwaukee Road lines. The Mayville-Iron Ridge segment was one of such lines.
Today, it is known as the Mayville Branch.
06/16/22
Located in Fond du Lac, this simple through girder bridge crosses the E. Branch Fond du Lac River south of Western Avenue.
Built in 1913, the bridge uses a pair of 45-foot "C3" through girders, originally fabricated in 1900 as part of a three span structure at Bridge #Z-724 at Morley, Iowa. When the line in Iowa was double tracked, two of the three girders were reused here. It is unknown what happened to the other span.
Often, railroads would reuse steel spans to save costs, particularly on branch lines.
Currently, the bridge consists of two through girder spans, set onto concrete substructures. It has since been converted to pedestrian usage.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the relocated nature of the bridge, despite the common design of this bridge.
The photo above is an overview.
E. Branch Fond du Lac River Railroad Bridges
| Upstream | Brooke Street Trail Bridge |
| Downstream | Abandoned Fond du Lac River Bridge |