At the same time, the Lafayette, Muncie and Bloomington Railroad continued building west, to Lafayette, Indiana. This completely line opened in 1872.
The two railroads became part of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad. The LE&W operated into Ohio, connecting to Cleveland.
A 30 mile extension was created on the west end of the line in 1888, connecting to Peoria. This would become the western terminus of both the LE&W, and its successor.
In 1900, the railroad came under the control of the New York Central Railroad, who sold it to the Nickel Plate Road in 1922.
The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate) was a railroad operating in the Great Lake States, connecting Buffalo, New York to St. Louis; but also connecting to Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
By 1964, the NKP merged with the Wabash Railroad and several other small carriers to form the Norfolk and Western Railroad.
The N&W combined with the Southern Railway in 1982 to form the Norfolk Southern, who still operates a majority of this line as the Bloomington District. However, the portion between Gibson City and Lafayette would be abandoned in 1989.
The portion between Cheneyville and Lafayette is now operated by the Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad.
07/17/21
This bridge is a large deck truss bridge, halfway between Congerville and Goodfield.
Built in 1947, this large deck truss bridge replaced a similar bridge built in 1888. The current bridge consists of three spans of 7-panel riveted Warren Deck Truss. The truss appears to be made of high strength materials, as it has a rather lightweight appearance for a modern bridge.
In addition, the bridge features a deck girder span on either side. The bridge rests on concrete and stone substructures.
The construction of a new truss in 1947 is an unusual step. Typically, truss bridges would be replaced with girder bridges by this time period.
Today, the bridge is still used for railroad use. It appears to be in excellent condition.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the modern age.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | Kappa Rail Bridge |
| Downstream | Mackinaw Rail Bridge |