By 1871, the line would be extended as far as Oregon, Illinois.
In 1885, the Chicago, Burlington & Northern Railroad began construction of a line from La Crosse, Wisconsin to the Illinois/Wisconsin State Line, at East Dubuque.
The line would be extended as far as Oregon, Illinois in 1886, another 85 miles. At Savannah, a line dipped south towards the Quad Cities.
These two lines would be consolidated into the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy in 1899, which began operations of many lines in the area.
This line was one of the most important on the system, as it connected the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul with Chicago.
The line was eventually double tracked from Savannah to La Crosse by 1904. It would be finished to the Twin Cities in 1912.
The CB&Q bridge became a part of the Burlington Northern Railway in 1970, after combining with the Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railroads.
The BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe in 1996. This line has become known as the Aurora Subdivision, which is a heavy mainline for BNSF.
12/10/22
Located in the town of Oregon, this large through truss bridge crosses the Rock River.
While the piers are dated 1892, the superstructure of this bridge was replaced in 1904. The bridge consists of two large 6-panel pin connected and riveted Pratt Through Trusses. These trusses are replaced by a pair of deck girders on either side.
It is likely that the 1892 bridge consisted of four trusses. It is unknown if these trusses were used elsewhere, but does seem like a definite possibility.
The combination of pin connected lower connections and riveted upper connections is rather unique. While it is oftentimes seen on CB&Q trusses, most railroads did not use this design.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with little significant deterioration noted.
Historic photo of the bridge
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the unique design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | DM&E Rock River Bridge (Byron) |
| East Channel | BNSF East Channel Bridge |
| Downstream | IC Rock River Bridge |