At the same time, the railroad continued to build southwest, towards Jacksonville.
In addition, the Jacksonville, Alton and St. Louis Railroad began building 60 more miles from Jacksonville to Godfrey, a point near Alton.
In 1862, the St. Louis, Jacksonville and Chicago Railroad took hold of both railroad companies, and completed the line.
This railroad became part of the Chicago & Alton Railroad by 1899. It served as a branch line, connecting to the mainline on both ends.
With a failing traffic base, the Chicago & Alton was purchased by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1931. It was reorganized as the Alton Railroad.
By 1947, the railroad was failing again and was purchased by the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad, which renamed the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad.
This continued to operate until 1972, when it was merged with Illinois Central Railroad, to form Illinois Central Gulf.
By 1978, the line began to fall. Interstate Highway 55 replaced the general routing, and the route was removed from Jacksonville to Bloomington by 1980.
By 1987, the ICG was purging excess lines; and sold the remaining portion to the Chicago, Missouri & Western Railway.
This railroad failed in 1989, becoming part of the Gateway Western Railway. By 1997 became a part of the Kansas City Southern, the current owners of this line.
06/26/21
Located in Delevan, this unique pony truss bridge crossesa small remainder of the Chicago & Alton Railroad through Delevan.
Originally built in approximately 1880 as a railroad bridge somewhere in Tennessee, it was moved here and rebuilt to serve as a road in 1898.
Reusing spans for overpasses was a common practice for railroads to save money. However, the C&A never entered Tennessee, leading the author to wonder if this span was purchased as scrap from a non-affiliated railroad.
The original fabricator of the span was Kellogg Bridge Company of Buffalo, New York. However, research indicates that Kellogg merged with other companies by 1881.
Presently, the bridge consists of a single riveted Double Intersection Warren Pony Truss, approached by a short non-historic wood stringer on the east side. The bridge rests on concrete and steel substructures.
The pony truss design is typically found on bridges between 1880 and 1890, mostly on the Chicago & North Western Railway. As a result, it appears that this pony truss may have been one of the earliest known of this design, as it may date to the 1870s.
Unfortunately, the original location is shrouded in mystery. The National Register of Historic Places nomination for this structure states it came from an unknown location in Tennessee. Fortunately, bridge records exist at the National Archives for the C&A.
The dates for this bridge are also a mystery. An Illinois Central (the eventual successor of C&A) track profile gives an 1898 relocation date for this bridge. However, the official National Register nomination gives a relocation date of 1907. It is believed that additional work was done on the bridge in 1907.
It is believed that the truss was originally moved here in 1898, although wasn't placed onto the current substructures until 1907.
As a true testamanet to the cheapness of railroads, even the bents on the pier of this bridge are constructed of secondhand truss components.
Presently, the bridge crosses a small spur of the Canadian National Railway, which still extends to 2nd Street.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. It recieved significant upgrades in the 2000s, which reconstructed the deck of the bridge, painted the truss and replicated the original plaque on the bridge.
The author has ranked this bridge as being highly significant, due to the unique design and old age.
The photo above is an overview.