- 1836: Galena and Chicago Union Railroad charted between Chicago and Galena, Illinois
- 1849: 11 miles completed from West Chicago to Elgin, Illinois by the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
- 1852: 52 miles completed from Elgin to Rockford, Illinois by the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
- 1853: 28 miles completed from Rockford to Freeport, Illinois by the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
- 1864: G&CU consolidated with the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1972: Winnebago to Freeport segment abandoned
- 1981: Rockford to Winnebago segment abandoned
- 1980s: Rockford to Freeport segment purchased by Commonwealth Edison
- 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Belvidere Subdivision from West Chicago to Rockford
- 2010-Present: Pecatonica Prairie Path gradually developed on Rockford to Freeport segment
06/26/21
Located in Rockford, this unique bridge crosses Main Street (Illinois Highway 2).
Originally built in 1893, the bridge was first constructed of a single track Double Intersection Warren Pony Truss with riveted connections, set onto stone substructures.
This truss of unique design, due to the newer build date. While this design had been used since the mid 1870s by the C&NW, this is one of the newer spans of this design. As a result, the design is much heavier built.
In 1903, research indicates that additional tracks were added on either side of the truss. These tracks consisded of through girder spans of standard design, set onto masonry. However, railroad documents also consider these spans to be 1893 spans, which would make little sense when compared to the truss.
As a result, the bridge is far more interesting than noted from the side. The truss is a unique bridge in the area, and one of the newest trusses of this design along the C&NW.
Overall, the bridge is in poor condition. The northernmost track has been removed and the bridge superstructure is deteriorated severely. The other two tracks are in fair condition.
The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.
The photo above is looking east on top of the bridge.