The line was built at mainline standards to carry passanger traffic and freight from Janesville to Chicago.
The CM&StP became the Chicago, Milwaukee Saint Paul & Pacific Railway in 1912 when a looming Pacific Expansion added the name "Pacific" to the title.
The Milwaukee Road would never overcome the debts incurred during the construction of the Pacific Expansion, and would suffer until 1985, when it finally fell apart.
This line never saw those days under the Milwaukee Road. In 1980, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation teamed up with numerous parties to continue rail service on many dangered branch lines.
This line was purchased by WisDOT in 1980, and the first train of the Wisconsin & Calumet ran over this line in 1989.
Wisconsin & Calumet was first purchased by the Wisconsin & Southern in 1992, and formally merged into the system in 1997.
Today, WSOR continues to operate this line as their Fox Lake Subdivision, which serves as their only access point to Chicago, via trackage rights.
10/25/22
View an article about the construction of this bridge.
Crossing Rockport Road, this is one of two identical spans in the area.
Built in 1900, the bridge consists of a single deck girder span set onto concrete abutments.
The concrete abutments were upgraded between 2014 and 2017 with new concrete encasements. The bridge also appears to have received a new deck.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. Minor deterioration was noted.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from the road it crosses.