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<p>In 1851, the Northern Cross Railroad charted a new railroad line, extending 100 miles from Galesburg, Illinois to Quincy, Illinois, located on the Mississippi River. After several setbacks, construction would begin in 1855, and the line would be open to traffic in January 1856. The railroad would be reorganized as the Chicago and Quincy Railroad Company in 1857. The railroad would be sold at a foreclosure sale in 1864 to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). A bridge across the Mississippi River at Quincy opened in 1868, connecting to the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad. The CB&Q would acquire and construct a large railroad network throughout the Midwest, and this route would serve as a principal mainline of the railroad, connecting Chicago and Kansas City. Both Quincy and Galesburg would establish as major railroad hubs in western Illinois. Traffic continued to grow on the route throughout the late 19th Century, the line would be upgraded, and the Mississippi River bridge replaced. In 1960, the CB&Q would open a new bridge across the Mississippi River. In 1970, the CB&Q was merged with the Northern Pacific Railway and the Great Northern Railway to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN). In 1996, BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway. BNSF currently operates the Galesburg to West Quincy segment of this line as the eastern portion of the Brookfield Subdivision. </p>
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