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<p>During the 1830s, the State of Illinois desired a railroad to serve population centers located in southern Illinois. In 1837, the Improvements Act was passed to fund the construction of four railroads, including one between Danville and Quincy. In 1838, the Northern Cross Railroad completed a new railroad line between Jacksonville, Illinois and Meredosia, Illinois. This railroad used iron straps, set onto wooden planks. In 1842, the railroad would be extended to Springfield, with work continuing east towards Decatur. The NCR was operated by the State of Illinois. In 1847, the 61 miles of railroad between Meredosia and Springfield would be sold to the Sangamon & Morgan Railroad (S&M). The S&M changed its name to the The Great Western Railroad (GWR) in 1853. Between 1858 and 1863, the Illinois and Southern Iowa Railroad (I&SI) constructed 29 miles of railroad between Carthage, Illinois and Clayton, Illinois. At the same time, the Quincy and Toledo Railroad (Q&T) completed an additional 33 miles from Meredosia to Camp Point, Illinois; utilizing right-of-way that had been partially completed by the Northern Cross Railroad. All three railroads were consolidated into the Toledo, Wabash & Western Railway, which was merged into the Wabash Railway in 1876. The Wabash was merged into the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway (WStL&P) in 1886. This railroad entered bankruptcy in 1886, and was partitioned and sold in 1889. This line was sold to the Wabash Eastern Railway, which promptly combined into the Wabash Railroad. </p><p>The Wabash would become a respected railroad network in the Midwest, connecting Detroit with Kansas City. The Wabash Railroad was reorganized as the Wabash Railway in 1915. This line served as a branch line, connecting to the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway at Carthage. The TP&W provided the Wabash with a connection to Hancock, Illinois; opposite the Mississippi River from Keokuk, Iowa. The railroad would again be reorganized as the Wabash Railroad in 1941, and would be controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1964, the railroad was leased to the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W), and would be entirely acquired in 1970. In 1978, the line from Meredosia to Hancock would be abandoned. In 1982, the N&W would merge with the Southern Railway to form Norfolk Southern Railway. Today, Norfolk Southern operates a short spur of this line from Bluffs to Meredosia. <br></p>
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