Eisenbahn State Trail - Milwaukee River Bridge (Barton)

West Bend, Washington County, Wisconsin

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Name	Eisenbahn State Trail - Milwaukee River Bridge (Barton) Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge #1687
Built By	Chicago & North Western Railway
Currently Owned By	Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Superstructure Contractor	Lassig Bridge & Iron Works of Chicago
Substructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	231 Feet Total, 75 Foot Spans
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Stone Masonry
Date Built	1900
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Open to Pedestrian Traffic)
Current Status	Open to Pedestrian Traffic
Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge Number	1687
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	8/6/2016

In 1873, the Northwestern Union Railway (NWU) constructed 63 miles of new railroad, extending from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The NWU was consolidated into the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway (C&M) in 1881. During 1881, the C&M became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee and North Western Railway (CM&NW), which was purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) in 1883. At the southern end, the line connected to an existing mainline between Chicago and Milwaukee. At the north end, the line connected to an existing mainline between Janesville, Wisconsin and Green Bay, Wisconsin. This line provided the C&NW with a direct connection between Milwaukee and Fond du Lac, shortening the travel time between Chicago and Green Bay. A large depot was constructed at the end of Wisconsin Avenue along Lake Michigan in 1890.

By the early 20th Century, the C&NW was one of the premiere Midwest railroads, operating an extensive network of lines throughout the area. This route initially served as a mainline for both freight and passenger service. Bypasses of Milwaukee constructed between 1910 and 1912 allowed freight trains to bypass downtown Milwaukee, instead joining this line at Wiscona, a junction on the north side of Milwaukee. In 1964, Milwaukee County purchased the Lake Front Depot and surrounding areas for future freeway construction. In 1966, a portion of the line through the Lower East Side of Milwaukee was abandoned, and the depot would be demolished in 1968. South of Wiscona, this line would continue to be used as an industrial lead, serving a handful of industries.

In 1988, the C&NW sold the Granville, Wisconsin to Fond du Lac segment of this line to the Fox River Valley Railroad, which became the Fox Valley and Western Ltd. (FV&W) in 1993. The FV&W was a subsidiary of the successful Wisconsin Central Ltd. (WC), which had acquired a large amount of former Milwaukee Road and Soo Line trackage in Wisconsin. Also in 1993, the C&NW abandoned the remaining line south of Hampton Avenue, and the right-of-way was acquired for trail use. The C&NW was purchased by Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in 1995. A short connection between the WC tracks and the former C&NW line at Fond du Lac was constructed in the late 1990s, and the northern portion of the C&NW line was abandoned. A portion of the line between south of West Bend and Eden was abandoned in 1998, and also acquired for trail use. In 2001, WC was purchased by Canadian National Railway (CN), and became the American subsidiary of the railroad. UP abandoned the line south of Wiscona in 2008, and the railroad was acquired for trail use. In 2021, CN sold the Granville to West Bend and Eden to Fond du Lac segments of the line to Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (WSOR). Today, UP operates the Granville Industrial Lead between Wiscona and Granville; WSOR operates the West Bend Subdivision between Granville and West Bend and the Eden Spur between Fond du Lac and Eden. The former railroad between West Bend and Eden is used as part of the Eisenbahn State Trail, while much of the former railroad between downtown Milwaukee and Wiscona is used as part of the Oak Leaf Trail.

Located near the former station of Barton on the north side of West Bend, this deck plate girder bridge carries the former Chicago & North Western Railway "Air Line" over the Milwaukee River and River Drive. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle or a wooden truss bridge. In the late 1870s and early 1880s, the C&NW invested significant capital into this line, replacing timber bridges with stone and iron structures. In 1882, the original wooden bridge was replaced by three 75-foot riveted double intersection Warren deck truss spans, set onto new stone substructures. By the late 1890s, these spans had become too light for traffic, and would be replaced by the present deck plate girder bridge in 1900. The old spans were likely reused for branch line or overpass use at an unknown location. Currently, the bridge consists of three 75-foot skewed deck plate girder spans, which reused the stone substructures from the previous bridge. The superstructure consists of standard spans, with heavy plate girders and an open deck. The substructures also use a standard design, with diamond shaped piers and abutments with stepped diagonal wing walls. Stone for the substructures was quarried at Duck Creek, Wisconsin and consists of a white limestone. Lassig Bridge & Iron Works fabricated the superstructure, while an unknown contractor constructed the substructures. Deck plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads, as they were durable and easy to construct. Since the initial construction, the bridge has been retrofitted with a wooden deck and handrails, and now carries the Eisenbahn State Trail. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Citations

Builder and build date	Lassig Bridge & Iron Works plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele