CPKC Fish Creek Bridge (Rockland)

Rockland, La Crosse County, Wisconsin

Click the photo to view the full-size version

1/21

Date Taken:

Author:

Caption:

Name	CPKC Fish Creek Bridge (Rockland) Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Bridge #C-450
Built By	Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
Currently Owned By	Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown (North Track) American Bridge Works of Chicago, Illinois (South Track) Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of North Milwaukee, Wisconsin (South Track)
Length	55 Feet Total
Width	2 Tracks
Height Above Ground	20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Stone Masonry and Concrete
Date Fabricated	1894 and 1897 (South Track) 1910 (North Track)
Date Erected	1910
Original Location	Bridge #Z-998; Ferguson, Iowa (Additional South Track Girders)
Traffic Count	10 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Bridge Number	C-450
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	11/13/2020

In 1850, the Milwaukee & Mississippi Rail Road (M&M) began construction on a new railroad line, with the intention of connecting Lake Michigan at Milwaukee with the Mississippi River. The first 12 miles between Milwaukee and Brookfield opened in 1851, and the line eventually continued west. In Milwaukee, this line followed the south side of the Menomonee River. In 1854, the Milwaukee and Watertown Railroad (M&W) began construction on a new line, leaving the original line at Brookfield, Wisconsin. 32 miles of new railroad were completed to Watertown, Wisconsin by 1855. The M&W was acquired by the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad (LC&M) in 1856. This railroad had previously constructed a more northerly route between Milwaukee and Portage, Wisconsin. Between 1857 and 1858, the LC&M constructed 103 miles of new railroad, extending from Portage to the Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wisconsin. The M&M was acquired by the Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien Railway (M&PdC) in 1861. The western division of the LC&M, extending from Portage to La Crosse, was sold to the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway (M&StP) in 1863. In 1864, the M&StP constructed an additional 47 miles of railroad between Watertown and Portage, connecting the two lines. In 1867, the M&PdC would be sold to the M&StP. In 1874, the M&StP changed its name to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway (Milwaukee Road).

The Milwaukee to La Crosse line became a critical backbone for the Milwaukee Road, serving as the middle section of a longer line between Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul. This line also allowed for the construction of numerous branch lines, as well as the rapid expansion of the Milwaukee Road in the Midwest. Between 1874 and 1876, a bridge across the Mississippi River was constructed at La Crosse. A second track was constructed between Milwaukee and Brookfield during the early 1880s. In 1902, 90 additional miles of second track would be constructed between Brookfield and Watertown, between Portage and Camp Douglas and between West Salem and La Crosse. An additional 47 miles of double track were constructed between Watertown and Portage in 1906, followed by an additional 44 miles of double track between Camp Douglas and West Salem in 1910. During the 20th Century, the Milwaukee Road had become a prominent railroad in the United States, operating an extensive network of railroad lines primarily in the Midwest.

The Milwaukee Road was often in financial trouble, especially after the costly Pacific Extension was completed in 1909. In 1925, the company declared bankruptcy, and reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in 1928. Despite the financial troubles of the railroad, this line remained a critical line and was well maintained. Financial hardship continued through the 20th Century for the Milwaukee Road, and the railroad again filed bankruptcy in 1977. By 1985, a suitor for the Milwaukee Road was being sought, and the Soo Line Railroad, controlled by Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) purchased the Milwaukee Road in 1986. Upgrades were made to the route, including the installation of CTC. As a result, sections of the second track were removed, and the remaining sections became sidings. CP merged with Kansas City Southern Railway in 2023 to form CPKC. CPKC currently operates the Milwaukee to Portage segment as the Portage Subdivision, and the Watertown to La Crosse segment as the Tomah Subdivision. The route remains well used, and hosts both freight and Amtrak trains.

Located west of Rockland, this deck plate girder bridge carries the former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) mainline over Fish Creek. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle, constructed when the line was first built. It is believed that the first bridge was rebuilt in the 19th Century, likely using a wooden truss bridge. By the late 1890s, traffic over this line warranted replacing timber bridges with new steel and stone structures. A new deck girder bridge was constructed in 1894 to replace the previous timber structure. In 1910, the Milwaukee Road double tracked this section of line, reconstructing the bridge. As part of the reconstruction, the original span was shifted to the south, and a new north track span installed. When the original span was shifted, two additional girders were reused from another location, creating a "twinned" span, giving the bridge its present configuration.

Currently, the bridge consists of a double track 55-foot type A-4 deck plate girder bridge, set onto stone and concrete abutments. The north track superstructure uses a standard design for the era, with heavily constructed girders and a ballast deck constructed of standard precast concrete ballast channel segments. These types of ballast channels were popular in the 1910s, as they could easily be constructed offsite. In addition, the north track abutment uses stone, which has been partially rebuilt with concrete. The south track uses a heavily modified superstructure, set entirely on concrete substructures and covered by a timber ballast deck. The outside girders of the south track were originally fabricated by the American Bridge Works in 1894, and use a shallow design. Two additional girders were reused from Bridge #Z-998 near Ferguson, Iowa. These girders were originally fabricated in 1897 by the Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Works, and are slightly deeper than the outside girders. An unknown contractor fabricated the north track superstructure, and it is believed that Milwaukee Road forces constructed both the stone and concrete substructures. A plaque on the outside of the south track span indicates that the Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Works also completed the modifications to this span. The Milwaukee Road often rebuilt girder spans in a similar manner, as it allowed an existing bridge to be greatly strengthened without requiring large amounts of new material. Deck plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads, as they were durable and easy to construct. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted to the superstructure or substructure. The precast ballast deck panels on the north track are showing signs of deterioration, and both tracks remain in use today. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Citations

Build date, builders and original locations	Milwaukee Road Bridge Index, located at the Milwaukee Road Archives at the Milwaukee Public Library
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele