CNW North Shore Channel Bridge

In the late 19th Century, Chicago grew to the prominent railroad hub in the central United States. Chicago also served as the dividing point between the railroads operating in the east and railroads operating in the Midwest.  The Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) had constructed three principal railroad lines, radiating north, northwest and west from Chicago.  In 1872, the C&NW constructed five miles of new railroad line along Kenton Avenue in Chicago, connecting the West Line (Galena Division) near present-day Pulaski Road to the Northwest Line (Wisconsin Division) at Mayfair.  In 1889, the Junction Railway Company (JRC) was funded by the C&NW to construct a double track extension from Mayfair, north to the North Line (Milwaukee Division) at Canal (north Evanston).  At the same time, the C&NW constructed a second track along the Kenton Avenue segment.  In 1891, the JRC was merged into the C&NW. 

This line primarily served as a freight bypass of downtown Chicago, connecting to the Belt Railway of Chicago at the south end of the line.  In the late 19th Century, railroad traffic had become a significant safety hazard for the City of Chicago.  A solution was devised to elevate the railroad tracks throughout the city, placing the railroads upon embankments and constructing subways at each street.  In 1899, the C&NW completed a track elevation project at Milwaukee Avenue and Irving Park Road; followed by the section from Milwaukee Avenue to 40th Street (Pulaski Road) in 1906.  Further improvements were made in 1928, when the line was elevated north of Mayfair. 

The C&NW would become a prominent railroad in the Midwest, eventually building a system over 11,000 miles long.  By the mid 20th Century, this route slowly had lost importance.  Freight traffic would mainly use the Milwaukee Subdivision, another freight bypass located west of this route.  Local traffic along the line gradually faded, and portions of the line would be abandoned.  The C&NW abandoned the line from Oakton Street to Canal in 1985, followed by the section between River Junction and Oakton Street in 1988.  In approximately 1990, the line south of Armitage Avenue would be abandoned, severing the connection to the Galena Division.  In 1995, the C&NW would be purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad.  The Union Pacific continues to operate the Mayfair to Armitage Avenue segment as the Cragin Industrial Lead.  The remainder of the line is abandoned, but the grade and structures remain largely intact.