UP Bridge #81.59

In 1890, the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad (CP&StL) completed 44 miles of new railroad from Madison, Illinois to Litchfield, Illinois.  The railroad became part of the Litchfield & Madison Railway (L&M) in 1900.  In 1901, the Peoria & Northwestern Railway (P&NW) completed 83 miles of railroad, extending from the existing Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) mainline at Nelson, Illinois to Peoria, Illinois.  The P&NW was a subsidiary of the C&NW, and would be fully absorbed by 1902.  In 1904, the Macoupin County Railway (MCR) constructed an additional 24 miles from Benld, Illinois to Girard, Illinois.  The MCR was acquired by the St. Louis, Peoria & Northwestern Railway (StLP&NW) in 1912.  The StLP&NW was another C&NW subsidiary, and constructed an additional 93 miles from Kickapoo (Peoria) to Benld in 1913 before being sold to the C&NW.  The same year, the Macoupin County Extension Railway (MCER) completed an additional 3 miles from Girard to Staunton, Illinois before being acquired by the C&NW in 1914.  In 1927, the C&NW constructed an additional 2.5 miles to DeCamp, where the line met the L&M.  The C&NW obtained trackage rights over the L&M to reach Madison at the same time.  This route provided the C&NW with a direct source of quality coal, and connected to other railroads throughout southern Illinois. 

The C&NW would become a prominent railroad in the Midwest, eventually building a system over 11,000 miles long.  The L&M would be acquired by the C&NW in 1957, and the C&NW would abandon the line from Mt. Olive to Litchfield in 1961, and from DeCamp to Mt. Olive in 1972.  By the late 20th Century, this route slowly had lost importance.  In 1995, the C&NW would be purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP).  UP abandoned the line between DeCamp and Stallings in 1998, as well as the segment from Barr to Girard.  In addition, the DeCamp to Monterey Junction segment was sold to the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in 1998.  Today, UP operates the Peoria Subdivision between Nelson and Barr, and NS operates the Monterey Branch from Monterey Junction to DeCamp.  Portions of the line near Springfield have become part of the Sangamon Valley Trail.  When complete, the trail will connect Girard to Athens (Barr).