CN Smokey Road Bridge

In 1871, the Wisconsin Central Railway (WC) constructed 61 miles of new railroad, extending from Neenah, Wisconsin to Menasha, Wisconsin.  Between 1872 and 1874, an additional 100 miles would be constructed to Worcester, Wisconsin as part of a larger project to reach Ashland, Wisconsin.  The WC was reorganized as the Wisconsin Central Railroad (WC) in 1871, which was again reorganized as the Wisconsin Central Railway (WC) in 1899.  This line provided the central section of mainline across Wisconsin for the WC, connecting lines towards Ashland and Minneapolis, Minnesota with the line towards Chicago, Illinois.  In 1909, the WC would be leased by the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway (Soo Line), which itself was controlled by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). The Soo Line had constructed a large network of railroads, connecting the Upper Midwest with Canadian Railroads. During the early 20th Century, a number of upgrades were made to this line, aimed at improving operations, reducing grades and shortening travel time.  In 1910, the WC constructed a 19 mile segment between Spencer, Wisconsin and Owen, Wisconsin, providing a shorter route for traffic between Chicago and the Twin Cities.  This diagonal line reduced the importance of the Spencer-Abbotsford-Owen segment, and saved several miles.

Throughout the 20th Century, the Neenah to Owen segment remained a critical component of the Soo Line system.  In 1961, the WC would be merged with other CP subsidiaries Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad and the Soo Line to form Soo Line Railroad, a company controlled by CP.  In 1984, the Soo Line would be reorganized as the Soo Line Corporation in advance of a pending purchase of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road).  After the Soo Line acquired the Milwaukee Road in 1986, this route became less important, as the Milwaukee Road purchase provided Soo with additional connections between Chicago and Minneapolis.  In 1987, the route would be sold to Wisconsin Central, Ltd. (WC).  Known as the "new" Wisconsin Central, the railroad acquired several excess rail lines from the Soo Line, Milwaukee Road and Chicago & North Western Railway, before being acquired as the American subsidiary of Canadian National Railway (CN) in 2001.  Today, CN continues to operate the Neenah to Spencer, Wisconsin portion of this line as a part of their mainline between the Twin Cities and Chicago.  The segment between Neenah and Stevens Point, Wisconsin is known as the Neenah Subdivision, and the segment between Stevens Point and Owen is the southern portion of the Superior Subdivision.