The Kenosha and Rockford Railroad, subsequently called the KD Line, is a historic railroad that operated in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

from 1861 until 1939.

History

19th century

Construction of the Kenosha, Rockford and Rock Island Railroad was encouraged by the city of

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...

. The 72-mile line began as an independent enterprise created by several Kenosha businessmen in 1853 and it was opened on July 21, 1861. Earlier plans had called for the line to be built between Kenosha and

Beloit, Wisconsin Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. History Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire, created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836 and sent ...

, but Beloit had shown little interest in being the western terminus of the line. The construction of the railroad encouraged the development of various communities along the line. Passenger traffic was usually light; the line served several tourist areas along the numerous lake resorts in western Kenosha County.

20th century

As many as twelve daily trains operated during the early 20th Century; freight traffic included milk and ice from the numerous dairies and lakes along the route. The line was renamed the Kenosha and Rockford Railroad and it was eventually purchased by the

Chicago and North Western Railroad The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

. Under the CNW, it became known as the Kenosha Division, or the KD Line. Electric refrigeration became widespread in the 1930s and the need for ice diminished. Dairy farmers also turned to trucking during and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, further decreasing traffic levels. By 1938, only two

mixed train A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. Although common in the early days of railways, by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Typically, servic ...

s still operated, and passenger counts had diminished to one or two riders per day. The main portion of the KD Line was abandoned by the C&NW on May 31, 1939. A crew of five on Train No. 917 left Kenosha at 9:30 AM with three fare-paying passengers: rail historian Anton E. Klova and Kenosha County Historical Society officials William E. Dickinson and C. Ernest Dewey, plus retired KD Line conductor P. H. Galligan, who rode as far as Salem. En route, the crew of No. 917 made lengthy stops at each station to strip its contents and load them aboard No. 917, which as a result arrived at

Harvard, Illinois Harvard is a city located in McHenry County, Illinois. The population was 9,469 at the 2020 census. The city is 63 miles from the Chicago Loop and it is the last stop on the Union Pacific/Northwest Line. History The original owners of the la ...

nearly eight hours late. At its industrial far west and east ends the KD served a number of industries. The KD's biggest customer was perhaps were the American Motors Company factories in Kenosha until Chrysler, which purchased AMC in 1987, began shutting down operations over the following years. Prior to AMC it was a Nash plant. In Loves Park the KD serviced the Warner-Lambert plant which made chewing gum, Borg-Warner, and Barber-Colman. Warner-Lambert continues in operation today under Mondelez ownership but is no longer rail served though it still maintains a connection to the KD. Three short segments of the KD Line remain in operation today. Union Pacific services two customers in Loves Park, IL, Rock Valley Oil & Chemical and the Cimco scrapyard, using the KD Line from Rockford north. The Rockford Park District operates a seasonal, self-propelled streetcar over the KD on summer weekends when UP is not operating. From Chemung, IL, east to Harvard, IL, the Chicago-Chemung Railroad operates over 3.5 miles of the former KD Line where it connects a large grain elevator operation in Chemung to the UP Harvard Subdivision. In Wisconsin the KD Line, also called the Farm Line in this section, is in service by UP from Bain Station into downtown Kenosha. It is primarily used by UP to connect its New Line to the Old Line or Kenosha Subdivision but it does have one active, online customer left, the Ocean Spray plant on the west end. Tom Burke Photo Chicago-Chemung Shortline Chemung IL November 1997

Tom Burke Photo Chicago-Chemung Shortline Chemung IL November 1997

Tom Burke Photo UP Kenosha Division Line Looking East 19th Avenue Kenosha Sept 6 2015

The CNW was acquired by the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

in April 1995.

21st century

UP owns and operates two of the KD Line segments: Rockford-Loves Park in Illinois and Bain Station-Kenosha in Wisconsin. DeLong Company, owner of the grain elevators in Chemung, operates the Chicago-Chemung Railroad. The Rockford Park District operates a seasonal, self-propelled streetcar over the KD during summer weekends.

References

* *Brian K Landis Rockford area Railroad's co-author Landis= Brian [ year=2010. 2017 issue of the Northwest Quarterly Magazine. Brian Landis Harlem Illinois & The K D Line a Railroad Ran Through it. 2020 New Book Harlem Township in Winnebago County pictures of the Kenosha & Rockford Railroad/K D Line in the book , Brian Landis of Machesney Park, Illinois is the Co-Author

Bibliography

* The KD Line by P. J. Behrens (182 pages), 1986 2020 Harlem Township in Winnebago County,Brian Landis Co-Author

External links

History of the Kenosha Division between Kenosha, WI and Rockford, IL, with interactive map and pictures.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenosha Rockford Railroad Defunct Illinois railroads Transportation in Kenosha County, Wisconsin Transportation in McHenry County, Illinois Transportation in Boone County, Illinois Transportation in Winnebago County, Illinois Predecessors of the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company Railway companies established in 1856 Railway companies disestablished in 1857 Defunct Wisconsin railroads 1856 establishments in Wisconsin Rail infrastructure in Wisconsin Rail infrastructure in Illinois American companies disestablished in 1857 American companies established in 1856