The Chicago, Madison, and Northern Railroad was a railroad company in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It was established by the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

in 1886 to construct a new direct railroad line from

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. The line opened in 1888 and the company was merged into the Illinois Central in 1903. The

Freeport Subdivision The Freeport Subdivision is a railroad line in Illinois which runs from 16th Street in downtown Chicago to Freeport, Illinois. It is owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway (CN). the line is almost exclusively freight-only, with only a ...

between Chicago and

Freeport, Illinois Freeport is the largest city in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is k ...

, remains in operation.

History

In the 1880s the network of the

resembled a wishbone, centered on

Centralia, Illinois Centralia is a city in Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Illinois with the largest portion in Marion County. The city is the largest in three counties, Clinton, Marion, and Washington, but it is not a ...

. From there, lines ran north to

, northeast to

, and south to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. For direct east–west service between Chicago and Freeport and point west, the Illinois Central used the tracks of the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest, Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of ...

. To eliminate these costs the Illinois Central decided to build its own route between Chicago and Freeport. The Illinois Central's plan included a new line between Chicago and

, via Freeport, a branch to

Dodgeville, Wisconsin Dodgeville is a city in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 4,984 at the 2020 census, making it the county's most populous city. Dodgeville is part of the Madison metropolitan area. History In 1827 ...

, and a short branch from South Addison, Illinois, to

Addison, Illinois Addison is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 35,702 at the 2020 Census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History The village was incorporated in 1884, at which time it had a population of 400. T ...

. It established five companies for this purpose, three in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and two in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

: # The Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad, an Illinois company, to build from Chicago to Freeport and then the Wisconsin state line. Incorporated on August 2, 1886. # The Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad, a Wisconsin company, to build from the Wisconsin state line to Madison. Incorporated on August 2, 1886. # The Freeport, Dodgeville and Northern Railroad, an Illinois company, to build from Freeport to the Wisconsin state line. Incorporated on May 20, 1887. # The Freeport, Dodgeville and Northern Railroad, a Wisconsin company, to build from the Wisconsin state line to Dodgeville. Incorporated on May 21, 1887. # The Addison Railroad, to build from South Addison to Addison. Incorporated on July 22, 1890. The two Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad companies were consolidated into a single company, still called the Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad, on April 16, 1887. That company and the two Freeport, Dodgeville and Northern Railroad companies were consolidated into a single company, also still called the Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad, on March 12, 1888. The Addison Railroad was conveyed to the Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad on January 5, 1892. Construction of the new line began in 1886 and was completed under the unified company in 1888. Trains did not begin using the St. Charles Air Line to reach

Great Central Station Great Central Station, also known as Great Central Depot, was an intercity train station in Chicago, Illinois, owned by the Illinois Central Railroad (IC). It opened in 1856 and for a time was the largest building in downtown Chicago. Its pass ...

(and later

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

) until 1891. The Addison Railroad completed its branch to Addison prior to the 1892 conveyance. Always under the control of the Illinois Central Railroad, the Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad was merged on February 1, 1903.

Lines

The Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad owned of track in the states of Illinois and Wisconsin: * its main line between Chicago and Madison, . The line between Chicago and Freeport, now the

of the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

, remains in active use. The line between Freeport and Madison, the Madison District, was sold by the

Illinois Central Gulf Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

to the state of Wisconsin in 1980. After a period of operation by short-line railroads, it was abandoned and converted into the Badger State Trail in 1998. * the Dodgeville branch between Red Oak, Illinois, and Dodgeville, Wisconsin. The

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later Trucking industry in the United States, truc ...

approved the abandonment of the entire line in 1942. * the Addison branch between South Addison and Addison. The ICC approved the abandonment of the branch in 1989.

Notes

References

* * *

History

Lines

Notes

References

Further reading