 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1871–1881 |
| Successor | Chicago and Milwaukee Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Length | 62.63 miles (100.79 km) |
The Northwestern Union Railway was a railroad company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1871 and opened a line between Milwaukee and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in 1873. It was merged into the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway, a forerunner of the Chicago and North Western Railway, in 1881.
The Milwaukee and Northwestern Railway was incorporated on February 25, 1871. The company was renamed the Northwestern Union Railway on May 3, 1872. [1] The company's 62.63-mile (100.79 km) line between Milwaukee and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, opened in 1873. [2] At its southern end, the line connected with the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway's line between Chicago and Milwaukee. At the northern end in Fond du Lac, it connected with the Sheboygan and Fond du Lac Railroad's line between Sheboygan and Princeton, and the Chicago and North Western Railway's line from Chicago to Green Bay via Janesville. [3]
The Northwestern Union Railway was consolidated with the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway on January 11, 1881, forming a new company also called the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway. That company, in turn, was consolidated with the Milwaukee and Madison Railway and the Sheboygan and Western Railway to form the Chicago, Milwaukee and North Western Railway. [4]
Under the Chicago and North Western Railway the line between Milwaukee and Fond du Lac was known as the Air Line Subdivision. In railroading, a "air-line" denotes a relatively straight, direct route. During the era of Chicago and North Western passenger service it hosted Upper Peninsula-bound trains such as the Flambeau 400 and Peninsula 400 . [5]
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road, was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986.
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 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over 12,000 miles (19,000 km) of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s. Until 1972, when the employees purchased the company, it was named the Chicago and North Western Railway.
The 400 was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway between Chicago and Saint Paul, with a final stop in Minneapolis. The train took its name from the schedule of 400 miles between the cities in 400 minutes, and was also a nod to "The Four Hundred Club", a term coined by Ward McAllister to refer to the social elite of New York City in the late 19th century. It was an express train with limited stops between Chicago and the Twin Cities. The "400" ran from 1935 to 1963 on the Chicago to Twin Cities route. The C&NW later named their other passenger trains using the number "400".
The Galena and Southern Wisconsin Railroad Company was a railroad company in the United States. It constructed and operated a narrow gauge line between Galena, Illinois, and near Rewey, Wisconsin, via Platteville, Wisconsin. The railroad went through multiple reorganizations in the early 1880s before becoming part of the Chicago and North Western Railway system. The line was unified with that of the Chicago and Tomah Railroad and rebuilt as a 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in line. As the Platteville Subdivision of the Chicago and North Western, it was eventually abandoned in 1980.
Wisconsin Central Ltd. is a railroad subsidiary of Canadian National. At one time, its parent Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation owned or operated railroads in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia.
The Twin Cities Hiawatha, often just Hiawatha, was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, and traveled from Chicago to the Twin Cities. The original train takes its name from the epic poem The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. There are a number of Hiawatha-themed names within the city of Minneapolis, the terminus of the original train. The first Hiawatha ran in 1935; in 1939 the Milwaukee Road introduced a second daily trip between Chicago and Minneapolis. The two trains were known as the Morning Hiawatha and Afternoon Hiawatha, or sometimes the AM Twin Cities Hiawatha and PM Twin Cities Hiawatha. The Milwaukee Road discontinued the Afternoon Hiawatha in 1970 while the Morning Hiawatha continued running until the formation of Amtrak in 1971.
The following is a brief history of the North American rail system, mainly through major changes to Class I railroads, the largest class by operating revenue.
The Minnesota 400 was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway on its southern Minnesota line between Mankato, Minnesota and Wyeville, Wisconsin. It began running in 1936. In 1950 it was extended to run between Chicago, Illinois and Huron, South Dakota and renamed the Dakota 400. It would be further extended to Rapid City, South Dakota, before being cut back to Mankato, in 1960. This final iteration was named the Rochester 400 and it ceased operation in 1963.
The Sheboygan and Fond du Lac Railroad was a railroad company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1861 to acquire the bankrupt Sheboygan and Mississippi Railroad, which owned a railway line running between Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and Glenbeulah, Wisconsin. The Sheboygan and Fond du Lac Railroad expanded the line first to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and then on to Princeton, Wisconsin. The company was reorganized as the Sheboygan and Western Railway in 1880. Its line eventually became part of the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company system; only the original line of the Sheboygan and Mississippi Railroad remains extant.
The Chicago and Tomah Railroad was a railroad company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1872 and was intended to connect the northern forests of Wisconsin around Tomah with Freeport and Chicago, Illinois. The company constructed a 3 ft narrow gauge line between Woodman and Montfort, Wisconsin, with a branch to Lancaster. The company came under Chicago and North Western Railway control in 1880, which built a connection with the narrow gauge Galena and Wisconsin Railroad. Both were consolidated into the Milwaukee and Madison Railway. None of the Chicago and Tomah's network exists today.
The Chippewa consisting of mostly conventional components, and later known as the Chippewa-Hiawatha, with a streamlined consist was a passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad between Chicago, Illinois and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It operated from 1937 to 1960. The Chippewa-Hiawatha was one of several regional trains to carry the "Hiawatha" brand.
The Waukesha Subdivision or Waukesha Sub is a railway line owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway. It meets the Neenah Subdivision to the north in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and runs south to Chicago, Illinois.
The Baraboo Air Line Railroad was a railroad company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1870 to build a line from Madison, Wisconsin, to La Crosse, Wisconsin, as part of a new through route between Madison and Winona, Minnesota. The company was consolidated with the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) in 1871, prior to the completion of the line. After abandonment by the C&NW, part of the Baraboo Air Line route became the first rail trail, the Elroy-Sparta State Trail. Currently, the line from Madison to Reedsburg is operated by the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad. The portion from Reedsburg to Elroy is now the 400 State Trail. The portion from Sparta through Medary is now the La Crosse River Trail.
The Beloit and Madison Railroad was a railroad company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1852 and opened its first line in 1854. It was leased by the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad on its completion, and merged into the Chicago and North Western Railway in 1871.
The Mineral Point Railroad was a railroad company in the United States. It was established in 1852 to connect Mineral Point, Wisconsin, with the Illinois Central Railroad in Warren, Illinois. Partial service began in December 1856; the full line to Mineral Point opened in June 1857. The Milwaukee Road acquired the company in 1880; the last remnant of the company's lines was abandoned in the 1980s.
The Sheboygan and Mississippi Railroad was a railroad company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1852 and opened its first line in 1859. In 1861, the company was reorganized as the Sheboygan and Fond du Lac Railroad. Its line, running from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to Glenbeulah, Wisconsin, eventually became part of the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company system. The Sheboygan Falls Subdivision remains extant.
The Sheboygan Falls Subdivision is a railway line in the state of Wisconsin. It runs 14 miles (23 km) between Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and Plymouth, Wisconsin. Ownership is split between Wisconsin and Southern Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad. The line was originally built in 1859–1860 by the Sheboygan and Mississippi Railroad.
The Platteville Subdivision, also known as the Galena branch, was a railway line in the states of Illinois and Wisconsin. It ran approximately 46 miles (74 km) from Galena, Illinois, to Montfort, Wisconsin, with a 4-mile (6.4 km) branch from Ipswich, Wisconsin, to Platteville, Wisconsin. The line was initially built by the Galena and Southern Wisconsin Railroad as a 3 ft line; it was subsequently rebuilt as a 1,435 mmstandard gauge line. The line opened in 1874 and was fully abandoned in 1980.
The Reedsburg Subdivision is a railway line in the state of Wisconsin. It runs 75 miles (121 km) from Reedsburg, Wisconsin, to Evansville, Wisconsin, via Madison, Wisconsin. The line was built by predecessors of the Chicago and North Western Railway between 1854 and 1873. As the Madison Subdivision, it ran between Harvard, Illinois, and Sparta, Wisconsin. Ownership of the line is split between the Union Pacific Railroad and the municipalities of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, and Oregon, Wisconsin; the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad provides freight service over the line.