The Beloit and Madison Railroad was a railroad company in the state of

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 ...

. It was incorporated in 1852 and opened its first line in 1854. Upon completion, the railroad was leased by the

Galena and Chicago Union Railroad The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad (G&CU) was the first railroad constructed out of Chicago, intended to provide a shipping route between Chicago and the lead mines near Galena, Illinois. The railroad company was chartered on January 16, 183 ...

, and the company merged into the

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Railroad classes#Class I, 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 t ...

in 1871.

History

The Beloit and Madison Railroad was incorporated on February 18, 1852, to construct a railway line from Beloit to

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

via Janesville. At the southern end the line would connect with the

, which would build a branch from its main line at Belvidere north to Beloit. The two companies shared several members of the board and the same company president. Service over the Galena and Chicago Union's branch to Beloit began on November 14, 1853. The Beloit and Madison opened its line between Beloit and Afton on August 15, 1854, and then to Footville on December 18, bypassing Janesville. The line was built using strap rail previously used on the Michigan Southern Railroad and Galena and Chicago Union. The Galena and Chicago Union leased the Beloit and Madison Railroad in 1854, once the line was in operation. The Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad, a forerunner of the

Milwaukee Road 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 Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...

, crossed the Beloit and Madison's line at

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

in 1857. In 1858, amid the

Panic of 1857 The Panic of 1857 was a financial crisis in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission ...

, Galena and Chicago Union trains began using the Milwaukee and Mississippi's line to reach Janesville. In 1860, the company extended its line north from Footville to

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

. The company was reorganized on September 18, 1862, but kept the name Beloit and Madison Railroad and remained under lease to the Galena and Chicago Union. The Galena and Chicago Union consolidated with the

on June 2, 1864. The Beloit and Madison extended its line to Madison on September 7, 1864. The Beloit and Madison company was merged into the Chicago and North Western on January 10, 1871.

Route

As built, the Beloit and Madison's main line extended from Beloit to Madison via Afton. The southern portion of line became less important in 1886 with the opening of the "Evansville Cut-off" between

Evansville Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 census, it is Indiana's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the most populous city in S ...

(on the Beloit–Madison line) and Janesville. This shortened the route between Madison and Chicago. The Chicago and North Western abandoned the section between Evansville and Beloit, known as the Footville Subdivision, in 1979. The line north of Evansville is operated by the

Wisconsin and Southern Railroad The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad is a Class II regional railroad in Southern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois currently operated by Watco. It operates former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) and ...

as part of the

Reedsburg Subdivision The Reedsburg Subdivision is a railway line in the state of Wisconsin. It runs from Reedsburg, Wisconsin, to Evansville, Wisconsin, via Madison, Wisconsin. The line was built by predecessors of the Chicago and North Western Railway between 1854 ...

Notes

References

* * * * {{cite book , last=Mollenhoff , first=David , date=2003 , title=Madison: A History of the Formative Years , publisher=University of Wisconsin Press , isbn=978-0-299-19980-7 Defunct Wisconsin railroads Predecessors of the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company Railway companies established in 1852 Railway companies disestablished in 1871