The Reedsburg Subdivision is a railway line 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 runs from

Reedsburg, Wisconsin Reedsburg is a city in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. Its population in 2020 was 9,984. The city is located northwest of Madison, Wisconsin, Madison within the Madison metropolitan area, Baraboo micropolitan area. The city is surrounde ...

, to

Evansville, Wisconsin Evansville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,703 at the 2020 census. Evansville is a part of the Janesville- Beloit Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Madison-Janesville-Beloit CSA. History Evansvil ...

, via

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 was built by predecessors of 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 ...

between 1854 and 1873. As the Madison Subdivision, it ran between

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 th ...

, and

Sparta, Wisconsin Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States, along the La Crosse River. The population was 10,025 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Sparta is located on former Ho-Chunk territory acq ...

. Ownership of the line is split between the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

and the municipalities of

Fitchburg, Wisconsin Fitchburg is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 29,609 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb south of Madison and is part of the Madison metropolitan area. Fitchburg consists of a mix of suburban neighborhoods clos ...

, and

Oregon, Wisconsin Oregon is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,179 at the 2020 census. A suburb south of Madison, it is part of the Madison metropolitan area. The village is located mostly within the Town of Oregon. His ...

; 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 ...

provides freight service over the line.

History

The Beloit and Madison Railroad's original line opened between

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. Beloit is a principal city of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Janesville–Beloit metropolitan statistical area (Rock Co ...

, and Footville, Wisconsin, on December 18, 1854. This was further extended to

, on September 7, 1864. Under lease since 1864, the Beloit and Madison was merged into the

in 1871. In 1870, the Baraboo Air Line Railroad began building northwest from Madison toward Winona Junction, near

La Crosse La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 20 ...

, a distance of . The Chicago and North Western acquired the company on March 10, 1871, with the line still incomplete. Three tunnels were dug between

Elroy Elroy may refer to: Places in the United States * Elroy, North Carolina, a census-designated place * Elroy, a village in Franconia Township, Pennsylvania * Elroy, Texas, an unincorporated community * Elroy, Wisconsin, a city People and fictional ...

and

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

, at "great expense and with much difficulty." The full line opened in 1873. At Winona Junction, it connected with the line of the LaCrosse, Trempealeau and Prescott Railroad to reach

Winona, Minnesota Winona ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota), Sugar Loaf. The population was 2 ...

. In 1911, the North Western opened the Adams Cutoff, a new line between

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, and Sparta. The new line shortened the distance between Milwaukee and

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, and avoided the difficult grades of the original route between Elroy and Sparta. The North Western abandoned that part of the line altogether in 1964 and it was converted into the Elroy-Sparta State Trail. In 1986, the North Western abandoned the line between Elroy and Reedsburg. It is now the 400 State Trail. The

acquired the Chicago and North Western in 1995. The following year, the

leased the line between Madison and Reedsburg. When Union Pacific sought to abandon between Madison and

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 ...

in 1998, the municipalities of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and Fitchburg acquired the line. The Wisconsin and Southern leased that portion of the line as well in 2014.

Notes

References

* * * * * *

External links

* {{commons category-inline Rail infrastructure in Wisconsin Railway lines opened in 1854 Chicago and North Western Railway