24:
154:
the Aurora Branch sought this merger because, in the Galena and
Chicago Unionâs original 1836 charter, the Illinois legislature had given that company the right to build âlateral routesâ from its main line, and an extension of the Aurora Branch westward could be competing against such a lateral route. However, Newton also points out that consolidation wouldnât do much for the G&CU financially, basically just giving them a parallel route not very far from the one they were already buildingâso no consolidation took place.
94:(G&CU) to Aurora. According to railroad historian A. W. Newton, âThe Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was then under construction, passing some twelve miles to the north, and agitation started for the construction of a line from Aurora to a connection with this road, thus giving access to Chicago.â Village leaders in both Aurora and Batavia wanted to avoid the 38-mile wagon rides to and from Chicago, but they also worried about losing economic opportunities if the G&CU were to pass them by.
110:
Aurora Branch sold less than half of its original stock outlay of $ 100,000, which was enough to pay for surveying and grading the route. But to purchase track, locomotives, and cars, in March of 1850 the board offered bonds for sale worth $ 45,000 in total, with the directors personally providing guarantees of payment if necessary.
569:, Corporate History of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company and Affiliated Companies, 1917, p. 8: "A provision of the Amendment, of date February 28, 1854, which changed the name of this company to "Chicago and Southwestern Railroad Company," was never acted upon or recognized by this company."
219:
It currently runs through Aurora, Montgomery, Bristol, Plano, Sandwich, Somonauk, Leland, Earlville, Meriden, Mendota, Clarion, Arlington, Zearing, Malden, Princeton, Wyanet, Buda, Neponset, Kewanee, Galva, Altona, Oneida, Wataga, and
Galesburg. It interchanges with the Illinois Railway La Salle Line
105:
in late August 1850. After a major celebration there, daily train service between
Batavia and Chicago began on September 2, 1850. Construction to Aurora was completed on October 4, and the railroad company announced that beginning October 21, 1850, two round trips a day would be scheduled to Chicago
153:
In
February 1851, the Aurora Branchâs stockholders and the Board of Directors instructed company officers to explore arrangements âwith the Galena and Chicago Union Rail Road Company, or any other company or companies, for the purpose of uniting or consolidating this company.â Newton speculates that
109:
Like many early railroads, the Aurora Branch at first was working on a thin financial margin. Any new railroad had to spend huge amounts on track construction, rolling stock, and maintenance facilities before it could even begin to make money, so people were often wary about investing in them. The
136:
However, once construction was completed, profits were strong enough so that on July 8, 1851, the Aurora Branch increased its stock to $ 600,000, and on the one-year anniversary of the branch lineâs completion, October 31, 1851, the company also paid dividends of 10 per centâthough in stock, not
157:
Still, sometime during 1851 the G&CU asserted its priority right and declared that they would build a line east from Aurora. This prompted the Aurora Branch in mid-December 1851 to seek a lease in perpetuity to use the Galena and
Chicago Unionâs right of way, which was formally agreed to on
145:
But before they had actually raised money to purchase equipment, in March of 1850 the Aurora Branchâs board was already looking farther afield, resolving âthat it is the desire of the directors of this company to extend the Aurora Branch
Railroad to the most feasible point on the
51:
cites as the beginning of their empire: this âshort stretch of track set BNSFâs destiny into âloco-motionâ and grew over many decades into a network spanning 32,500 miles.â Beginning in 1853, as the
Chicago and Aurora Railroad, the company's tracks eventually extended from
106:
and back. Customers paid $ 1.25 to travel from Aurora to
Chicago, while the fare to Aurora from Chicago was $ 1.10. The trackage between Aurora and West Chicago is still in service as an industrial spur, though the connection in West Chicago has been removed.
702:
162:âs main line in the area of Mendota. At that time, the Aurora Branch also signed a formal operating agreement with the Galena and Chicago Union to use their tracks into Chicago, beginning on January 1, 1852.
117:; this matched the tracks built by the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad. It appears that the first locomotive used on the Aurora Branch was leased from the Galena and Chicago Union; called the
182:, and changed its name to Chicago and Southwestern Railroad. The latter provision was never acted upon, and was repealed by an act of February 14, 1855, which instead changed the name to
216:
Mendota subdivision hosts about 40 freight trains a day, and Amtrak
Southwest Chief #3 and 4, California Zephyr #5 and 6, Illinois Zephyr #383 and 380, and Carl Sandburg #381 and 382.
150:, as soon as possible." Although they made arrangements within less than a month to survey this route, nothing came of it immediatelyâother corporate maneuvers had to happen first.
113:
The company economized by using both second-hand tracks and locomotives. In construction, they used wooden rails covered with strap iron which they had purchased used from the
712:
707:
174:; this extension, to Mendota, was completed on October 20, 1853. Another amendment, passed February 28, 1854, authorized the company to build east from Aurora to
412:
Newton, "Early
History," Part One, pp. 12-13. Although Newton could not find a specific lease agreement, several indirect sources agree in suggesting that the
186:(CB&Q). The Aurora-Chicago line was opened on May 20, 1864, by which time the CB&Q had, through acquisitions, acquired a main line from Chicago to
158:
January 13, 1852. With the new lease, the Aurora Branch directors identified a different destination for their route, planning to connect Aurora with the
643:
Laws of the State of Illinois Passed at the First Session of the Sixteenth General Assembly, Begun and Held at the City of Springfield, January 1, 1849
97:
Once the charter was obtained, surveying began almost immediately, and construction started in early 1850, working southeast from Turner Junction (now
483:
Laws of the State of Illinois Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at Their Second Session, Commencing December 7, 1835, and ending January 18, 1836
717:
121:, it was a 4-2-0 wood-burning engine built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. Late in 1850 the Aurora Branch purchased two engines second-hand: the
566:
317:
183:
36:
23:
332:
170:
The company was renamed Chicago and Aurora Railroad on June 22, 1852, and given expanded powers to extend from Aurora to a point north of
697:
668:
Newton, A. W. "Early History of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in Illinois," Part One: "Aurora Branch Railroad Company."
545:
Interstate Commerce Commission (1927), Valuation Docket No. 715: Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, vol. 134 I.C.C., p. 1
255:
114:
579:
An act to amend an act entitled "An act to amend the charter of the Chicago and Aurora Railroad Company," approved February 28, 1854
91:
17:
616:
220:
in Zearing, the Union Pacific Troy Grove Sub in Earlville, and the Illinois Railway Ottawa Line in Montgomery, all in Illinois.
209:, which continues south-southwest to Galesburg. The original West Chicago-Aurora branch line is now an industrial track of the
349:"Early History of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in Illinois," Part One: "Aurora Branch Railroad Company."
239:
486:
289:
Romanowski, Paige (BNSF Staff Writer), âRails and Routes: BNSFâs Start in Aurora, Illinois.â April 16, 2024. <
159:
126:
87:
664:
655:
307:
223:
The original Chicago-Aurora line, the oldest commuter rail line in the Chicago area, still exists today as
201:
The portion of the Chicago and Aurora between Aurora and Mendota remains a main line of CB&Q successor
98:
290:
275:
228:
661:
Corporate History of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company and Affiliated Companies
277:
Corporate History of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company and Affiliated Companies
243:
210:
133:, a small locomotive with 4 driving wheels, purchased from the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad.
646:
578:
554:
533:
102:
137:
cashâto investors who had covered 75% or more of the cost of their initial stock purchases.
61:
44:
191:
179:
147:
691:
187:
603:
232:
202:
171:
64:, also creating what would become the oldest commuter line in the Chicago area.
57:
195:
238:
In 2017, the Mendota subdivision announced that it would become a designated
592:
Valuation Docket No. 715: Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company
416:
was owned by the Galena and Chicago Union but leased to the Aurora Branch.
43:, chartered in February 1849, started as a twelve-mile branch line which
673:
348:
175:
53:
555:
An act to amend the charter of the Chicago and Aurora Railroad Company
291:
https://www.bnsf.com/news-media/railtalk/heritage/aurora-illinois.html
479:
An Act to Incorporate the Galena and Chicago Union Rail Road Company
235:, which is the successor of the CB&Q through numerous mergers.
224:
22:
534:
An act to amend the charter of the Aurora Branch Railroad company
48:
639:
An Act Granting a Charter to the Aurora Branch Railroad Company
319:
An Act Granting a Charter to the Aurora Branch Railroad Company
82:
The Chicago and Aurora Railroad's first incarnation was the
703:
Predecessors of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
606:, Chicago Division Timetable No. 6, in effect July 20, 2007
242:
with the construction or the East Main Street underpass in
645:, Charles H. Lanphier, Public Printer, 1849. Pp. 96-99.
485:, J. Y. Sawyer, Public Printer, 1836. Section 6, p. 26.
497:
Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 22, footnote #41.
670:
The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin
352:
The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin
335:
The Railroads of Kentucky During the 1940s and 1950s
125:, another Baldwin 4-2-0 locomotive, bought from the
681:
Burlington Route: A History of the Burlington Lines
659:Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company.
365:
Burlington Route: A History of the Burlington Lines
274:Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company.
652:The History of BNSF: A Legacy for the 21st Century
465:Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 19, quoting
304:The History of BNSF: A Legacy for the 21st Century
617:"BNSF's Mendota subdivision to become quiet zone"
469:of the Aurora Branch Railroad, February 21, 1851.
452:Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 9, quoting
467:Minutes of Stockholdersâ and Directorsâ Meetings
454:Minutes of Stockholdersâ and Directorsâ Meetings
672:, October 1948, no. 74, pp. 7-22. Stable URL:
90:on February 12, 1849, to build a line from the
456:of the Aurora Branch Railroad, March 26, 1850.
205:. This section of track makes up part of the
8:
376:Newton, "Early History," Part One, pp. 8-9.
524:Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 19.
515:Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 20.
506:Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 20.
443:Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 10.
434:Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 15.
425:Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 14.
403:Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 11.
394:Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 17.
713:Railway companies disestablished in 1855
385:Newton, "Early History," Part One, p. 9.
590:Interstate Commerce Commission (1927),
567:Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
267:
184:Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
37:Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
708:Railway companies established in 1852
674:https://www.jstor.org/stable/43520021
7:
203:Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway
39:. Its original incorporation as the
331:"ABRR" reporting mark confirmed by
190:, where it split into branches for
86:(ABRR), which was chartered by the
256:List of defunct Illinois railroads
115:Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad
14:
92:Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
18:Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad
35:was a direct predecessor of the
27:Aurora's Two Brothers Roundhouse
718:1852 establishments in Illinois
166:The Chicago and Aurora Railroad
1:
354:, October 1948, no. 74. P. 8.
581:, approved February 14, 1855
557:, approved February 28, 1854
33:Chicago and Aurora Railroad
734:
698:Defunct Illinois railroads
141:Seeking to expand westward
73:The Aurora Branch Railroad
15:
160:Illinois Central Railroad
127:Michigan Central Railroad
88:Illinois General Assembly
594:, vol. 134 I.C.C., p. 1.
536:, approved June 22, 1852
78:The original branch line
16:Not to be confused with
621:Galesburg Register Mail
481:, January 16, 1836. In
84:Aurora Branch Railroad
41:Aurora Branch Railroad
28:
367:. Knopf, 1965. P. 4.
26:
679:Overton, Richard C.
363:Overton, Richard C.
333:Bogart, Charles H.,
211:Chicago Subdivision
207:Mendota Subdivision
231:, operated by the
29:
229:BNSF Railway Line
725:
625:
624:
613:
607:
601:
595:
588:
582:
576:
570:
564:
558:
552:
546:
543:
537:
531:
525:
522:
516:
513:
507:
504:
498:
495:
489:
487:Internet Archive
476:
470:
463:
457:
450:
444:
441:
435:
432:
426:
423:
417:
410:
404:
401:
395:
392:
386:
383:
377:
374:
368:
361:
355:
345:
339:
329:
323:
315:
309:
300:
294:
287:
281:
272:
62:Aurora, Illinois
733:
732:
728:
727:
726:
724:
723:
722:
688:
687:
686:
683:. Knopf, 1965.
650:BNSF Railway.
634:
629:
628:
615:
614:
610:
602:
598:
589:
585:
577:
573:
565:
561:
553:
549:
544:
540:
532:
528:
523:
519:
514:
510:
505:
501:
496:
492:
477:
473:
464:
460:
451:
447:
442:
438:
433:
429:
424:
420:
411:
407:
402:
398:
393:
389:
384:
380:
375:
371:
362:
358:
346:
342:
338:, 2014. P. 228.
330:
326:
316:
312:
301:
297:
288:
284:
273:
269:
264:
252:
168:
143:
101:) and reaching
80:
75:
70:
21:
12:
11:
5:
731:
729:
721:
720:
715:
710:
705:
700:
690:
689:
685:
684:
677:
666:
657:
648:
635:
633:
630:
627:
626:
608:
596:
583:
571:
559:
547:
538:
526:
517:
508:
499:
490:
471:
458:
445:
436:
427:
418:
405:
396:
387:
378:
369:
356:
347:Newton, A. W.
340:
324:
322:(1849). P. 96.
310:
302:BNSF Railway.
295:
282:
266:
265:
263:
260:
259:
258:
251:
248:
167:
164:
148:Illinois River
142:
139:
79:
76:
74:
71:
69:
66:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
730:
719:
716:
714:
711:
709:
706:
704:
701:
699:
696:
695:
693:
682:
678:
675:
671:
667:
665:
662:
658:
656:
653:
649:
647:
644:
640:
637:
636:
631:
622:
618:
612:
609:
605:
600:
597:
593:
587:
584:
580:
575:
572:
568:
563:
560:
556:
551:
548:
542:
539:
535:
530:
527:
521:
518:
512:
509:
503:
500:
494:
491:
488:
484:
480:
475:
472:
468:
462:
459:
455:
449:
446:
440:
437:
431:
428:
422:
419:
415:
409:
406:
400:
397:
391:
388:
382:
379:
373:
370:
366:
360:
357:
353:
350:
344:
341:
337:
336:
328:
325:
321:
320:
314:
311:
308:
306:. N.d. P. 4.
305:
299:
296:
292:
286:
283:
280:. 1917. P. 7.
279:
278:
271:
268:
261:
257:
254:
253:
249:
247:
245:
241:
236:
234:
230:
226:
221:
217:
214:
212:
208:
204:
199:
197:
193:
189:
185:
181:
177:
173:
165:
163:
161:
155:
151:
149:
140:
138:
134:
132:
128:
124:
120:
116:
111:
107:
104:
100:
95:
93:
89:
85:
77:
72:
67:
65:
63:
59:
55:
50:
46:
42:
38:
34:
25:
19:
680:
669:
660:
651:
642:
638:
620:
611:
604:BNSF Railway
599:
591:
586:
574:
562:
550:
541:
529:
520:
511:
502:
493:
482:
478:
474:
466:
461:
453:
448:
439:
430:
421:
413:
408:
399:
390:
381:
372:
364:
359:
351:
343:
334:
327:
318:
313:
303:
298:
285:
276:
270:
237:
233:BNSF Railway
222:
218:
215:
206:
200:
169:
156:
152:
144:
135:
130:
122:
118:
112:
108:
99:West Chicago
96:
83:
81:
40:
32:
30:
692:Categories
632:References
240:quiet zone
192:Burlington
180:Naperville
131:Whittlesey
129:, and the
663:. 1917.
244:Galesburg
188:Galesburg
250:See also
654:. N.d.
414:Pioneer
176:Chicago
172:LaSalle
119:Pioneer
103:Batavia
68:History
58:Mendota
54:Chicago
45:Class I
196:Quincy
123:Pigeon
47:giant
641:. In
293:>.
262:Notes
225:Metra
194:and
178:via
60:via
49:BNSF
31:The
227:'s
56:to
694::
619:.
246:.
213:.
198:.
676:.
623:.
20:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
