Galena Junction

42°22′26″N 90°26′35″W / 42.37389°N 90.44306°W / 42.37389; -90.44306

Galena Junction is a former railroad junction in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States.[1][2] It is located along the BNSF Railway Aurora Subdivision. These tracks were previously built operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). A branch line to Galena also joined the main line at Galena Junction. West of the junction, the tracks converged into a single track bridge over the Galena River. The Chicago Great Western Railway's (CGW) main line also diverged at Galena Junction, running parallel with the CB&Q to the southeast and was jointly operated (via trackage rights) with the CB&Q to the northwest and East Dubuque. The Illinois Central's Iowa Division also joined the tracks west of Galena Junction at "Portage" interlocking.[3] The CB&Q Galena Branch was abandoned in 1964, while the CGW line was abandoned in 1971 by predecessor Chicago and North Western Railway.[4][5] The former CB&Q branch, along the east side of the Galena River, is now a rail trail.[6]

  1. ^ "Galena Junction, Illinois". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ TOPOZONE-Galena Junction Map in Jo Daviess County, IL
  3. ^ Wilson, Jeff (2006). The Model Railroader's Guide to Junctions. Kalmbach Publishing Company. p. 35–37. ISBN 0890246467. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  4. ^ "CB&Q Abandonments". Burlington Route Historical Society. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  5. ^ Huddleston, Jerry. "The Hole in Stickney's Pocketbook – CGW's Winston Tunnel". TrainWeb. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  6. ^ Galena River trails (PDF) (Map). City of Galena. Retrieved January 5, 2022.