Adams Subdivision

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Adams Subdivision
Adams Subdivision by Adams, Wisconsin
Overview
StatusActive
OwnerUnion Pacific Railroad
LocaleWisconsin
Termini
Service
TypeFreight
Operator(s)Union Pacific Railroad
History
Completed1911
Technical
Line length139.2 mi (224.0 km)
Number of tracks1–2
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map

173.5
Wyeville
180.7
Cutler
189.1
Necedah
196.4
Dellwood
202.9
Adams
210.2
Grand Marsh
215.9
Brooks
221.6
Oxford
231.0
Glen Oak
240.7
Dalton
250.6
Friesland
256.8
South Randolph
264.4
South Beaver Dam
wye
formerly to Fond du Lac
276.4
282.5
Lebanon
286.8
Rock River
288.7
Ashippun
292.5
Mapleton
297.8
North Lake
304.4
Sussex
308.4
Marcy
312.7

The Adams Subdivision or Adams Sub is a 139.2-mile (224.0 km) railway line owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. It meets the Wyeville Subdivision to the west in Wyeville, Wisconsin, and runs to Butler, Wisconsin in the east where it meets the Milwaukee Subdivision.[1] It was constructed in 1911 by the Chicago and North Western Railway. The Milwaukee, Sparta, and Northwestern Railroad, a subsidiary of the Chicago and North Western Railway, began the "Air Line" or "Adams Cutoff" from Adams, Wisconsin towards Sparta, Wisconsin in 1910.[2] The Adams Cutoff avoided the steep grades of the Elroy to Sparta cutoff on the route from Madison, Wisconsin.[3]

The Twin Cities 400 ran on the Adams Subdivision from its creation in 1935 to its discontinuation in 1963, and was the last routinely operated passenger train to run on the line.[4] In July 2019, an excursion train ran on the Adams Subdivision as part of the "Great Race Across the Midwest" celebratory tour. The train was led by Union Pacific 4014, a 4-8-8-4 Big Boy type steam locomotive.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Yuhas, Mike. "Union Pacific Adams Subdivision Photos". Mike's Railroad Pages.
  2. ^ History of Monroe County, Wisconsin: Past and Present Including an Account of the Cities, Towns and Villages of the County. Unigraphic. 1912.
  3. ^ Tom Murray. Chicago & North Western Railway. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-1-61673-154-0.
  4. ^ "Adams Subdivision". Chicago Transit & Railfan.
  5. ^ "The Great Race Across the Midwest: Big Boy No. 4014 Locomotive To Cross Rock River In Wisconsin and Illinois". Rock River Trail. 8 July 2019.