After the eastbound Amtrak #4 Southwest Chief is in the clear on the main 2 track, San Bernardino bound BNSF S-CSXSBD-1-22 (Chicago,IL/CSXT-San Bernardino,CA) is crossing the Mississippi River (MP-231.8 Mississippi RB) into the Mississippi River valley town of Fort Madison, Iowa. We're at the west-end of the Chillicothe Sub only 177 rail-miles west of Pequot. IL the starting point of the subdivision. The train will pass the restored Fort Madison Depot which was once a crew change point back in the Santa Fe days, and will head straight to Fort Madison Yard to swap crews. The Fort Madison Toll Bridge or also known as the Santa Fe Swing Span Bridge was completed in 1927, it replaced an inadequate combination roadway/single-track bridge completed in 1887. The main river crossing consists of four 270-foot through truss spans and a swing span made of two equal arms, 266 feet. By the end of the 90s the bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places under the title, Fort Madison Bridge.
