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The Chicago and Aurora Railroad was a direct predecessor of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. Its original incorporation as the Aurora Branch Railroad, chartered in February 1849,[1] started as a twelve-mile branch line which Class I giant BNSF cites as the beginning of their empire: this “short stretch of track set BNSF’s destiny into ‘loco-motion’ and grew over many decades into a network spanning 32,500 miles.”[2][3] Beginning in 1853, as the Chicago and Aurora Railroad, the company's tracks eventually extended from Chicago to Mendota via Aurora, Illinois, also creating what would become the oldest commuter line in the Chicago area.
- ^ Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company. Corporate History of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company and Affiliated Companies. 1917. P. 7.
- ^ Romanowski, Paige (BNSF Staff Writer), “Rails and Routes: BNSF’s Start in Aurora, Illinois.” April 16, 2024. <https://www.bnsf.com/news-media/railtalk/heritage/aurora-illinois.html>.
- ^ BNSF Railway. The History of BNSF: A Legacy for the 21st Century. N.d. P. 4. [1]