Cameron Connector

The Cameron connector is a section of track built in 1995–1996 which connects the former Burlington Northern Railroad and the former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway tracks, both which are currently part of the BNSF Railway, to each other near Cameron, Illinois.

In 1854, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) arrived in the town of Galesburg, Illinois, nine miles northeast of Cameron, followed by the Santa Fe Railway in the second half of the 1880s. The two railroads had two separate stations in Galesburg, with the Burlington station, which serviced trains such as the Nebraska Zephyr, Denver Zephyr and California Zephyr, being located on Seminary St. and the Santa Fe station, which serviced trains including the Super Chief and El Capitan, being located a few blocks northwest on N. Broad St. Continuing west, the two tracks intersected at Cameron, with the Santa Fe, heading southwest, crossing over the Burlington route, which headed directly west. In 1996, the Burlington Northern Railroad, which was itself the product of a 1970 merger of the CB&Q, Great Northern, Northern Pacific and Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railways, merged with the Santa Fe to form the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, later renamed the BNSF Railway.

With the anticipated Burlington Northern and Santa Fe merger, it became necessary to connect the BN's Ottumwa Subdivision to the Santa Fe's Chilicothe Subdivision, the latter of which became part of the BNSF's Southern Transcon Route. Work began in 1995, and was completed on May 29, 1996.

...
Wikipedia