Between Portage and East Cabin, the line in 1888 was acquired by the paralleling Illinois Central, which operated both tracks as a double track line, with Burlington having trackage rights. In 1994, BNSF gained control of the segment, and quickly installed CTC.
Between Ports and Crawford is the single track bridge over the Wisconsin River. CTC reportedly was installed here in 1917, but that might have actually been a controlled manual block system. A newer CTC installation in 1963 also included the double track from Crawford to Prairie Du Chien. The segment between Graf and La Crosse was double tracked only in recent years. In La Crosse, a CTC installation in 1946 originally included the double track south of Graf to Herrington.
Until 1940, passenger trains served La Crosse over a route which provided more central access to La Crosse. A new passenger station opened in 1940, on the east side of La Crosse and along the more direct freight route. South of La Crosse, the junction of the two separate routes was at Herrington.
Radio Frequency - 161.100 (AAR Channel 66)
143.7 Savanna
144.9 Canadian Pacific Crossing (automatic interlocking)
146.1 CP 1462
154.2 CP 1542
156.9 Robinson Spur
157.0 CP 1569
158.1 Whitton
163.8 Blanding
171.5 Galena
172.3 Portage (junction-CN)
177.2 Menominee
180.2 Budd
183.3 Murphy
184.8 East Cabin (junction-CN)
185.2 East Dubuque
197.8 CP 1977
200.0 Potosi
210.4 CP 2104
213.0 Cassville
222.5 CP 2224
222.8 Glen Haven
228.4 Bagley
232.0 Wyalusing
235.6 Ports
237.1 Crawford
239.8 Prairie Du Chien
244.4 CP 2444
247.4 Charne
254.4 Lynxville
254.6 CP 2546
262.2 Ferryville
270.0 De Soto
274.8 Victory
279.3 CP 2791
280.7 Genoa
286.6 Stoddard
294.7 Herrington
296.3 Graf
299.7 CP 2996
299.9 Grand Crossing
300.2 CP 3001
302.2 North La Crosse
2 tracks, CTC in use. 1 track CTC between Galena and Portage and between Ports and Crawford. Controlled by La Crosse Dispatcher in Fort Worth, Texas.
CTC has recently been extended over this line, accuracy of the the Google satellite images is not entirely certain.