The Menasha Branch was completed in 1871, when 16 miles of track were laid from Hilbert Junction, Wis., to Menasha, Wis. The branch was extended to Appleton in 1880 and Neenah in 1881. By the mid-1880s, the Menasha, Appleton and Neenah Branches were collectively referred to as the Appleton Branch on timetables.
It was the Appleton Branch of the Superior Division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul (CM&StP), or Milwaukee Road (MILW), after they took over the M&N in 1893.
After the Soo Line (SOO) purchased the Milwaukee Road (MILW) in 1985, about 4,000 feet of the original M&N main line and yard between Manitowoc St. and Milwaukee St. in Menasha became redundant and was torn up. The remainder of the Menasha Branch is still in use, currently operated by the Canadian National (CN).