In June 1871, the Phillips & Colby Construction Company was awarded the contract to build the Wisconsin Central from Menasha to Ashland, a distance of 250 miles. Under the terms of the contract, Phillips & Colby were to have complete control of construction and operation of the property until the owners were in a position to discharge their financial obligations.
Phillips & Colby Construction Company was an affiliate of the railroad, set up within that organization to enhance the financial aspect of the project. Messrs. Phillips and Colby were Directors of the Wisconsin Central as well as owners of their own contracting company. As they did not engage in any actual work of construction, they awarded sub-contracts.
The first division of the road, Menasha to Stevens Point, a distance of 63 miles, was built by Contractor Reuben Scott, of Menasha. It was built well. The roadbed was 16 feet wide at the crown and 40 feet from outside to outside of ditches. Crossties a full 9 feet long and adzed to a 9 inch flat surface, all straight grained hard wood and cedar, and laid 2,816 to the mile.
The work began June 15, 1871 in West Menasha. By October the road had been completed to Waupaca and train service established. Two mixed trains daily were in operation, a distance of 55 miles.
Construction of the remaining 28 miles to Stevens Point was completed, and the first train rolled into Stevens Point November 15, 1871. Its arrival was an occasion for celebrations by townspeople, and was "hailed as the first step in making Stevens Point the foremost railroad center in Northern Wisconsin".
From June 1871 to November 1873, the Wisconsin Central used the Northwestern main line and passenger depot in the town of Menasha. During this period the Milwaukee and Northern Railway (now C.M.St.P.&P.Ry.) had built into Menasha The Wisconsin Central leased the M.&N. for 99 years, and built a new line from the east end of the northwestern Railway bridge over Lake Butte Des Morts to a point about one mile east, there connecting with the newly completed M.&N. Railway. At the junction point of the two roads, the Wisconsin Central built passenger and freight stations which were used jointly until the M.&N. lease was terminated July 31, 1882.
The Wisconsin Central continued to use the northwestern Railway bridge as an entry into Menasha until 1881 when the W.C. main line was relocated from a point 1.5 miles west of Menasha directly into the town of Neenah (sister town of Menasha), thus giving Menasha the run-around and eliminating that town as a main line station.
During the years 1871 and 1372, 6000 tons of 57-pound iron rails were ordered to be shipped by water via Green Bay up the Fox River to Menasha. During this period contracts were also awarded for 100 platform cars, 50 box cars, 40 dump cars, and 12 coaches and baggage cars.