Historic (1982) Milwaukee Road video footage

[AndyWS]

Some of the only video footage (as opposed to motion picture film) that I know of of the Milwaukee Road was uploaded early this year, and it is from a very surprising/unique location!

It shows a crew clearing out stored cars on the "Racine & Southwestern" line in preparation for abandonment. The section from Bardwell (junction with the Janesville-Fox Lake-Rondout "J-Line," now WSOR's Fox Lake Sub) to Elkhorn was kept, Elkhorn-Burlington was abandoned, along with several other chunks of the once-contiguous line.

The video shows one of Milwaukee Road's distinctive crossbucks at one crossing (on the abandoned section east of Elkhorn), and Griswold signals (unfortunately no longer with stop signs by that time) at County F, a crossing which still exists. Here's what it looked like as of 2019 Those masts and bell are likely the same ones that replaced the Griswolds.

[freebrickproductions]

Here's what it looked like as of 2019 Those masts and bell are likely the same ones that replaced the Griswolds.

Interestingly, the bell there appears to be a RACO/Griswold, so I suspect it was re-used from somewhere when those new masts were put in as they wouldn't've been made in at least a decade from when the video was shot.