Abandoned lines potentially to come back to life in south WI

[AndyWS]

This first one affects 4 1/2 miles of an abandoned Milwaukee Road corridor (track removed and turned into a snowmobile/ATV/bike trail) west of Monroe. The line used to go much further west than that, but it'd be a nice start. This one looks likely to happen, since the railroad has given the required six month's notice that it will need the "railbanked" land back from the trail. The only potential fly in the ointment is if the state refuses to approve the plan:

http://themonroetimes.com/main.asp?Sect ... leID=14840

The second one affects the nearly 11 miles of former Chicago and Northwestern track from Plymouth east to Sheboygan Falls, Kohler and Sheboygan. The track from Plymouth to the western edge of Sheboygan Falls has been out of service since sometime in the 1980s. It is densely overgrown and/or buried in the mud in most places, and the crossings are removed or paved over. UP discontinued the remaining service from Kohler west to downtown Sheboygan Falls around 2004 or 2005. See:

http://www.rxrsignals.net/Wisconsin/R-Z/Falls
http://www.rxrsignals.net/Wisconsin/A-K/Kohler/Highland

http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readin ... /39745.pdf

According to the above linked report, WSOR's request to aquire operating rights on the line has been granted. Rehab work was supposed to start this summer and fall, but has been slow to get underway.

The third proposition is much more up in the air, and several years off if it occurs at all. The ex-Milwaukee Road branch from Mazomanie to Sauk City is the line in question here:

http://www.rxrsignals.net/Wisconsin/R-Z/Sauk_City/Y/

In 1998, a bridge a few miles north of the crossing (which carried the line across the Wisconsin River into Sauk City proper) was deemed unsafe and was partially demolished. The small amount of rail traffic available from shippers in Sauk City was not enough to justify the expense of rebuilding the bridge, so the line went out of service except for the couple miles from Mazomanie northward which were kept cleared for car storage.

Now, Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom is considering establishing a secondary location dedicated to Milwaukee Road history in Mazomanie, with a tourist operation powered by their Milwaukee Road ALCo RSC-2 No. 988 running on the branch line. They have opened preliminary discussions with WSOR about this, and WSOR has been receptive. Their idea is that the potential for increased tourism would be more attractive than a restored freight operation alone, and could attract a larger pool of resources and investments to rebuild the bridge. This has the potential to become a very scenic tourist line as well as allow WSOR to once again provide local freight service into Sauk City. Fingers crossed...

http://www.midcontinent.org/blog/index. ... eyond.html

http://www.midcontinent.org/blog/index. ... posal.html

[AndrewFields]

Very cool stuff. Thanks for posting this....I like to keep tabs on rail line revival, even if it's not guaranteed.

[AndyWS]

The latest on the Plymouth-Sheb. Falls-Kohler-Sheboygan line is that brush clearing and rehab work contracts are up for bidding.

[Crossingman18]

excellent! Glad to hear some lines are coming back from the dead!

[Nimhster]

Too bad the wigwags are gone.

[SirKrunch]

I doubt they'd ended up getting put back into service had they been left anyway. Would probably have been turned passive or altered to flashing light signals.

[AndyWS]

The ones at Highland Drive in Kohler should still be there.

[scoostraw]

Now, Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom is considering establishing a secondary location dedicated to Milwaukee Road history in Mazomanie, with a tourist operation powered by their Milwaukee Road ALCo RSC-2 No. 988 running on the branch line. They have opened preliminary discussions with WSOR about this, and WSOR has been receptive. Their idea is that the potential for increased tourism would be more attractive than a restored freight operation alone, and could attract a larger pool of resources and investments to rebuild the bridge. This has the potential to become a very scenic tourist line as well as allow WSOR to once again provide local freight service into Sauk City. Fingers crossed...

Do you happen to know if this is still actively being discussed? I noticed that the Sauk City branch has recently been clear cut for quite a distance past the cut of stored cars on the line.

[SirKrunch]

The ones at Highland Drive in Kohler should still be there.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew-tur ... 020257982/
Damn, these didn't make it either.

[AndyWS]

Yeah, UP went ahead and pulled them, so they won't be coming back if and when rail service is restored.

Most of the crossings in Sheboygan Falls have been removed, like the one beyond the bridge in this photo my dad took last year:

http://andyws.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... id=2554476

Track conditions west of Kohler, and especially west of Sheboygan Falls, are probably currently similar to the M&W (see thread in Crossing SignalDiscussion). Of course, the plan is to scrap the old track infrastructure and start from scratch. Progress has still been slow, occasionally there are reports of brush clearing in the Plymouth area on the WSOR Yahoo group, but they always turn out to be overenthusiastic.

I wouldn't hold my breath on the Sauk City project either, what with WSOR's recent sale to a national shortline conglomerate (WATCO) and the current state government's antipathy towards rail (Governor Scott Walker campaigned against and killed the potential for bringing back passenger rail to Madison, although he has stated his support for freight rail and WSOR president Bill Gardner cozied up to him to the tune of 43,000 clams in illegal campaign cash).