Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

http://www.rxrsignals.com/Wisconsin/A-K/Kansasville/11/

Was looking at Google Maps the other day and noticed a lot of vegetation on the line and rust.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.682464, ... 312!8i6656

Go back to 2012 and the line looks normal for a spur.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6825181 ... 312!8i6656

Was this line abandoned or something? Also, I'm back to stay

Welcome back. It appears that this line might just be out of service. Looks like the customer the line served stopped shipping by rail, and this crossing in the next town over was downgraded from signals to just crossbucks:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6877255 ... 328!8i1664
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6877253 ... 312!8i6656

And one of the signals at this crossing appears to have been removed according to satellite view:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.696353, ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6962791 ... a=!3m1!1e3

And the next one over is starting to fall into disrepair:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6968796 ... 312!8i6656
Also with more overgrown and rusty tracks:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6970503 ... 312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6970503 ... 312!8i6656

I agree with freebrickproductions, the tracks do look really overgrown...

BTW. I noticed the crossing page said that the crossing used to be an underpass. It seems pretty stupid to replace an underpass with a crossing. Here in Melbourne, once a crossing is replaced with an over/underpass, it stays that way... Thanks, Daniel Andrews.

TrickyMario7654 wrote:I agree with freebrickproductions, the tracks do look really overgrown...

BTW. I noticed the crossing page said that the crossing used to be an underpass. It seems pretty stupid to replace an underpass with a crossing. Here in Melbourne, once a crossing is replaced with an over/underpass, it stays that way...

See... Boom Gates Gone Forever!.PNG

Thanks, Daniel Andrews.

Interesting......

Also, random question, are you the same TrickyMario from the CLG Wiki?

But typically a railroad here will replace an over/underpass with an at grade crossing if they feel that there's a good chance the line will be put up for abandonment. For one thing, once a line is ripped, then they no longer have to put money into the bridge maintenance if the transfer of the ROW to the rails/trails people takes a long time. Plus all that money spent on the signals also makes it easier to make the claim to the STB that the line is unprofitable. That also can be a reason you'll see a railroad put signals on a dead to almost dead line, do tie replacement, replace out crossing surfaces, etc... is to make it easier to get rid of a line with the STB.

LARDLOGO wrote:

TrickyMario7654 wrote:I agree with freebrickproductions, the tracks do look really overgrown...

BTW. I noticed the crossing page said that the crossing used to be an underpass. It seems pretty stupid to replace an underpass with a crossing. Here in Melbourne, once a crossing is replaced with an over/underpass, it stays that way...

See... Boom Gates Gone Forever!.PNG

Thanks, Daniel Andrews.

Interesting......

Also, random question, are you the same TrickyMario from the CLG Wiki?

Yes. I am the same one...

TrickyMario7654 wrote:

LARDLOGO wrote:

TrickyMario7654 wrote:I agree with freebrickproductions, the tracks do look really overgrown...

BTW. I noticed the crossing page said that the crossing used to be an underpass. It seems pretty stupid to replace an underpass with a crossing. Here in Melbourne, once a crossing is replaced with an over/underpass, it stays that way...

See... Boom Gates Gone Forever!.PNG

Thanks, Daniel Andrews.

Interesting......

Also, random question, are you the same TrickyMario from the CLG Wiki?

Yes. I am the same one...

Nice

Line was abandoned in 2013 or '14. Rails removed late 2015/early 2016.

http://journaltimes.com/news/local/unio ... 4248e.html

Sad to lose even more of the old Racine & Southwestern line of the Milwaukee Road. Dan's Wigwag Site has pictures of the wigwags that used to be at Lyons, on a segment between Elkhorn and Burlington that came out in the late '90s. Back then they put signs that actually said "ABANDONED" on the signals from the time the track went out of service until it was removed. I think they stopped doing that because some people took that a little too literally when it came to the signals and other materials, so they came up with "TRACKS OUT OF SERVICE."

http://www.trainweb.org/dansrailpix/WIG ... .htm#Lyons

Real shame right there. I wonder what the branch's purpose was.........

If I recall correctly they served Farm Services (FS) at Kansasville.