There is a trunk line, like the"J" over in Dodge County in the town of Horicon, but i do not know what the volume of trains is. I do know, however, that they send a train in each direction once a week and it is always late at night. I pass over the line when I am on my way to Beaver Dam to fish. I believe that that line belongs to the Wisconsin Southern. (WSOR). It will be about 3 hours south of where you will be.
Doublestack wrote: Hi Kevin,Do you know if E&LS still keeps a switcher in Oconto Falls to handle the Stiles Jct - O. Falls traffic? Seems they had some sort of small switcher parked at the feed mill in "The Falls" that they'd use to run to Stiles and back, pulling cars for the mill. Not sure what job ran that (i.e. if there was a seperate job for that branch or if somehow the Green Bay - Crivitz crew did that as well.ThxStackMy impression is that it belongs to the feed mill. I have seen the occasional E&LS power switching in the Falls so they seem to use their regular road power between Oconto Falls and Stiles Junction
Hi Kevin,
Do you know if E&LS still keeps a switcher in Oconto Falls to handle the Stiles Jct - O. Falls traffic? Seems they had some sort of small switcher parked at the feed mill in "The Falls" that they'd use to run to Stiles and back, pulling cars for the mill. Not sure what job ran that (i.e. if there was a seperate job for that branch or if somehow the Green Bay - Crivitz crew did that as well.
Thx
Stack
My impression is that it belongs to the feed mill. I have seen the occasional E&LS power switching in the Falls so they seem to use their regular road power between Oconto Falls and Stiles Junction
I made the run from Green Bay to the UP on Sunday. Went up Hwy 41 / moreless along the CN.
At Menominee, MI, we met the Southbound Escanaba - Green Bay train at 1PM. About 45 mins later, I heard another train, I think also going SB in Wallace, MI. I know it wasn't the same train as I saw him 15 miles south and was headed south.
At 3PM on the return to Green Bay, we met the NB train GB to ESC at Marinette. Much of the train was on the mainline and they were switching some cars in Marinette.
I wonder if CN runs a through, road train north and south and then a local to do the switching work.
The old CNW station is still in Marinette as is the former Milw Rd. I'm thinking that the Milw Rd depot was moved however. Its now behind a Walgreen store, right on Hwy 41. Was it moved in order to accomodate the Walgreen's? It looked to be in great shape, but I don't recall that it was that far (approx 200 yds) off of 41 before. I thought it was very close to the Hwy in the past. There were approx 20 cars in the ELS yard in Marinette as well.
Nice to see a little bit of action up there.
CNWRacine wrote: Kind of off topic but I am going up north also in a couple of weeks, and will be up in Eau Claire. I hear Altoona is near by, is it worth the trip over to go visit Uncle Pete Any good public viewing spots? I'm thinking about going over on the Saturday for a little while to check the area out since I have never been there but have seen tons of pics from that area.
Kind of off topic but I am going up north also in a couple of weeks, and will be up in Eau Claire. I hear Altoona is near by, is it worth the trip over to go visit Uncle Pete Any good public viewing spots? I'm thinking about going over on the Saturday for a little while to check the area out since I have never been there but have seen tons of pics from that area.
The train traffic isn't all that busy there, maybe 4-6 trains a day? Altoona does have good public viewing spots, though, as downtown sits right next to the railyard with no fences in the way. Another good spot is the bridge over the RR east of the yard- follow the county road along the yard east of downtown. Max (Lord Atmo) has put up some good shots of motive power sitting in Altoona.
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
Noah Hofrichter wrote: Thanks for confirming that I was right with the E&LS info dblstack. Now I've just got to go try that chase myself sometime!Kevin, from what I've seen on the E&LS yahoo group, if the GB job is at Stiles Junction that late that's where the crew died on their hours of service. They then start the next day by pulling the southbound train back into the CN's yard, and then grab their northbound train and head for Crivitz.Noah
Thanks for confirming that I was right with the E&LS info dblstack. Now I've just got to go try that chase myself sometime!
Kevin, from what I've seen on the E&LS yahoo group, if the GB job is at Stiles Junction that late that's where the crew died on their hours of service. They then start the next day by pulling the southbound train back into the CN's yard, and then grab their northbound train and head for Crivitz.
Noah
Thank you for the info!
Really, with all the time I spend reading the great information (or great debates?) on this site, I really ought to spend a little more time paying attention to my own backyard.
Fairly often I see the SB ELS job tied up out in the village of Howard (just nw of Green Bay). They tie up on the north side of Lineville Rd, about quarter mile north of where they break off of the old MILW Rd main, onto the connector to the CN main. I guess that's the last long piece of track w/o a grade crossing where they can park w/o having to break the train for crossings.
Doublestack wrote: I hear at least a one if not a pair of trains that run between Green Bay and Escanaba (Wells, MI) on CN. I haven't been able to pin down a particular time of day that they go. I often do seem to hear them going north in the early AM (6ish) but I've also heard /seen northbound trains in the evening. I've also seen southbound trains arriving Green Bay in the evening. The Jct depot is still in place at Stiles Jct, I think that the Crivitz depot is still there and I think Pembine was, last time I was there.On CN, I think Oconto is gone now, but there are still 2 depots in Marinette (CNW & Milw Rd). The RR bridge across the Menom. River is pretty nice - good spot to photograph.
I hear at least a one if not a pair of trains that run between Green Bay and Escanaba (Wells, MI) on CN. I haven't been able to pin down a particular time of day that they go. I often do seem to hear them going north in the early AM (6ish) but I've also heard /seen northbound trains in the evening. I've also seen southbound trains arriving Green Bay in the evening.
The Jct depot is still in place at Stiles Jct, I think that the Crivitz depot is still there and I think Pembine was, last time I was there.
On CN, I think Oconto is gone now, but there are still 2 depots in Marinette (CNW & Milw Rd). The RR bridge across the Menom. River is pretty nice - good spot to photograph.
There is a southbound CN into GB from Escanaba that arrives midafternoon and a return that leaves at midnightish but the schedule has been extremely irregular the last few weeks. I sometimes see a s/b E&LS train in the hole just north of Stiles Jct. around 2am (if you're out after bar close) but I have no idea when the n/b meets him. The depot building is still there but not much to it-pretty rundown. The Oconto station was torn down-in 2001, IIRC.
On an off-topic note, it sounds like you'll be pretty close to Wallace, MI. There is a small, privately run zoo there. Its maybe 2 miles off of the Menom. River. Many of the animals are rescued from abusive / neglect situations.
Don't let the fact that its small fool you though. They have several (4-6) lions (Yep- like the real big ones.) Around 8 tigers - again, like big, bengal tigers. Bears, wolves, ostrich, camel, etc.
Its not super fancy but its kinda cool. Pretty much wooded. My kids got to watch them feed a bear cub and white lion cub. Pretty inexpensive.
http://deyoungzoo.com/about.htm
Noah, You pretty well pegged the ELS operation. The one addl thing is that sometimes one of the jobs (I think that Green Bay job) will run east to Marinette. No Saturday train. The other days, the train usually leaves Green Bay about 0900 -1000, heads north, gets to Crivitz noon or later and, as you noted, swaps trains and returns.
On the CN, if you get North of Marinette, at Powers was the Wye where the line to Iron Mtn and the line to Escanaba split. I don't know if they still go west from there or not.
You could follow ELS north and CN south (or vise versa.)
Bring your skeeto repellant. They are big as humming birds, by the millions, and they all have 6 inch hyperdermic needles for suckers. Get bit by 10 of these and youll need a blood transfusion. It just takes 4 of them to fly you away, were still looking for my brother. j/k. hes fine. But the skeeters are really bad up there, down here and everywhere.
Paul
Have fun and be safe. As I will be going to the Antigo area where there are no trains, just the old CNW ROW. Man, if some of those trees could talk :(
http://www.youtube.com/user/pavabo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulvbox
Crivitz is supposed to be a decent spot for E&LS action most days except Saturdays around Noonish. There's a job that works North out of Green Bay in the morning, as well as a job that works south from Channing in the Morning too. They swap cars at Crivitz around mid-day before the jobs go back to where they started from in early afternoon. There can also sometimes be a third train that meets there as I understand it. I've never done this myself to know for sure, but it's supposed to be a decent time for E&LS action.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Dan
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