UP in Wisconsin

[Anonymous]

Today I saw 2 UP switch engines on the track leading to Evansville WI. This line ends in Evansville (at least I think anyways) and begins in Janesville, WI where UP has a yard. I caught them on County H formally Hwy. 184 (intersects with hwy.14). Anyways they were dropping what looked like a dry fertilizer hopper off at the farm co-op nearby. The other cars that made up the train were a few box cars and 3 reefer cars. The reefer cars were orange and white in color. Looked brand new. Had Thermo King reefer units. I thought the name on the cars said CT but after doing a web search I couldnt find a thing so obviously I didnt get the name right. These were my first reefer cars I have ever seen and am quite excited to learn more about them.

Anyways what I'm trying to get at is in Evansville, all I thought the UP served was the big grain elevator and that was it. But why would the UP switchers have box cars along with 3 reefer cars on that train if all they served in Evansville is a grain elevator? I dont know much about the industry in Evansville. Didnt know there were any reefer customers let alone box car customers in that city. Guess I was wrong. Am I also wrong in saying that the track ends in Evansville? Thought it did.

Where in WI does UP have a reefer customer?

Sorry if this dosent make alot of sence. In a hurry. Thanks

[ericsp]

The reefers sound like Cryo-Trans (CRYX) reefers.

http://www.cryotrans.com/

[jeaton]

OK. This is just a wild guess. There is a cold storage warehouse and a frozen vegetable plant in Darien, on the WSOR Elkhorn branch just off their Janesville to Fox Lake, IL line. I haven't been over in that area for a while, but maybe the warehouse and plant are using the reefers. Next, assuming the UP and WSOR actually interchange at Janesville, it is possible that the UP may have picked up the cars and were just pulling them along on the run to switch the Evansville customer.

I will try to get by the plants over in Darien to see if I can spot anything. Otherwise it would probably take a further search to come up with potential users of those cars in our area. If I see anything, I will get back.

Jay

[jeaton]

A little more. WIDOT's 2004 rail map show the Evansville to Madison UP tracks a "Local Rail Bank". I guess that means tracks are in place but not in use.

Jay

[ericsp]

They ship cheese in reefers.

[jeaton]

Yes, but most Wisconsin cheese is transported on the heads of pro football fans.

Jay

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ericsp

The reefers sound like Cryo-Trans (CRYX) reefers.

http://www.cryotrans.com/

It looks like I need to update my bookmarks. The above address will still get you to Cryo-Trans.
http://208.28.242.195/
http://208.28.242.195/cryotrans/

[Noah Hofrichter]

Jay:

QUOTE: Next, assuming the UP and WSOR actually interchange at Janesville, it is possible that the UP may have picked up the cars and were just pulling them along on the run to switch the Evansville customer.

Your right They do. I've seen them interchange there once. There's a long track right next to the WSOR's Five Point's yard in Janesville, where the crs are placed and picked up. I would bet this was why they were on the train. I know from friend that a few of the Cars that come up here on the WSOR's Reedsburg Sub to my town go to the UP, and they always go out through Janesville. Oh, and if memory serves me right, the UP has to pick up the car on the way up, because of the way the switch is positioned.

Noah

[Anonymous]

Thanks Jay.

I saw this train on Friday around 4:30PM.

Maybe its because Im new to railroading, but I just find it such a waste of fuel, wear and tare, etc to bring along cars that are just going "along for the ride". The only reason I can think of, is that because there is a siding in Evansville, maybe the Janesville yard has too much capacity and UP is gonna store the cars temporarily at the siding. Usually that siding is used to hold access autorailers for GM.

As for cheese, I dont think any WI cheese rides the rails unless its at a cold storage facility. I dont even think there are even any cheese plants that have rail sidings to begin with.

[jeaton]

Steve

Noah makes the point about why the cars may be picked up at Janesville by UP on there way up to Edgerton. The moves necessary to pick them up when heading south are more costly from a standpoint of time than the very little extra cost for fuel expended to take them up to Evansville and back. Of course, if the UP switch isn't going up to Evansville, the UP will get the cars and head right back to the Janesville yard. Oh yes, leaving them at Evansville for temporary storage is a possible answer, but these cars are tightly controled, probably in high demand and are probably not in an "excess" status very often. Still some guessing on my part.

You are probably right about the cheese. My thought. Noah has some some pretty good contacts, and perhaps he may be able to learn more for us. AFTER the school work, Noah. Thanks.

Jay

[rvos1979]

As a WSOR employee:
The CRYX reefers usually come out of Chicago, destined for a Birdseye foods in Darien. When empty, they are usually interchanged to the UP in Janesville. UP's 76, or Hill, job picks them up on the way out in order to run around them, either up at Janesville sand & gravel, or out to Leyden (the fertilizer place by 14 and H) or evansville.

UP ownership ends in evansville, between there and Madison the track is owned by the local municipalities.

[jeaton]

By the force, there is proof that the old man still has a sense of how it works-or else it was just a lucky guess.

Mr. Vos, thank you for the straight scoop. Beats speculation every time.

Jay Eaton
Delavan, WI

[CShaveRR]

Speaking of cheese, I'm always surprised by how many reefers full of cheese we ship into Wisconsin, from the west. I'll pay better attention to where they're going; we send them to Butler (Milwaukee, for all intents and purposes) for further classification. These are usually UPFE or ARMN cars.

For the record, I've not seen those Cryo-Trans cars come into Proviso on UP, either for or from Janesville (which would be our classification point for anything at all on that line). Maybe someone could give me a specific number to trace.

[jeaton]

Carl

All that cheese is needed for head gear. LOL

Actually, Wisconsin is falling behind others in milk production. That is due in part to NIMBY's blocking the very large (1000 + head) dairy operations, and some public policy effort to support the "family" farm.

If I get a chance, I'll try to get over to Darien and see if I can get a car number, and get back.

Jay

[Noah Hofrichter]

Jay,

Belive it or not there used to be chese up until a number of years ago there was chese that was shiped by rail. Up untill the WICT(Wwisconsin and Calumet, or wicket) was taken over by the WSOR, the WICT would bring piggy-back flats with trucks on them to Monroe WI, just before christmas. The Swiss colony plant in Monroe would pull the trucks off, circus style, and load them with cheeses, mainly christmas gift packs. Over several trips, the WICT would take the cars and ship them out through Chicago and the clearing yard there. So at one time chesse did ride the rails. I haven't heard of much cheese lately though on the WSOR. And I wouldn't have known the wicket thing, but I just found a WICT article in Model Railroader about modeling the WICT, and it explained this operation in there.

Noah Hofrichter,
Reedsburg, WI

[jeaton]

Noah,

That is an interesting story. I am sure that at one point most cheese going out of the state was shipped in rail reefers. That business went the way of everything else that wound up being hauled by truck. Without knowing the time period I could only speculate, but at one point many carriers were trying to make piggyback service work for moves of the type you described from Swiss Colony. Perhaps unfortunate, but in most cases like that, the railroad couldn't be price competitive with trucks and make any money.

Maybe in the future...

Jay

[ericsp]

They have no plants in Wisconsin, however, Leprino Foods ships cheese in reefers from both of its plants in Lemoore, CA. The one that they just finished building is the largest mozzarella plant in the world (http://www.leprinofoods.com/news.cfm scroll down to "Lemoore West Start-Up - 02/21/2003") I have also seen some reefers at other creameries out here, though I do not know what they are shipping in them. Usually, they only ship dry milk and/or whey in uninsulated boxcars.

[Chuck Finley]

jeaton

A little more. WIDOT's 2004 rail map show the Evansville to Madison UP tracks a "Local Rail Bank". I guess that means tracks are in place but not in use.

Jay

Google maps shows a couple long cuts of covered hoppers northwest of town, so it looks like the track is being used for storage.

Chuck

[jeffhergert]

CShaveRR

Speaking of cheese, I'm always surprised by how many reefers full of cheese we ship into Wisconsin, from the west. I'll pay better attention to where they're going; we send them to Butler (Milwaukee, for all intents and purposes) for further classification. These are usually UPFE or ARMN cars.

For the record, I've not seen those Cryo-Trans cars come into Proviso on UP, either for or from Janesville (which would be our classification point for anything at all on that line). Maybe someone could give me a specific number to trace.

 

I missed this thread all those years ago.

There is still a lot of cheese going to Wisconsin.  Only not in UPFE reefers anymore.  Even after reading the post about the decline of dairy in Wisconsin, it still doesn't feel right.

Jeff

[Gramp]

Jeff, That's because it isn't. Wisconsin is still the largest cheese producing state. If it were a country, Wisconsin would be the world's 4th largest producer. https://www.google.com/search?q=wisconsin+cheese+production&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

Not all types of cheese are made in the same place.  

[charlie hebdo]

But WI is second to CA in milk production, ~30,000 million pounds to CA's ~40,000 million.