During my high school years in Arlington Heights, Ill during the late 50’s I remember seeing only 2 regular freights on the line, known then as the CNW’s Wisconsin Div, now called Metra’s NW Line and part of Union Pacific. There was a mid-afternoon WB manifest freight I think was # 591 and an early evening EB freight I called the “gravel train” as it consisted of only loaded hopper cars. Normal speed for a freight back then was about 35-40 MPH, but one night I caught the gravel train with 4 matched F-units that scared the puss out of me. It was doing 55-60 with the hoppers bouncing and swaying wildly on the rough track, looking for all the world like it would bounce right off the rails. Since there obviously was no wreck in the news, I assume it got to where it was going, probably with the crew in a hurry so not to go dead on the law.
My question is this: does anyone know the origin/destination of the gravel train, and to a lesser extent, of 591? My HS prom included a RT by train to Madison, WS, so at that time the entire line was extant, although rather rough riding. It wasn’t noticeable on the way up there at 20 MPH, but at 59 MPH coming back it was really tough to even stand up, much less walk anywhere. I understand that the line is now severed, but I clearly remember crossing Lake Monona and the mid-lake junction with the MILW. Any info on this would help answer the nagging questions an old man has about his youthful memories.
GN_FanMy question is this: does anyone know the origin/destination of the gravel train, and to a lesser extent, of 591?
Was it the "pink lady" granite gravel C&NW used for ballast? They had a quarry in Wisconsin for their ballast at Rock Springs. WI, you could probably Google. If was the white or antique white limestone gravel....could be anywhere.
I think the Chicago to Madison line is still in operation it looks like it is still on the UP railroad system map I do not know about the part that used to go across Lake Monona. WSOR cobbled together parts of the C&NW and the Milwaukee Road in and around Madison. WSOR preserved the ex-C&NW Devils Lake, WI line which is among one of my favorite Wisconsin line because of the high hills around it and little did I know as a kid just beyond Devils Lake park was a humoungous Army Ammunition Plant (no longer in existance now).
I believe Rock Springs, WI is on that same line that winds through Devils Lake, WI then to Rock Springs..........ending in Reedsburg. It is run via WSOR and heads out of Madison via the North. The big ex-C&NW bridge at Merimac. WI is still used by WSOR.
WSOR at Rock Springs, on the way to Reedsburg (end of the line) in 2015. This train originated in Madison and has already made it's way through Devils Lake. WI. Note in the first video shot the train passing a grain shipper and the grain hopper over the tracks. WSOR provides short grain trains to this customer still.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czR5WEIdfaQ
I have no clue what color anything was in the hoppers. Standing at trackside, it's not possible to see the load unless it sticks up past the top on the car, much as coal sometimes does, so I couldn't tell what whether it was pink or not. As far as whether some of the line is abandoned, I checked the UP website map which indicates that the line running NW from Chicago terminates just north of the WI-IL state line. Further checking at the WSOR website indicates that WSOR does not operate anything running south of Janesville, which would be the old CNW line in question. Somewhere in the back of my feeble mind I recall something in Trains mag that lead me to believe that the line was severed, but I may be wrong. Anyway, thanks for the info and it was a good vid.
The ex-CNW line is intact between Janesville and Madison, but is inactive between Oregon and Evansville. The inactive section is mainly used for car storage. Wisconsin Southern servers the City of Oregon from the north. Oregon has a large sand operation. UP serves Evansville from the south. Evansville has a large grain shuttle loader operation with a loop track.
GN_Fanthe line running NW from Chicago terminates just north of the WI-IL state line. Further checking at the WSOR website indicates that WSOR does not operate anything running south of Janesville,
Were the F7's you saw on a weekend? If so, then were likely the units from the suburban trains that were based in Des Plaines. We would take the 4 F7's off the commuter trains, and use them for a round trip to Janesville.
The "A" and "B" trains were a good job to catch: run to Janesville, drop the train, pick up the southbound train, and head to Proviso, with no work in between. Good running on the NW line, if one does not mind the roller-coaster profile.
By 1968 I was married and living in Montana, never returning to Illinois, so I never saw 2nd generation power or any CNW auto traffic. In the 50's and 60's, all auto traffic was handled in box cars or went by trucks. I don't recall whether it was the weekend or not, but I can safely say that if the train was powered by F units, it was a freight unit as I never saw any freights powered by F's in passenger yellow, only freight black and yellow. Additionally, I remember it was a matched A-B-B-A lashup, and I believe that the CNW didn't have any B units in commuter service, at lease not that I saw. Most commuter trains were F units except for the 10 car trains which rated E units. My fav was the train that arrived at Arlington Heights at 5:56 PM as the first stop. It seemed likely that 800 people got off there, and it had a single level bar car in the consist. I think I have a photo of it, but given that I probably shot the pic with a Brownie Hawkeye using 620 film and a fixed lense, the pic was probably over exposed and out of focus, and not the best way to photograph a train, or anything else for that matter. But it was all that I had at the time. Kinda like the crap that people now take with their phones. I'm glad that I invested in a good Canon digital camera and a dumb phone....don't need nor even want a smart phone. I just use the phone to call a cab, nothing else. BTW...I'm a retired expat living in Italy. They have PUBLIC transport here, lots of it....I haven't driven a foot since 2005 when I left the car crazy US. I don't miss the cars at all.
Hello,
From a 1960 Chicago & North Western freight schedule the following trains ran on the Wisconsin Division:
591 - Chicago / Proviso - Madison, WI (via Beloit, WI)
594 - Madison, WI - Chicago / Proviso (via Beloit, WI)
595 - Chicago / Proviso - Janseville, WI (except Saturday)
578 - Janesville, WI - Chicago / Proviso (except Sunday)
471 - Chicago / Proviso - St. Paul & E. Minneapolis, MN
472 - E. Minneapolis / St. Paul - Chicago / 40th Street
Other freight trains:
Passenger trains:
CC
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