The WC - CN Connection

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CShaveRR

In Chicago, WC still gets into town over its own line, which connects with the B&OCT Altenheim Subdivision at Forest Park. The east end of the Altenheim is out of service due to condemned bridges, so the trains head south over the BRC to Clearing.

One WC train gets on the EJ&E at Leithton, and takes the J to Munger, where it heads east on the IC (ex-CC&P) line to Hawthorne Yard. This round-trip probably would be the one that handles through business between WC and other CN components (that's just a guess).

Of course, WC also has direct runs to the UP at Proviso, and possibly to BNSF as well. Anything for the eastern railroads would probably go over the WC/B&OCT/BRC routing mentioned above.

[Anonymous]

Anybody feel how i feel about the CN .They suck . So does the CP. Too many mergers , the wc and soo were alot better then these railroads in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anybody model trains around here? I usually buy stuff related to the C&NW , Soo Line , WC , and BNSF. Off the topic but at Northtown the otherday i saw two SOO SD60s. So for all you Soo fans they still havent got to the SD60s yet . Thank god. Even though i was never around to see the soo i still love the railroad. I went to Shoreham the other day . It is really sad to see the INTERMODEL FACILITY. That makes me sad!

[Anonymous]

yes, there will be no F45s in CN paint . That just shows you that most railroads these days dont care about HISTORICAL locomotives. I mean these engines ( some ) pulled Santa Fe's Super Chief. I remember reading a topic that said more kids are interested in the PS2 . Now i have one but i spend most of my time drawing trains or watching them! So yes , there is hope for young people like me to like trains.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by fuzzybroken

My guess is, CN will keep anything that is compatible with their "own" locos, e.g. the newer/better GP40s, SD40's and maybe the 7xxx 45's that were rebuilt. (Sorry, but probably no F45 in CN paint!)

And I'm still saddened that the maroon and gold will disappear! :(

-Mark
see my website: http://www.geocities.com/fuzzybroken

[Anonymous]

Hi i am a new member and i am12 COUGH thirteen years old. I know a lot about the WC. I live in New Brighton Minnesota. I go up to the ( now CN) wc depot a lot . I know the engineers and my uncle used to work there . They welcome me there and i usually wait for the NorthTown transfer to go by.

[Anonymous]

Yea once ya see an WC loco...your in love!

[Anonymous]

Not much to add except being from near Boston, MA, we don't get to see much of CN/WC out here but last weekend I was rail-fanning in London, Ontario Canada and i got to see a WC engine in a consist - nice color scheme, as well as a first for me, I got to see a CN slug attached to a road consist.

I railfan out in London, Ontario about 4 times every year. Does anyone know where the shop is that makes the train engines out there? I read about the shop all the time in the weekly Trains.com online issue, but have never found it on my trips. Thanks for your help.

[eolafan]

I always try and stop by the old yard in Appleton, where I frequently see a unit (sometimes WC but the last time it was a CN unit) sitting there shut down (i.e. "dead"0 next to the yard office) when not working the yard. How often do any of you see a unit sitting shut down these days? Jim

[sd452]

I live a block from the old WC yard in Neenah Wis. and All the WC locomotive that go through here are either SD45s or GP40s. The local gets Illinois Central locomotives and the yard switcher is a CN uint.

[Anonymous]

I live on the Plymouth sub in eastern Wisconsin.Since the CN takeover almost 2 years
ago,the middle portion between Kiel and Saukville has been "OUT OF SERVICE".Can
anyone tell me what the future holds for this line? I've heard that the Wisconsin&Southern might be interested in it.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TARGUBRIGHT

I talked to the track crew, here in Buffalo Grove. They say that CN has no intention as of yet to repaint any equipment. They have plans to gradually get rid of WC engines and bring in there own engines. The track crewmen said that CN uses different engines. Don't ask me what kind the two use, I cannot tell one engine from another. (WC is Maroon and Gold, CN is Black, Red and White) I think WC is made by EMD and CN is made by I would guess Alco??
TIM A

In Western Canada it has been a long time since I saw a CN ALCO, all are now GE or GM. It is ORANGE not red! No WC west of Winnipeg but a few IC units in trailing positions.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TARGUBRIGHT

I talked to the track crew, here in Buffalo Grove. They say that CN has no intention as of yet to repaint any equipment. They have plans to gradually get rid of WC engines and bring in there own engines. The track crewmen said that CN uses different engines. Don't ask me what kind the two use, I cannot tell one engine from another. (WC is Maroon and Gold, CN is Black, Red and White) I think WC is made by EMD and CN is made by I would guess Alco??
TIM A

[Anonymous]

I saw an ex-WC SW1500 (I think) repainted in CN colors with WC initials, so CN is repainting some WC equipment. How far this goes, we'll see. I think we'll see the exx-Algoma Central SD40-2s, GP38-2s and GP40s repainted, as well as the reconditioned ex-WP GP40s. These (and the ex-FRVR SD35) are the most-liked units on the ex-WC roster. -Dean F

[fuzzybroken]

My guess is, CN will keep anything that is compatible with their "own" locos, e.g. the newer/better GP40s, SD40's and maybe the 7xxx 45's that were rebuilt. (Sorry, but probably no F45 in CN paint!)

And I'm still saddened that the maroon and gold will disappear! :(

-Mark
see my website: http://www.geocities.com/fuzzybroken

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Icemanmike

I guess this is a red flag for us rail fans to get off our rears and get as many pics before the dissapear. I already missed out on CNW. I guess you could say im learning from my mistakes!
Icemanmike2-Milwaukee
Ps dont get sick! This sinus stuff suxx!

[eolafan]

I also have fond memories of Stevens Point when I lived in Wausau from 1974-1978 and visited Point on business many times and usually managed to grab a burger and eat if by the shops to watch the SOO units and trains all the time. Very good place also under WC control, many F45 and SD45, etc., still a great place to watch trains. I last visited there just before the takeover by CN and still saw lots of power. Good to hear about Railworld taking the SD and F45 units. The F45 is one of my personal favorites (glad to see the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL saved one..a ATSF unit but I think it is an FP-45, no big deal). Oh, my memories of those days in Wisconsin. HEY DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER THE OLD SOO LINE F-7 THAT HAD ITS TOP NOSE LIGHT REMOVED AFTER ACCIDENT REPAIR TO EMERGE WITH ONLY THE NOSE DOOR LIGHT, VERY STRANGE LOOKING, BUT SOMEHOW VERY EASY TO LOVE! Jim

[Anonymous]

I was in Stevens Point, Wi in July and SW 1500 #1571 was in CN paint. There were a few SD 45s in WC paint sitting near the shop but all of the road trains had CN power.

[Anonymous]

From what I heard through Trains mag, Railworld (led by Ed Burkhard) has purchased alot of the F45's and SD45's. CN has moved alot of its C44-9W's onto it's Wisconsin Central sub.

As for boxcars and other rollingstock, it could be ages for them to repaint them, I have seen MoPac and NW cars rolling around the place still. :)

[Anonymous]

many wc box cars continue to come through in bunches on csx and ns
in columbus oh. some lettered wccl. just as grey cars lettered ic and wlo
do also, but fewer than wc. however, power is not as often as it once was.
quite a few dti 86'6 box cars come thru yet not repainted as gt or cn. so
maybe time will remain for wc rolling stock.
theo sommerkamp

[Anonymous]

I live in Upper Michigan, near the Baraga line (well I'm currently in California with the Marines but). Within weeks of the take over CN had switched out the Normal SD45-GP35-38-40 power with a WC SD45 & a CN SD40-2 with the white striping. I have a picture somewhere of the unit hangin out north of Green Bay, WI next to an old station, if I remember correctly, the Nestoria Yard In Upper MI. I havn't been home much lately to get pictures of the weekly run of the SD45-SD40-2 team.

From what I understand they wern't going to paint over an WC, just replace it.
Josh

[jtbredow]

I used to live in Stevens Point, WI until 2001 and usually swing by the yard and roundhouse when I go home to visit my parents. Not surprisingly, things have really slowed down since the takeover and a lot of the WC engines have all but disappeared. It's mostly CN engines and the occasional IC. I do believe they may have repainted the Stevens Point switchers as they have disappeared and some CN switchers with very fresh paint have appeared. The last time I was home all the rail overpasses in town now have CN signs, but the WC painted sanding tower was still there.

[Anonymous]

Ex-Soo. The station housed the WC dispatch center, and the roundhouse did running repairs on equipment.[8D]

[Anonymous]

Guy's a little help. The shop at Stevenspoint was that a ex Soo or Milwakee shop?
TIM A
Illinios (Future home of the Hiawatha)

[Anonymous]

Stevens Point? I have been looking into train stuff in that area! My great grandparents are buried in the cemetary across the tracks from the trainstation in Point! I guess its a smaller world then you would think!

[Anonymous]

Dave-
North Fondy has a yearly celebration called "Pride Days), and from '88-'97, they used to give guided tours of the shops and diesel house. The WC would also display a new repainted engine and a few repainted freight cars.

One year, a friend of mine entered the local demo derby and the WC sponsored him. We took the car right into the paint shop, the painter walked over, and gave the car a quick coat of WC maroon! We were also given "do not hump" signs, plus a large WC sticker(the ones they put on the cab sides) for the roof. Unfortunately, my friend stuck it to the roof, even though the railroad wanted it back.[:0][;)] Never did hear how that worked out, but he didn't lose his job over it.[}:)]
I've also been on tours of Stevens Point's shops and dispatching center during NMRA meets back in the late '80's and early '90's.
Ah, the memories of the WC![8D]

[dknelson]

Yeah the crewman I talked to (see earlier post above) who by the way came out of a WC SD45 cab, said the North Fondy shops were already way down and the trend was obvious. My one chance to tour those shops some years ago ... and my camera totally breaks down! Fortunately it worked OK the day I toured the Stevens Point shops which are also old and historic.
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, not all the news is good for the WC Shops in North Fondy. My friends that work there tell me about a year, then the shops will be shut down, probably permanently.[:(!]

[CShaveRR]

In Chicago, WC still gets into town over its own line, which connects with the B&OCT Altenheim Subdivision at Forest Park. The east end of the Altenheim is out of service due to condemned bridges, so the trains head south over the BRC to Clearing.

One WC train gets on the EJ&E at Leithton, and takes the J to Munger, where it heads east on the IC (ex-CC&P) line to Hawthorne Yard. This round-trip probably would be the one that handles through business between WC and other CN components (that's just a guess).

Of course, WC also has direct runs to the UP at Proviso, and possibly to BNSF as well. Anything for the eastern railroads would probably go over the WC/B&OCT/BRC routing mentioned above.