Marshfield, Wisconsin
| SooLineHistory Group | Index and Map | 1 - The Story | 2 - Pictures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 - Pictures | 4 - Pictures | 5 - Pictures | 6 - Pictures |
| 7 - Pictures | 8 - Pictures | 9 - Pictures | 10 - Pictures |
| 11 - Pictures | 12 - Pictures | 13 - Pictures | 14 - Pictures |
| 15 - Pictures | 16 - Pictures | 17 - Pictures | 18 - Pictures |
| 19 - Pictures | 20 - Pictures | 21 - Pictures | 22 - Pictures |
| 23 - Pictures | 24 - Speculations | ||
| To see the pictures full-size, right-click and select "View Image." | |||
Keith's explanation of the sites noted is below the map.
Phil Schmierer asked me for a Map of the M&T to orient himself as to what was where. So, being infinitely familiar with it, I simply drew it. Yes, free hand.
At the time that Bruce Oldenberg shot his photos of the M&T, the only active customer left was the Marshfield Canning Company.
Beginning at the top, going in numerical order, is how the industries left:
- 1. Marshfield Milling Co.:
- This was what the Soo referred to on Switch Lists as "The Elevator", the old Banner Mills built by Upham Lumber Co. It became Marshfield Milling Co. in the 1930's, and operated as such until 1980. By 1980, very little was done there anymore; some warehousing. In 1984, private interests ripped it all down; only two buildings remain. In their heyday before all era operations moved outside of Marshfield's City Limits, this Company accounted for about 30 inbound loads a week.
- 2. Weinbrenner Shoe Company:
- This factory still operates but does no business with the Railroad and hasn't since Weinbrenner lost their Military Contract in 1983. Soo Line ripped the spur on the east side of the building out shortly thereafter.
Weinbrenner sits on the land that had been the site of the Upham Furniture Factory. The spur in to the west side of the building was pulled up in 1973, along with the second track running along Spruce Avenue.
- 4. Mid-State Cheese Co.:
- Burned to the ground on January 2, 1976, at 1:00 a.m. at -10 below Zero. I know in the 1967-1970 time period, the owner of this firm played Tax Evasion by having the Soo ram their west side spur FULL of Ice Reefers to clean out the coolers within the building and claim everything was "In Transit" to avoid taxes. After 1970, if Mid-State shipped out 3 carloads per year it was rare. By the time the building burned down, they had shipped only one car, almost one year to the day that the place burned.
- 5. Trierweiler Construction:
- If Trierweiler was a RR customer, I can't say. They had a small warehouse built alongside the M&T at the corner of West 7th Street and South Spruce. The big customer here was, actually, David Lumber, who unloaded their cars here until 1966. This spur came out before 1967. The ties to it still reside in the lawn of the duplex that was put up on the site of the warehouse!
- 6. O&N Lumber:
- Can't tell you how much traffic this got, either. Seems to have been a bust customer prior to the Great Depression. Out of business by 1960. The spur stayed in until late 1967, and was used for a time to receive carload brick for the elderly housing apartment high rise that stands there today. When the spur was ripped out as construction progressed, carload brick was spotted right on the M&T Main.
- 7. Blum Bros. Box Company:
- From all I can find out, Blum's were more of a C&NW Customer. Still in use today as Modern Of Marshfield Furniture Company.
- 8. Marshfield Bedding Co.:
- Can't tell you anything about that.
- 9. Wisconsin Buttertub:
- Don't know how much business they conducted with the Soo Line. Indications seem to point that Wisconsin Buttertub was more of a C&NW Customer. Wisconsin Buttertub went belly up after WWII; the place became Modern Sleep, the forebearer of Modern of Marshfield. In 1974-'75, a switch was effected between Mall Furniture and Modern of Marshfield, where Modern of Marshfield occupied the old Blum Bros buildings and Mall Furniture moved into the former Buttertub building. Both remain in these quaters today.
- 10 Dohm Oil:
- Again, it seem Dohm was a C&NW Customer, the Deep Rock oil dealer in Marshfield.
- 11. Retzer Oil Co.:
- The Standard Oil Bulk Dealer in Marshfield, and, Again, it seems they were more of a C&NW Customer.
- 12. Blodgett Lumer Co.:
- Again, it seem that Blodgett was more of a C&NW switch than Soo.
- 13. F.F. Mengel Ready Mix Corp.:
- Came online on the M&T in 1947. Original mixing plant caught fire and burned in 1949. New mixing building put up in 1949 and used until 1977; remained standing until 1993. Newest mixing building erected in 1972. Final inbound cars handled to Mengel's in the fall of 1982. Received no more rail service thereafter. Entire Mengel's firm sold out at auction in 1992. Marshfield operation sold to Trierweiler Construction, who scrapped all usable equipment then sold the land and what was left to Northwestern Rental Center, now United Rentals. Still in operation.
- 14. Superior Gas:
- Came online in 1959. Never saw a car in here until the Arab Oil Embargo of the mid-1970's, thereafter Superior received about 20-25 carloads of LP per year in to 1979. Received little in 1980, 1981 or 1982, but started getting in LP again in 1983-1984. Stopped forever until 1987, when WC got in a carload of Butane. The last carload of anything for Superior. They still operate in the same quarters.
- 15. Marshfield Canning Co.:
- Came online in 1925, when the M&T was sold to the Soo Line. Good RR Customer almost to the end, total carloads per year between 400 to 500 cars per year. Operated by the Binzel Family until 198? when it was sold to Reedsburg Foods. Remained good rail customer, although business dropped to 200 cars outbound per year. That total remained rather steady until Reedsburg Foods closed the Canning Co. up forever in 1995.
The last load out of the Canning co. was PUSHED back uptown by ex-FRV GP-9 # 1702.
- 16. Marshfield Electric & Water:
- Originally built by Upham Lumber Co. sometime around 1900. Constantly added on to over the years until the last expansion in 1966. Carloads of coal inbound varied over the years as the plant expanded; by 1967, they received 18 cars per day, 5 days per week, 12 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday. The City purchased more and more power from outside sources beginning in 1973, so that by 1988, the plant received only 3 cars of coal every-other day.
Plant sat dormant for 10 years while City Hall tried to figure out what to do with it. Torn down in the early winter of 1997-1998. The M&T itself came up in the fall of 1998.
There.....that should all be as clear as mud.
Keith
| SooLineHistory Group | Index and Map | 1 - The Story | 2 - Pictures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 - Pictures | 4 - Pictures | 5 - Pictures | 6 - Pictures |
| 7 - Pictures | 8 - Pictures | 9 - Pictures | 10 - Pictures |
| 11 - Pictures | 12 - Pictures | 13 - Pictures | 14 - Pictures |
| 15 - Pictures | 16 - Pictures | 17 - Pictures | 18 - Pictures |
| 19 - Pictures | 20 - Pictures | 21 - Pictures | 22 - Pictures |
| 23 - Pictures | 24 - Speculations | ||
| To see the pictures full-size, right-click and select "View Image." | Next Page | ||