This is the Marshfield Canning Co. spur, looking directly North. The M&T Main is off to the left.

When switching the Power Plant, the Switch Engine and 6 empties out of the Power Plant would "Hide" on this spur, while the air and hand brakes were kicked off the inbound cars and this cut allowed to roll past the Canning Co. switch (Out of sight behind Bruce's vantage point). When the last car would clear, the Switchman assigned the task of throwing the Canning Co. switch would do so and the Switch Engine and 6 cars would pop out and grab the rolling cars, acting as a sort of Dynamic Brake.

Looking at this photo, the Canning Co has remodeled itself. If you look at the photo, you'll see a concrete block next to the spur; this was the old support for the can track that fed empty canstock into the canning building. By the time Bruce shot this, the Canning Co. had removed the Can Track and truncated their spur with a concrete dock. The spur originally ran right in to the earth berm that was located above that new concrete dock.

It was always unsettling to come driving down Spruce Avenue and looking at the Headlight of a Locomotive staring at YOUR BUMPER. That's how much difference there was between the height of the road and the level of the Canning Co. spur. The Canning Co. warehouse was built in to the side of a hillock.

Alas, only the Canning Co. warehouse remains, bought by Superior Paper Products. Where the Boiler House and Canning building were is now a-building in to high-end apartments.

Keith

Beyond is the Switch for the F.F. Mengel Ready Mix Plant; the road crossing above that is the driveway for the Ready Mix plant. At one time, the Buttertub Track switch was right atop that driveway; the Buttertub Track (so-called because the track eventually wound up along side the C&NW Merrillan Main Line AND the Wisconsin Buttertub Co.) ran parallel to the M&T to 11th Street, out of sight over the hill in the distance.

Not far in on the Buttertub another switch peeled off and ran parallel to the Buttertub before curving sharply away to the right; this was the spur that serviced Blodgett Lumber Co. It ended atop for concrete bridge piers, this was Blodgett's home heating coal trestle. Those concrete piers are STILL standing, albeit covered in vines now, in what was Rich Peter's backyard when he still resided here.

Everything on the Buttertub was joint track with the C&NW, including a portion of the M&T shown here, just short of Mengel's switch. That was to allow the C&NW headroom to switch Blodgett.

Keith

Also: I have no idea what year they took off the second story of the canning building, still intact here with the original lettering.
When we moved to Marshfield, this is about what the place looked like, but with NO lettering identifying it----DUH, like you WOULDN'T be able to tell what this collection of buildings was in the first place!

Later in the early 1980's, they restored the lettering as you see here, only to later remove the upper portion. Gee, this all makes SO much sense.

High End apartments are going up on the site where the Canning building was.

Keith

The Marshfield Canning Co. contracted with the US Army to provide Laborers for the 1945 canning season. Marshfield had a P.O.W. stockade located behind the Canning Co., located where you see the trees located along the M&T in my own shots of the M&T r-o-w.

No, P.O.W.'s DIDN'T come to "Camp Marshfield" (which the stockade was called) via the M&T. Some P.O.W.'s came via truck from Camp McCoy and Wisconsin Rapids; there might have been one train that brought in P.O.W.'s, but they unloaded at the Soo Line Depot and were loaded into the rear of 6 X 6 Army Trucks and driven to Camp Marshfield.

I have high doubts any passenger coach would've fit around the two sharp curves on the M&T.

Keith

Keith

Another priceless (to ME) artifact: The AFE (Authorization For Expeniture) for the never-built spur alongside the also never-built Golden State Ltd. Company. Graciously scanned and sent to me by Rich Peters, included here because it pertains to the M&T's history.

Boy............had Golden State been allowed to build in Marshfield, their spur would have added to carloads going out off the M&T AND simplified Switching Moves for the switch engine on the southern end of the M&T. They wouldn't have needed the Gravity switch they used prior to this.

Alas, it was not to be.

The Golden State story as related to Marshfield is a strange one. Legend has it that, the Common Council, as directed from behind the scenes by Heddy Roddis (of Roddis Veneer & Lumber fame) had to come up with an excuse to keep Golden State OUT of Marshfield. Golden State would have employed a lot of people at very good wages---more than Roddis intended to pay, and the old skinflint had NO intentions of competing for workers via wages, either.

So, weilding power, Roddis threatened to close up forever and leave Marshfield with his empty, ramshackle factory building.

It worked.

Problem was, Marshfield couldn't use their standard old excuse of "We Can't Provide Enough Electrical Power" to stop Golden State, since this proposed factory had it's OWN Power Source.

In fact, look at the AFE and you'll see a tail track coming off at the 17th street end that services that power plant. Big enough to hold 7 cars, although I'd guess Golden State would have only gotten about 2 or 3 cars of coal a day, if that.

Legend has it that the Common Council turned away Golden State Ltd. with the excuse that the City "Can't provide enough Water" for the factory.

This doesn't sound like anything until you realize that Golden State was a Condensory. They take water OUT. They don't NEED water. Outbound traffic would have consisted of dried milk powder and related products.

In any case, Golden State was blocked from locating in Marshfield. Whatever the real scenario, Marshfield lost what could have been a large employer and a chance to widen the tax base.

Gee........some things never change.

Keith