SD40-2 # 24 at Wausau

I continue to be in both awe and ignorance of HOW the Milwaukee switch crew in Wausau managed to handle the trains they did. In a cramped space they marshalled all the inbound Milwaukee to Wausau freights, taking apart 100+ car trains and building the Tomahawk Patrol, not to mention putting the Wausau to Milwaukee train together that afternoon. Cars were rifled out for the Mosinee Patrol. In all of this, both Patrols came home each afternoon to become that night's Train to Milwaukee, and how it was done in such obviously inadequate space still simply amazes me.

The "Passing Siding", such as it was, came off the Main about a 1/2 block from Townline Road (at one time; Milwaukee reduced it's length sometime in the 1970's, reducing this track to just east of the Roundhouse by 1976) and ran the length of the terminal trackage in Wausau, coming back to the main just before Franklin Street at the north end of the Depot Platform. I believe it had gone around the curve over Franklin Street at one time, but was cut back to Franklin Street sometime in the 1960's. The curve at Franklin Street always had a speed restriction on it because of it's sharpness.

The "Passing Siding" doubled as a track for serviced motive power where it passed the Wausau Roundhouse.

RS5 # 575 at Wausau Engine House

RS3 # 466 at Wausau Roundhouse

RS3 # 467 at Wausau Sand Tower

RSD5 # 575 at Wausau Roundhouse

F7A #109A at Wausau Roundhouse

F-units in Wausau

Alco's in Wausau

When one thinks of Wausau, Wisconsin, one is immediately focused on the image of the Milwaukee's timeless, classic brick Wausau Depot, festooned as the Company Logo of Wausau Insurance and broadcast all over the nation on TV. There was more to Wausau than the classic brick station (vacated and sold to Wausau Insurance approx. 1970; Milwaukee personel were sequestered in a cheaply-built, mostly plywood sided yard office two blocks south---painted a calf-shit yellow). Railfans of any experience will be quick to recall the equally-as-classic Wausau Roundhouse (technically a 4-stall enginehouse, but, why split hairs??), complete with home-built sand tower. The Station and the Roundhouse were only two blocks apart, the roundhouse being south of the Depot.

The Famous Wausau Depot

Bob Schoneman's picture of Business Car in Wausau

Across from both was the Marathon County Jail. That helped keep more than one railfan from tresspassing on Milwaukee Road Property!

"The Katy" in Wausau, #371

"The Katy" in Wausau, #303

Katy Caboose #103 in Wausau

And right around the classic ediface of the Wausau Depot was local business. Milwaukee Road serviced what I counted as I write this as 7 busy customers, and a TOFC ramp. Right across the tracks from the Depot was Marathon Printing Corp., a good customer that got inbound printing paper and carloads of printing ink. There was always at least one car spotted here.

South of the Depot was a plumbing supply company and an electrical supply company, both good customers of the railroad. East of those two firms was another warehouse that always had cars spotted next to it.

RS3 # 461 at Wausau

In a building I've always considered to have been the Wausau Freight House located at Henrietta Street, another two firms unloaded their carloads through this building. A small manufacturing firm was located just to the south of this building and you'd often see box cars or flatcars of lumber unloading there.

Joe Stauber's shot of 108A at Wausau

Joe Stauber's shot of 288 at Wausau

I cannot tell you, however, the names of all these firms, nor can I tell you how much TOFC or the firm (s) that loaded piggyback on flatcars at the Milwaukee's ramp. I've been told the Milwaukee had generous carload TOFC Business out of Wausau well in to 1977, but that it disappeared after the Milwaukee went bankrupt. No attempt was ever made by the Milwaukee or any other successor company to recover it, either. Must not have been real high on the profitability list.

The local Newspaper in Wausau, the Wausau Daily Herald, used to get 2-3 cars per week of Newsprint. I don't rightly recall where they unloaded their cars, though.

The Switch Engine could spend up to 2 hours spotting cars at these customers provided the unusual occurence of everyone needing a switch happened.

There were three firms, all with one and two car sidings next to their buildings, located between the curve over Franklin Street and the next curve that put the Valley on the side of the river bluff leaving Wausau after crossing Main Street. These customers, too, required service by the Milwaukee on a near-daily basis.

After the Milwaukee crossed Main Street and 4th Street/Highway 53, the Valley turned due north on a long radius curve, coming out alongside the Wisconsin River on a much higher plane than the river, actually holding on to the side of the river bluff for a distance. The switch that led to "The Island" (a real island bordered by the Wisconsin River on all sides) left the Valley just before crossing Main Street and curved off south-southwest, sidling up alongside a C&NW spur that left the C&NW Marshfield-Eland line at the foot of Washington Street and crossed the eastward channel of the river flowing around the Island on an ample steel through truss bridge. Milwaukee's spur over to the Island crossed the river channel on a steel deck span as I recall it, leaving the spur line on the east side of the channel at Franklin Street. I cannot remember what firm occupied the Island, but Milwaukee served it with a Wye and a long tail track. I remember the Midland Cooperative's Feed Mill and Fertilizer plant being on here, good customers of the Milwaukee until it was closed in the late '70's.

From the connection with the C&NW Spur across the Island, Milwaukee and C&NW operated joint track up to Marathon Electric Corp., an industrial electronic manufacturer and rebuilder of Generators, Traction Motors, etc. Their complex included their own Foundry, and the foundry portion did get inbound carloads of scrap. Traffic inbound to Marathon Electric included Power Plant Generators coming in for work on flatcars, sheet steel and plate steel. Outbound was reworked and brand new Generators, reworked traction motors, etc.

Milwaukee and C&NW split the work at Marathon Electric, although it was possible, at one time, to catch BOTH railroad's switch jobs working here at the same time. Rule of thumb was that the C&NW worked Marathon Electric on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while Milwaukee switched there on the opposite days.

There used to be a lot of switching work associated with Marathon Electric and either road's switch jobs could disappear in there for 3 hours at a crack. Today, I doubt CN even goes in there anymore and Marathon Electric's business overall is but a whisper of years ago. That it remains at all anymore is one of those wonders.

Milwaukee's spur to the foot of Washington Street used to service a liquor distributor near Franklin Street and those aforementioned carloads of wines came here, and carload beer from Milwaukee (natch) also unloaded here for the Local Miller distributor. This is long gone now.

The WC, and today's CN, have retained the C&NW connecting track coming over from Washington Street. There has been a movement afoot in Wausau to get off the ex-Milwaukee Trackage north of Townline Road, to avoid the cramped conditions with the location of trackage and buildings and the excessive grade crossings the Valley has north of Townline Road to Main Street. By diverting over to the ex-C&NW Marshfield-Eland line to Washington Street, then swinging on to the C&NW connecting track and over onto Milwaukee's ex-Washington Street spur, the railroad would find a slightly easier way through Wausau with only TWO crossings of city streets. Oddly enough, the City of Wausau is vehemetly OPPOSED to this idea! It was the City of Wausau that took Wisconsin Central to court over the use of air horns in close proximity of buildings along the Valley from Franklin Street north to Main Street, and WC found this alternative that the City unaccountably doesn't like.

If you go where the Wausau Yard USED to be, the only thing left there is the famed Depot. Everything else in terms of trackage is gone, including the Roundhouse which was pulled down in 1993 by WC.

Coming back out to the Main Line, the Valley hung on the side of the River Bluff, slowly coming downgrade to river level. About 4 blocks north of Franklin Street, the Valley had numerous spurs leaving it to service far north side industry, including Wausaw Concrete Products, County Concrete Corp., and at least three other firms, all of which required the Wausau Switch Job to be here at least once per day and spend a good two hours switching and spotting cars on the various tracks. I seem to recall a short, double-ended siding along this stretch that allowed the switch crew to get on the right ends of the cars they were switching. Included was what had been a plant of James River Paper Corp., not really a Paper Mill per se, but more of a finishing plant that got in roll paper, processed it, and shipped it back out. They were a daily switch and remain so today, although this plant has been twice sold and is now called "Graphic Packaging".

Knowing all the business in Wausau Proper that required the Milwaukee Switch job to service it all, I've always found it hard to believe the Switch Job also doubled as the Mosinee Patrol. I've been led to believe the Mosinee Patrol was a separate job that went to work after 9 a.m., and made it's way south to Mosinee, stoppong to work the Schofield Industrial Park, Rothschild, Weston and Mosinee. This arrangement may have been in place prior to 1977, and I believe it was. Prior to 1976, Milwaukee had a lot to keep it busy in Wausau.

I've heard, only a couple times, never confirmed, that the Tomahawk Patrol became the Mosinee Patrol upon arriving at Wausau from Tomahawk. How long this arrangement lasted, if it ever existed, is lost to me. This might have happened prior to 1973. I cannot confirm such a thing. Keeping in mind that track speeds north of Wausau on the Valley were 10 mph for most of the distance to Tomahawk, I can't see the latter happening upon the arrival of the Tomahawk Patrol. It took that train most of it's 12 alloted working hours to make the trip up to Tomahawk and return.

Once the Valley cleared the industrial area on the north side of Wausau, it curved north-northeast and began climbing, running along the steppe created on the river bluff, curving due north to run alongside Highway 53 for a short distance (a photo of the Tomahawk Patrol headed north in the early morning on this stretch appears in Fred Hyde's MILWAUKEE ROAD tome), all the while climbing upwards to reach Brokaw.

There was a reason the Milwaukee's RSD5's worked the Valley frequently. It wasn't the sizes of the trains so much (60-to-80 cars was typical; anything over that was an exception) as it was the Valley's "Leapity-dip" r-o-w struggling along through river country. Light of feets and with some tractive effort, the RSD's were more suited to the Valley than their RSC2 sisters were.

After curving away from Highway 53, the Valley breaks out alongside the Wisconsin River for two miles before turning away and cresting this long grade near the spot of the Brokaw Depot in Brokaw itself. The Wisconsin River cuts a deep channel beginning south of Wausau and contnuing well up through Brokaw, giving the Valley a true meaning to it's "Valley" moniker. Truly beautiful scenery, and Brokaw itself is in an area surrounded by the river bluffs, actually some considerably feet lower than the surrounding countryside.

The Tomahawk Turn north of Brokaw

Brokaw tends to strike one as an odd place, because it resembles (and was at one time) a Company Town. There is very little here in the way of what the rest of us would consider to be "The Regular" way of life--fast food joints, Wal Mart or any other extravaganza. The entire show in Brokaw is Wausau Papers, nothing else. Years prior, most of the homes in Brokaw all resembled one another and no room for any other color other than white. No remodeling was allowed. That's changed to some extent now, but you still see the stamp of a Company Town, not unlike Port Edwards used to be.

The Wausau Papers mill is stretched along the Wisconsin River much in the same manner as the Weyerhaeuser mill at Rothschild. The Milwaukee Road's Agent in Brokaw remained, at my best guess, until 1973. The Brokaw Depot as I recall was a metal (?) building, built on the site of the original. Dancy's "Depot" looked much the same. Perhaps both were section shanties and I have them cornfoozed with metal depots located elsewhere?

Milwaukee Road switched the loading docks on the south end of the Mill complex. There were at least 5 different tracks empty box cars had to be spotted on. This was work done by the Tomahawk Turn on their way home to Wausau.

As train speeds became a liability on the Wausau-Tomahawk section, the Wausau Switcher would be tapped to come up to Brokaw to service the mill.

North of the Milwaukee's Brokaw Depot about 1/2 of a mile was the "Interchange" yard with the Brokaw mill. I put interchange in parenthesis because in reality, the interchange tracks also doubled as the Pulpwood Unloading Tracks as well. At one time, like other mills on the Valley, Wausau Papers in Brokaw got in all the associated chemicals and raw material needed to produce mostly "Rough" paper---Hand Towels, Toilet Paper, etc. They also shipped out Turpentine, Tall Oil and Lignin, all in Tank Cars. They used to get in a lot of Pulpwood and Woodchips, but, today, the only thing the Brokaw Mill does with the railroad are the loaded tank cars out and Kaolin in. The loading docks on the south end of the mill are now all truck. No paper comes out of Brokaw on rail anymore.

Going north of Brokaw, the Valley was right at water level, holding as closely to the side of the Wisconsin River as the builder's of the Valley dared to place the railroad. Although the gradient was relatively flat, the line twisted and turned following the riverbank. Being on the riverbank for most of the way to Merrill had the consequence of having the Valley crossing many trestles over creeks and smaller rivers flowing in to the Wisconsin, not to mention the Valley crossed swamp, marsh and backwaters. In essance, the Valley rather resembled spots along Lines West with it's twisting main line.

Fred's book has a nice shot of the southbound Tomahawk Patrol headed back towards Wausau, crossing the trestle over the Trappe River, about mid-way between Brokaw and Merrill. Fred, was the photographer SURE this was THE TRAPPE River and not the Little Trappe River!??? The two emptied in to the Wisconsin about a mile apart and Milwaukee trestled over both in situations resembling each other.

The Valley took a less twisting route to get to Merrill, shearing away from the River for about 5 miles, running in mostly flat marshland. The Valley entered Merrill's corporate city boundary on the extreme southeast corner, following the Wisconsin River. Merrill was a traffic plum for the Milwaukee Road, harboring 7 large manufacturing plants and several lesser customers. Alas, I cannot name them all, only 3 are memorable: Merrill Wood Products, the Merrill Midland Coop and Weinbrenner Shoe Company, the same Weinbrenner that operates a shoe factory two blocks from where I live in Marshfield. Merrill hosted a Switch Engine for many years. Towards the mid-'70's, the Merrill Switch Engine was one of Milwaukee's venerable SW1 types. Once in a while you might catch an NW2, SW9 or SW1200, even one of the re-trucked RS2's and RS3's working in Merrill, but most often the Milwauke assigned an SW1 here. I *think* the reason was the 8-bent plie trestle over the Wisconsin River to the industrial area of Merrill. This short stub was called "The New Wood Line", and I believe it crawled out much farther into the woods at one time to a point called New Wood.

SW1 #874 Switcher at Merrill

If memory serves, I think the New Wood Line, such as it was, was to be a part of the Stanley, Merrill and Phillips RR. I cannot confirm this suspcion.

The Switch Job in Merrill and it's history is a confusing one. After many talks with some railfans in Merrill, it sounds like this switch job was an on-again, off-again prospect. When it was off, Milwaukee tried handling the business in Merrill with the Tomahawk Patrol, which seldomly worked because of the workload, and because the Wausau-Tomahawk portion of the Valley was mostly 10 mph trackage.

The Merrill Switch Engine was mostly a steady assignment to 1980, when the Milwaukee pulled the job off forever. The Milwaukee put in some badly needed work on the track to Merrill from Wausau, and it became possible for the Tomahawk Patrol to stop in Merrill to do the work there.

The Tomahawk Patrol NB out of Merrill

From the 1920's onward to the mid-'80's, there was enough business in Merrill to justify having the switch engine in Merrill. Business still looked very good in Merrill when I passed through in 1979, but it would make you heartsick to see Merrill today in 2005. Just what CN services for Customers now is lost on me. The 8-bent pile trestle is still there over the Wisconsin River, on the New Wood line, but I cannot tell if it is used anymore.

There were three large Customers served on the west side of the river on the New Wood Line, one of which was Weinbrenner Shoe Company. It's amazing to me jusy how much traffic shoe companies can provide a Railroad, and since Merrill was the corporate headquarters of the firm, they received much of their milled leathergoods here and then distributed it among Weinbrenner's three factories (Antigo had the third, closed in 1980, at the cessation of their long-time Military Contracts, although all three Weinbreener's Plants made shoes and boots for Uncle Sam's fighting forces). They shipped out all their finished boots and shoes, and until 1976, via Milwaukee Road.

There were two lumber dealers that did landmark business with the Milwaukee in to the late '70's, and, I believe, a Ready-mix Concrete Plant that also used the Railroad for inbound cement.

Even so, the Switch Job in Merrill was a 4-hour affair. Go to work at 8 a.m., tied up at noon, sometimes later. This job existed purely to avoid having the Tomahawk Patrol try doing the work in Merrill.

The New Wood spur track diverges from the main line just as the Valley turns due north to assault the river bluff to get away from the river. This spur follows the river directly before crossing it after the river itself turns to head north-northwestwards. Just before crossing the river, the spur to Merrill Wood Products diverges northwards to follow the river.

On the western end of the trestle over the Wisconsin on the New Wood Line, there was a three track yard, and the spur began branching off to service at least three large customers, one of which was Weinbrenner Shoe Co. I wish I could tell you the names of the other firms that were serviced here and what other business Milwaukee had. Merrill Candy/Merrillite distributing was a Milwaukee Customer in Merrill, and they received carloads of Hersey Candy and carload Tobacco Products. They were still an occasional railroad customer as late as 1984. I'm not sure where their warehouse was in Merrill.

The Trestle over the Wisconsin on the New Wood Line restricted the weight of the Engine used in Merrill as the Switch Engine. After Milwaukee put in some needed maintenance on the Merrill-Wausau portion of the Valley, this trestle got some work as well, allowing the Tomahawk Patrol to use bigger, heavier power, but they had to split their engines and only permit one unit on the trestle on the New Wood Line at a time. I believe this restriction still applies with CN today.

As you enter Merrill from the west on Highway 64, you cross the Milwaukee Road 3 times: the first is a spur (now removed) that serviced a large manufacturing company. This spur came off the New Wood Line west of the Wisconsin River and bent sharply north crossing highway 64 in the process to access this plant.

You then cross the Wisconsin River, and immediately on the east side of the highway bridge you cross the spur that follows the river to serve Merrill Wood Products. This spur originally ran out north-northwestwards to a point called "Averill Creek", and was cut back in bits and pieces during the 1930's until it was entirely within the Merrill City Limits and left stubbed at Merrill Wood Products before WWII.

It is apparent that the spur line to Merrill Wood Products was possibly meant to be the Valley Main Line to Tomahawk, but the builders of the Valley thought better of the idea of following the River to Tomahawk. Instead, it became a spur to no where. This spur was still in in 2002, but heavily weed grown and obviously unused. I cannot say if it remains.

The third time you cross the Milwaukee in Merrill as you head eastwards into town on Highway 64, you are crossing the Main Line to Tomahawk and beyond, and you are on the south side of the Milwaukee's Merrill Depot. If memory serves, the Merrill Depot was brick, and curved to fit the curve of the main line through this section of Merrill. The Valley climbs over the river bank to get away from Merrill to head north; the Merrill Depot sat atop the grade leading up away from the river. The Depot was still standing in 1979, srill very much in-use.

North of the Depot the Milwaukee serviced a warehouse, but I cannot tell you what firm was in it. The Valley then runs due north for a short distance before turning north-northeast. There was also a small Paper Mill in Merrill, but I can't tell you just where it was. I suspect this Mill sat on the north side of Merrill along the Valley. After running due north for two city Blocks, the Valley turned to the Northeast. Coming out of the curve to point north-northeast the Valley crossed a small inlet which fed in to the Ward Mill Pond. There was another industry located here through which the inlet flowed between buildings. Their spur also crossed it in getting to those buildings. I can't tell you what company this is.

Not far beyond, the Valley crossed County Highway ' K ' for this first of FIVE (5) crossings as the Valley twisted and turned on it's way north to Tomahawk. Here the Vallet effectively resembled Lines West, twisting hither and yon to avoid assualting grades directly. It is excessively hilly between Merrill and Tomahawk, and the Builders of the Wisconsin Valley RR chose to try going around rather than over in as many spots as possible. In the process, County Highway ' K ' gets crossed 5 times. The highway is relatively straight north to south.

The Valley made an east-northeast run until it comes up alongside US Highway 51 outside of the northern edge of Merrill, turns due north to skirt Lake Pesabic's eastern shore, then curves gently north-northwest, crossing county ' K ' for the second time. The Valley turns due north, crosses the Meadow River, then turns north-northeast again and crosses county ' K ' for the third time. The Valley is hemmed in on one side by the Meadow River and County ' K ' for two miles, then the Valley turns north-northwest and crosses county ' K ' for the fourth time. The Valley skirts the eastern edge of Tug Lake, turns slightly northwest, then turns due north again for three miles before turning north-northeast and making a straight northeast dash towards Irma. Two miles south of Irma the Valley turns due north and stays that way until two miles north of Irma, where the Valley makes a direct north-northwest line for the Wisconsin River three miles south of Tomahawk. At this point the Valley pierces the tiny village of Gilbert, then railroad and US 51 follow together right in to Tomahawk on a north-northwest heading. The Valley turns due north inside Tomahawk's city limits, and crosses the Wisconsin River not long after county highway ' E '/State Highway 86.

Alco RSD5 # 571 at Tomahawk

The Tomahawk Depot

The Valley Job at Tomahawk

The Tomahawk Patrol's Caboose

The Tomahawk Depot

MT&W # 62

MT&W # 23 on the Wisconsin River bridge

North of the river bridge the Milwaukee then crossed what had been the Marinette, Tomahawk & Western's "Eastern Extension" to Grundy. In between the river bridge and the crossing with the MT&W was a Feed Mill, once serviced by the Milwaukee.

In later years, the MT&W's eastern line ran out to a point along the Wisconsin River and serviced a Market Pulp pulp mill. This line went out about 5 miles to this mill, and MT&W would go out there about three times per week for 2-4 cars of market pulp. Under O-I auspices just before the Mill and the MT&W were sold off, O-I abandoned everything east of the diamond with the Milwaukee.

Today, CN curves onto the MT&W at the point where the Feed Mill once stood; the trackage through Tomahawk itself is abandoned. MT&W morfed into the Tomahawk Railway, and uses only the Jersey City-Wisconsin Dam Trackage. O-I sold off the Tomahawk-Bradley Jct. segment to Wisconsin Central around 1990.

Technically, the MT&W was the game in town. Milwaukee had very little local business here to service---that aforementioned Feed Mill and a Lumber Yard that I'm aware of. Tomahawk sported a classic stucco-sided Milwaukee Road staion here; at one time a wooden sign welcomed passengers of the NORTHWOODS HIAWATHA to the "GATE WAY TO THE NORTHWOODS" alongside the station, put there by the Milwaukee Road.

Joe Stauber's shot of 116A at Tomahawk

The big traffic item for the Milwaukee in Tomahawk was the traffic interchanged to/from the MT&W. This traffic dictated a 5-track yard in front of the Tomahawk Depot---the only point on the Valley where there was something that resembled an actual "Yard"----and when I saw it, it was completely empty and covered in chest-high weeds. Had we not crossed it all on a local street north of the Depot and found those rails in the pavement one would have been none the wiser.

Joe Stauber's shot of 117A at Tomahawk

MT&W connected to the Milwaukee's Tomahawk yard on the south edge, on a track that skirted the MT&W's Shop, ran behind their Depot a block north, and then cut into the western most Milwaukee Road yard track. The MT&W connection was nearly unnoticeable, as it poked in, in between tall pine trees. We'd have missed that, too, had the MT&W not left cars standing there.

MT&W fed the Milwaukee up to 20 loaded cars of card-board grade paper per day. Milwaukee brought in about half the needed raw material for the Owens-Illinois Paper Mill serviced by the (And owners of) the MT&W at Wisconsin Dam. Soo Line fed the MT&W at Bradley Junction, roughly 10 miles northwest of Tomahawk. MT&W took a wide swing to reach the Owens-Illinois Mill at Wisconsin Dam; at one point this mill is only a short distance away from the Valley but on the wrong side of the river at the Dam (trees hide it so effectively from view you can't see it from Highway 51, either). MT&W crossed Lake Mohawksin some two miles west of Tomahawk's western limit, running due west from it's line to the Soo Line at Bradley Jct., from a spot called "Jersey City". There was a wye here; where the MT&W turned south to cross Lake Mohawksin about a mile and a half farther west, there was a wye and a tail track here as well. The tail track was all that remained of a logging line that once reached almost to Rib Lake, Wis.

The MT&&W ran along the south shore of Lake Mohawksin to reach Wisconsin Dam, which essentially "Made" Lake Mohawksin.

Alas, Owens-Illinois began shoving more and more of their traffic over to the Soo at Bradley Junction. Soo back-hauled this traffic to Prentice, Wis., where it was set out to be picked up by Park Falls-to-Chicago train # 18. I have many memories of paired Soo Line F Units dragging # 18 in to Marshfield followed by 20 or more green 50' FMC design box cars proudly displaying the name "MARINETTE, TOMAHAWK and WESTERN" co-mingled in with # 18's other traffic coming down from areas north of Park Falls on Soo's line to Ashland, Wis.

Apparently, Owens-Illinois was put off by the Milwaukee's snail's pace speeds on the Valley south to Wausau; there may have been a couple wrecks up there somewhere that cost both the Milwaukee and Owens-Illinois as well. In any case, Owens-Illinois pulled all their outbound traffic off the Valley, leaving the Milwaukee trains with little to take them up to Tomahawk for. In 1979, for example, the Tomahawk Patrol was only going to Tomahawk three times per week, and toting sickeningly short trains with them in both directions. This traffic never really recovered until Wisconsin Central came in to being in 1987.

The MT&W skirted along the northern shore of Lake Mohawksin, which is formed by the confluences of three small creeks emptying into what was a backwater of the Wisconsin River forming the lake itself. The point the MT&W Shops and the Milwaukee Road yard lay on formed an arrow-shaped penninsula. The Valley crossed the northern extremity of Lake Mohawksin about three blocks north of their yard and the Depot. The Valley turned north-northeast again and married up alongside Highway 51 for some three miles before the Valley struck off due north for the run to Heafford Junction.

The Minoqua Patrol at Heafford Junction

Heafford Junction used to be marked by a ramshackle-looking Soo Line depot that served the needs of both railroads. It was a twin to the structure used at Trout Lake Michigan, where the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic line to St. Ignace crossed the Soo Sault-Twin Cities main. A Large, two-story centerpiece housing the Agent and his family upstairs at one time, with waiting rooms, ticket office and Agent's office on the first floor. There was a freight/baggage room on each side of the center office portion for each railroad. Like at Junction City, the Soo Agent/Operator at Heafford Junction acted as representitive for both roads, and copied train orders for both roads.

The Heafford Junction Depot was built into the sides of the roght-of-way embankments on both railroads lines, consequently it sat much higher from the nominal ground level. You had to climb stairs to get to track level at Heafford Junction, as opposed to Trout Lake where Depot and Railroads were level with the mean ground gradient.

Soo and Milwaukee interchanged cars here, and there were two tracks leading to/from the Valley to the Soo in the Northwest quadrant. One was supposed to be cars going to the Soo and the other cars to the Milwaukee, but, by the time I saw it in 1979, only one track was needed for the traffic that moved between the two, and the second track was being used to load pulpwood.

Dad and Soo's Agent at Heafford Junction, Jerry Schwartztruber, talked "Shop" that day, and that was when I found out that, at that point in time (July of 1979), the Tomahawk Patrol only came up to Heafford Jct. once per week. There just wasn't a lot moving to Heafford for the Milwaukee, and Milwaukee was giving empty cars back to the Soo at Junction City.

Soo and Milwaukee interchanged a lot of Pulpwood here, Soo shoving the loads to the Milwaukee and Soo getting mostly empty pulpwood gons back. Pulpwood destined for the Valley from the Soo Line was gathered from several different spots on the Soo, off the Ashland Line at load points north of Prentice, off the former DSS&A, with loading points along the Trout Lake-Marquette route, and from loading points along the "Old Soo" main to Sault Ste. Marie. The Valley originated very, very little Pulpwood traffic. What pulpwood the Milwaukee hauled came from somewhere else loaded on some else's railroad.

I cannot speak for the rest of the details of the Valley northwards from Heafford Junction, other than to observe that the line spent a lot of time going wide of the many abundant lakes located from Heafford Junction all the way north to Blue Bell /Blue Bill. Considering the dearth of industy north of Merrill (remember, the Owens-Illinois Paper Mill in Tomahawk was on the MT&W), it isn't hard to see why the Milwaukee Road left the tourist trap area and truncated to Heafford Junction.

There are, supposedly, Iron Ore, Zinc, Copper and Gold deposits all throughout the region north of US Highway 8, none of it touched, nor shall it ever be. None of it amounts to huge deposits that will be worked for years and years like larger operations elsewhere. Had Mining gotten a hold north of Tomahawk along the Valley, I don't think anything would have changed as far as line abandonments went.

Building of US Highway 51 straight from the Illinois Border to Minoqua essentially killed the likes of the NORTHWOODS HIAWTHA and the FISHERMAN. It took the people out of the train and into their own cars. Not hard to figure out why the passenger trains departed for the final time. After improvements to Highway 51 were put in over the years, more and more freight business left the rails for trucks, especially after many firms went to "Just In Time" warehousing and ordering systems.

So long as there remains the need for paper of all grades, the Valley has a secure future, not necessarily as a holding of the CN. It may find itself sold to a short line operation some day.

The Wisconsin Rapids-Nekoosa mills are the big question marks since their sales to foregin firms a few years ago. Gone is the feeling of prosperity in Rapids-Nekoosa. Mills farther up the Valley are still busy, but their traffic is down. Most roll paper no longer moves by rail. Pulpwood moves mostly by truck to places like Rothschild, Brokaw and Tomahawk. Most mills have either given up on Woodchips or chip on-sight now so you don't have the sight of disheveled box cars toting woodchips except in the Wisconsin Rapids area and the practice is becoming less so each day.

Only Consolidated Papers made any expansions in the last 20 years, and now that the firm was sold to Stora Enso, the expectation that these former CPI mills will ever expand again is a moot point. Overseas competition has cut deeply into Valley paper traffic, as have trucks for what is there.

The Valley was notable to me in that is retained many Depots and Open Agencies alongside well in to Milwaukee's 3rd bankruptcy (I'm cause to remember that Necedah had a ramshackle-looking two-room station with Agent as late as 1973). All were connected by Telegraph, which wasn't removed until 1976. It wasn't until that 3rd bankruptcy that many depots and the Agents therein disappeared forever. Today, 2005, only Wisconsin Rapids and Wausau retain anyone resembling an "Agent". Everything is done through the Sales Department in Stevens Point.

The big thing going on right now on the Valley is the construction of Weston 4, another boiler-generator set being put in at WPS's Weston Power Plant Complex Site. This will result in a coal train every day to feed the appetite of Weston. The older 1 & 2 are still being used and there are no apparent plans to deactivate them any time soon. The old Weston 1 & 2 have been converted to use Western Coal, and a new conveyor allows 1 & 2 to draw their coal from the Weston 3 stockpile. There is no need for CN to go down in front of Weston 1 & 2 any longer to snatch up empties, and cars of high sulfer coal are only a memory there now.

Like other spots on the Milwaukee, I was always impressed with the more-or-less affable nature of Milwaukee Road employees. If one can be a judge of the rest of the Milwaukee Road by using the Valley as an example, the quiet professionalism coupled to gentle humor of the employees, one cannot blame the consquent wreck of the Milwaukee Road on the people doing the actual work.

A lot of people I have spoke with that worked in various firms along the Valley, being in a position to know such things, have often told me they had few or no complaints about the Milwaukee's level of service---at least intially. You wanted a switch, you called the Milwaukee and they were there. You expected a switch at a certain time every day, and the Milwaukee was there. Had to rearrange switching times? Not a problem. The Milwaukee is looked at as an accomdating system of likable professional railroaders, at least, on the Valley they were.

What hurt the Milwaukee was that Valley Line traffuc had to put in to Air Line Yard at Milwaukee for reworking, where, by dint of corny circumstances, cars would sit for a full day before being dispatched south---ro ANOTHER hump yard in Bensenville for reworking in to various Transfer consists, which took at least another day. GETTING the cars off the Valley was no problem, but getting them off the Milwaukee Road itself took up to 5 days. That was too slow in slower times, untenable by the time the Soo tried so desperately to choke on what was left.

Is it any wonder the Green Bay & Western was able to make a big dent in eastbound paper traffic by sending it cross-lake over Lake Michigan? Chicago & North Western moved it faster going east to Fond du Lac, then south through Milwaukee via Butler Yard to Proviso.

An indicator of the slowness of the Milwaukee came home to roost when C&NW abandoned a short stretch of their Wisconsin Rapids-West Bancroft line and sought---and got---trackage rights on the Valleyt from South Necedah to Port Edwards. Within a relatively short period of time, the C&NW was getting 75% of the traffic out of the Wisconsin Rapids area, and the only trackage they owned were 4 out-of-line, bumpy yard tracks in Wisconsin Rapids! C&NW made off with most of the rapids area Valley traffic over Milwaukee rails, a situation that didn't resolve itself until the creation of Wisconsin Central Ltd.

Allow me some vignettes of the Valley:

I prefer to think of the Valley in it's early 1970's days, replete with Alco's, F's and Geeps and a stalwart SW1 toiling away in Merrill. Of the time Dad and Mother stopped in Junction City to wet their whistles at the Hiawtha Bar next to the Valley and I watched the Southbound Milwaukee-bound train stop in JO to set out and pick up from the Soo Line. The F that night wore #FF7F00, Maroon and black, trailed by, IIRC, a GP9. They made short work of pulling down their JO cars to the Siding Switch, cutting off, going in the east wye, pulling out the Soo's delivery, pulling it out on the siding, cutting off, running out the north end and coing back on the opposite end of the cars going to the Soo, grabbing them and shoving them in on the West Wye. In about a half hour the train was ricketing through JO bound for New Lisbon and beyond. I think they even spotted a car that evening at Badger Feed Store.

Or, watching paired RSD5's lugging northwards out of Wausau in the rising morning sun, barking to the world in protest to the grade they were assaulting.

Remembering the shelves of un-used Milwaukee Road paperwork--Switch Lists, Empty Car Slip Bills, etc. stashed on a shelf in the freight room of the Junction City Depot, paperwork issued within weeks of the last because someone's name had changed in an important departrment listed on the paperwork.

The Milwaukee Tender Plow that sat unused for years in Wisconsin Rapids.

Old out-side braced wooden Milwaukee Road box cars stashed on an unused spur at Wausau; they didn't disappear until late in Milwaukee's bankruptcy. So weathered you could barely make out the reporting marks on them!

Of the confusion I suffered when reading Soo, C&NW and Milwaukee timetables, where they instructed all trains to STOP when crossing each other at Wisconsin Rapids. I was befuddled by this, because there was, what looked to me to be a tri-color signal in front of the Milwaukee's Rapids Depot. Little did I know that the signal was the TRAIN ORDER SIGNAL at Rapids.

Ah, we get so soon oldt und too late schmardt.

Of Alco's and F units co-mingling together at the Roundhouse in Wausau. Saturday mornings were a terrific time to venture to Scott Street in Wausau to peruse the goings-on at the Roundhouse. The Wausau-Milwaukee train's power was there, tied up on what had been the siding; the power for the Tomahawk Turn was there, as well as the Wausau Switch engine, most often a re-trucked RS3.

It was like time had stopped and Wausau was stuck at 1955.

Of the rear-end collision between the Mosinee Patrol, stopped at Weston with the power down in by Weston 1 & 2 spotting loads and pulling empties, and the Milwaukee-bound eastbound freight. A couple nearly-new GP38-2's demolished a standard rib-sided Milwaukee bay window caboose, and the GP38-2's caught fire. I think the Conductor was injured or killed, but I don't recall details.

That was the Valley as I know of it. A unique piece of Railroad.

Keith