The Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Railway or ''Lake Shore Road'' (reporting mark MLS&W) is a former railroad company whose mainline connected

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, the Upper Peninsula and northwest

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

with connection to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

by way of the Chicago & North Western Railway. It was acquired by the C&NW August 19, 1893.Stennett, William H.. Yesterday and Today: A History of the Chicago and North Western Railway System. United States: Winship Company, Printers, 1910.

History

The MLS&W could trace its origin to the granting of a right-of-way to the Manitowoc and Mississippi Railroad in December 1853. The MLS&W had its beginnings in 1872 with the reorganization of several predecessor roads. *Appleton and New London Railway - Chartered April 9, 1866, to build a railroad from

Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton () is the county seat of Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States, with small portions extending into Calumet County, Wisconsin, Calumet and Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago counties. Located on the Fox River (Green Bay tributary ...

New London, Wisconsin New London is a city in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, Outagamie and Waupaca County, Wisconsin, Waupaca counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Founded in 1851, the population was 7,348 at the 2020 census. The city has an annual Saint Patrick's D ...

. *Milwaukee, Manitowoc & Green Bay Railroad - Chartered March 10, 1870 to build a railroad from Milwaukee to

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc ( ) is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626. History Purporte ...

and

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

. *The Vieux Desert & Lake Shore Railroad Company *The Wolf River Railroad Company As grading continued from Port Washington, the railroad sought to enter Milwaukee along the right bank of the Milwaukee river and use the existing Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway depot. The competitor railroad declined to permit it. A new route into Milwaukee was creatied by heading towards the Lake Michigan shore, and coming down the bluff near North Point. By 1888, the Lake Shore was operating daily mainline passenger trains on the Milwaukee to Ashland route as well as frequent branch service to Rhinelander, Wausau, Oconto, Two Rivers and Oshkosh. Schedules indicate that almost eleven hours were required for the 367-mile Milwaukee-Ashland run. By 1893, the MLS&W had become a major Wisconsin carrier and attracted attention from the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW). Since the MLS&W depended upon the C&NW for a Chicago connection as well as numerous interchange locations, it was apparent that the interests of both lines could be well served by merging the railroads. This was accomplished by September 1893. Some 733 miles of Lake Shore road as well as 112 locomotives, 77 passenger train cars, and over 5000 freight cars became the property of the C&NW. C&NW would continue to operate the MLS&W mainline into the 20th century, however many sections were abandoned including the section from Sheboygan to Manitowoc and most of the trackage northwest of Appleton. In 1995

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

bought The Chicago & North Western Railway and today continues to operate the Chicago to Sheboygan section. The southern section of the line between Kenosha and Chicago continues to host passenger service,

Metra Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 train station, stati ...

uses the section for its commuter services on its

Union Pacific North Line The Union Pacific North Line (UP-N) is a Metra line in the Chicago metropolitan area. It runs between Ogilvie Transportation Center and Kenosha, Wisconsin; however, most trains terminate in Waukegan, Illinois. Although Metra owns the rolling st ...

References

{{reflist Defunct Wisconsin railroads Railway companies established in 1872 Railway companies disestablished in 1893 Predecessors of the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company