The Riverside and Great Northern Railway (R&GN) is a gauge miniature railway and heritage railroad in Wisconsin Dells. The railway is operated by the Riverside and Great Northern Preservation Society and includes the former shops of the Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, a miniature train manufacturing business of the father and son team Elmer and Norman Sandley.

History

The railway was started in Janesville, Wisconsin, as a demonstration railway for Sandley locomotives and rolling stock. In 1952 the Sandleys relocated to the former

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

of the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad near Wisconsin Dells, which was abandoned in favor of a route with a smoother grade to the south. The Sandleys built their shops, a replica and C&NW

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(scaled down), and a railway to demonstrate their products. The railway and workshops attracted visitors from around the world.Shaw, Frederic, and Sandley, Norman, "The Sandley Story," (1960, Hesperian House). They built about 15

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

s and over 30 pieces of

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...

. Trains that once ran at the

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and the

Knoxville Zoo Zoo Knoxville, formerly known as the ''Knoxville Zoo'' or ''Knoxville Zoological Gardens'', is a zoo located just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, near exit 392 off Interstate 40. The zoo is home to about 1,200 animals and w ...

were built at the Wisconsin Dells facilities. The Sandleys also built the entire railway currently still in use at the

Milwaukee Zoo The Milwaukee County Zoo is a zoo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operated by the Milwaukee County Parks Commission. The zoo houses 1,800 animals and covers an area of . It is noted for the second birth of polar bears and siamangs in captivity and for ...

as well. In the early 1980s, new locomotive and rolling stock orders dropped off, forcing Norman Sandley into bankruptcy. 1980 was the last season for train operations on the R&GN under Sandley management. In the late 1980s a group of enthusiasts made plans to purchase the property. The R&GN Preservation Society was formed, and members began replacing ties and repairing buildings, but they still had to find a train. One of the group's members had built a diesel locomotive and this was traded to the Milwaukee County Zoo for the no. 82 steam locomotive, which had not been running because it was not powerful enough to pull the longer trains needed at the zoo's railway. The society has since acquired another steam locomotive, former Hoot-Toot & Whistle Railway#98, from the Old Wakarusa Railroad in Indiana. Both locomotives were built at the Wisconsin Dells shops in the late 1950s, with #98 being the motive power for the Hoot-Toot & Whistle Railway near Elgin, Illinois. The railroad includes an operational joinery building where coaches are restored and maintained, a picnic area, and a gift shop.

References

www.dellstrain.com

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riverside Great Northern Railway Heritage railroads in Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Juneau County, Wisconsin Narrow gauge railroads in Wisconsin Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin 15 in gauge railways in the United States

History

References

Further reading

External links