The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad is a Class II

regional railroad In the United States, a regional railroad is a railroad company that is not Class I, but still has a substantial amount of traffic or trackage (and is thus not a short line). The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has defined the lower bound ...

in Southern

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and

Northeastern Illinois Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago, Illinois. NEIU serves approximately 9,000 students in the region and is a Hispanic-serving institution. The main campus is located in the community area of North Park wi ...

currently operated by

Watco Watco Companies, L.L.C. (Watco) is a transportation company based in Pittsburg, Kansas, formed in 1983 by Charles R. Webb. Watco was composed of four divisions: transportation, mechanical, terminal and port services, and compliance. Watco is t ...

. It operates former

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experience ...

(Milwaukee Road) and

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

(C&NW) trackage, mostly acquired by the state of Wisconsin in the 1980s. Within Wisconsin, WSOR connects with four western

Class I railroad In the United States, railroad carriers are designated as Class I, II, or III, according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportation Board in 1992. With annual adjustments for inflation, the 2019 thresholds were US$ ...

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

, and

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

. Through

trackage rights Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies. Operating Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may con ...

over

Metra Metra is the 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 242 stations on 11 rail lines. I ...

, WSOR accesses

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to connect with the two eastern Class I railroads,

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

and

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

. WSOR also has access to harbor facilities in

Prairie du Chien Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was esta ...

, and

transload Transloading, also known as cross-docking, is the process of transferring a shipment from one mode of transportation to another. It is most commonly employed when one mode cannot be used for the entire trip, such as when goods must be shipped in ...

facilities are located in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, Janesville,

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, and Oshkosh. 22 grain elevators have located rail load-out facilities on the WSOR system. For train operation purposes, the WSOR system is divided into two divisions, the Northern Division and the Southern Division. The Northern Division is essentially the original WSOR trackage from 1980, with a few new lines that have been added around the Milwaukee area since the 1990s. It includes the line northwest from Milwaukee to Horicon, where it splits into branches to

Cambria Cambria is a name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name for the country, . The term was not in use during the Roman period (when Wales had not come into existence as a distinct entity). It emerged later, in the medieval period, a ...

and Oshkosh, as well as a line from Milwaukee north to

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

. The Southern Division includes the lines acquired from the Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad in 1992, centered on Madison and Janesville, as well as several lines acquired in the 1990s in the Madison area. The two divisions are not physically connected with WSOR-owned trackage, but

over a short section of Canadian National's

Waukesha Subdivision The Waukesha Subdivision or Waukesha Sub is a railway line owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway. It meets the Neenah Subdivision to the north in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and runs south to Chicago, Illinois. History Construction ...

from Waukesha to Slinger provide a link between the two divisions. WSOR is headquartered in Madison, which is also a central hub terminal. The train dispatching office is located in Horicon. Locomotive maintenance is centered in Janesville, with secondary work also being performed at Horicon. WSOR's Horicon paint shops perform contract work on both rolling stock and locomotives.

History

WSOR began operations in 1980 when the state acquired several Milwaukee Road branch lines and signed a 50-year agreement with the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad, organized by the FSC Corporation, which also owned the Upper Merion and Plymouth Railroad. In August 1992, WSOR gained control of the Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad, which had been created in 1985 to replace the Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad's operations on state-owned lines formerly part of the Milwaukee and

Illinois Central Gulf Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A ...

. The latter has since been abandoned except for a short stub at

. WSOR thus gained access to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

(through

over

from Fox Lake), Janesville, Madison, and

. Further expansion came with a lease from the

(UP) of Madison-area ex-C&NW trackage in 1996,Steve Glischinski, Wisconsin & Southern at 25, ''

Trains In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often know ...

'', October 2005, pp. 38-45 and of an ex-Milwaukee Road line between Madison and

Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

from the

Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , one of seven U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sa ...

in 1998 (sold outright in 2003). The most recent acquisition was north of Milwaukee in 2005, when the state purchased the ex-Milwaukee Road line between

Saukville Saukville is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located on the Milwaukee River with a district along Interstate 43, the community is a suburb in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 4, ...

and

, which

Wisconsin Central Ltd. Wisconsin Central Ltd. is a railroad subsidiary of Canadian National. At one time, its parent Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation owned or operated railroads in the United States, Canada (Algoma Central Railway), the United Kingdom (DB ...

was going to abandon. Soon thereafter, WSOR leased in part and bought in part an ex-C&NW line to Sheboygan from UP. WSOR was named the 2009 Regional Railroad of the Year by ''

Railway Age ''Railway Age'' is an American trade magazine for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago (the United States' major railroad hub) and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. History The magazine's ...

'' magazine. On April 11, 2011, WSOR's

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

(CEO), William Gardner, was charged with two felonies after he was accused of funneling more than $60,000 in illegal campaign contributions through WSOR employees during the 2010 Wisconsin gubernatorial election. Gardner agreed to plead guilty to two felony counts. Under a deal, prosecutors agreed not to seek jail time but instead would seek two years of probation. In a statement, Gardner acknowledged his mistakes and said he took full responsibility. The vast majority of the contributions were to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. On November 29, 2011, it was announced that WSOR would be acquired by

, with the deal to close on January 1, 2012. In December 2012, the state of Wisconsin issued $17.1 million in financial aid to WSOR to rehabilitate of rail line between

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

and

Kohler Kohler is a surname of German origin. The name was first found in Saxony. It means, "charcoal burner" so the first "Kohlers" were most likely of that occupation. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan Kohler, Australian journalist *Anton ...

, which connects with existing WSOR tracks at Plymouth. Service has begun as of 2015. WSOR planned to operate a

terminal railroad A switching and terminal railroad is a freight railroad company whose primary purpose is to perform local switching services or to own and operate a terminal facility. Switching is a type of operation done within the limits of a yard. It genera ...

in Madison called the Madison Terminal Railway.

Routes

North Division

* Milwaukee Subdivision (former MILW) – Main North Division line that runs from the paint shops in Horicon to the north side of

. Commodities can range from grain and chemicals to lumber and ballast. * Cambria Subdivision (former MILW) – Runs from

to Horicon. * Oshkosh Subdivision (former MILW) – Runs from Oshkosh to Horicon. Commodities are mostly grain and chemicals. * Markesan Subdivision (former MILW) – Runs from Markesan to

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

. Commodities are mostly grain. * Plymouth Subdivision (former MILW) – Runs from a connection with the

to another connection in

. The line through Kiel is out of service and used for car storage. Main commodities are transload products and chemicals. * Sheboygan Falls Subdivision (former CNW) – Recently reopened in 2015. Runs from

to Sheboygan. Commodities are grain, aggregates, chemicals, and lumber. * Mayville Spur (former MILW) – Runs from Mayville to Iron Ridge. Commodities are limestone and packaged products. * Gibson Spur (former MILW) – Runs through North Milwaukee. * Fox Lake Spur (former MILW) – Used for car storage for about a mile from Fox Lake.

South Division

* Madison Subdivision (former MILW) – Runs from

to Janesville where it connects with the

and the

through the

Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad The Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad (IC&E) was a Class II railroad operating in the north central United States. It has been controlled by the Canadian Pacific Railway and operated as a part of its system since October 30, 2008. Formerly, the ...

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...

. * Prairie Subdivision (former MILW) – Runs from

Prairie Du Chien Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was esta ...

. Main commodities are mostly grain and frac sand but also include lumber, chemicals, plastics, and fertilizer. * Waukesha Subdivision (former MILW) – One of their main lines, most has been converted to welded rail. Connects with the Madison Subdivision in

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

and the

in Waukesha. Commodities include anything from grain to chemicals to lumber. * Monroe Subdivision (former MILW) – Runs from Monroe to Janesville. Main commodities are mostly grain, corn, and liquefied ethanol. * Fox Lake Subdivision (former MILW) – Connects Janesville with

Fox Lake, Illinois Fox Lake is a village in Grant and Antioch townships in Lake County, Illinois and Burton Township, McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,978 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately 57 miles north of Chicago. Hi ...

with trackage rights into

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. There is a very large variety of commodities on this subdivision. * Elkhorn Subdivision (former MILW) – Runs from Bardwell to Elkhorn. Main commodities are grain, lumber, cold storage products, and aggregates. * Reedsburg Subdivision (former CNW) – Runs from Reedsburg to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. Commodities range from ballast to lumber and scrap but also include plastics, sand, grain, and chemicals. Sections originally were built as the Beloit & Madison Railroad and

Baraboo Air Line Railroad The Baraboo Air Line Railroad was a railroad chartered in Wisconsin to join Madison, Wisconsin to Winona, Minnesota in 1870.Stennett, William H.. Yesterday and Today: A History of the Chicago and North Western Railway System. United States: Winsh ...

. * Cottage Grove Subdivision (former CNW) – Runs from

to Cottage Grove and serves an ethanol processing plant. * Watertown Subdivision (former MILW) – Runs from

where it interchanges with the

and Rail & Transload. Main commodities are grain, plastics, scrap, ballast, chemicals, and lumber. CP has trackage rights from Watertown to a

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...

east of Waterloo, where trains are often sent from

Portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

to load and unload

ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...

. * Sauk Spur (former MILW) – Runs from

Sauk CIty Sauk City is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States, North America. The population was 3,518 as of the 2020 census. The first incorporated village in the state, the community was founded by Agoston Haraszthy and his business partner, R ...

to a connection with the Prairie Subdivision in Mazomanie. Only part is used but only for car storage, the rest to Sauk City is heavily out of service.

Images

File:Wisconsin and Southern Train Side.jpg, The side of a Wisconsin and Southern locomotive Image:Grain train.JPG, A Wisconsin and Southern grain train loads at a co-op in

Rock Springs, Wisconsin Rock Springs is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Baraboo River. The population was 362 at the 2010 census. History At the time of its founding, Rock Springs was known as Ableman, after Stephen Van Rensselaer Ableman ...

Image:WSOR County Trunk Highway P Crossings - panoramio.jpg, WSOR County Trunk Highway P Crossings

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wisconsin Southern Railroad Regional railroads in the United States Illinois railroads Wisconsin railroads Spin-offs of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Railway companies established in 1980 Companies operating former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad lines Companies operating former Chicago and North Western Transportation Company lines Watco Companies operating former Canadian Pacific Railway lines 1980 establishments in Illinois 1980 establishments in Wisconsin

History

Routes

North Division

South Division

See also

Images

References

External links