The Riverside and Great Northern Railway (R&GN) is a gauge

miniature railway A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or petro ...

and

heritage railroad A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

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 Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jan ...

, 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 Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also ref ...

to the south. The Sandleys built their shops, a replica and C&NW

depot Depot ( or ) may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Island, Kemp Land, Antarctica * Depot Island, Victoria Land, Antarctica * Depot Island Formation, Greenland Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in ...

(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 locomotives 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 ...

. Trains that once ran at the

Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo, also known as the Chicago Zoological Park, is a zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. It houses around 450 species of animals in an area of . It opened on July 1, 1934, and quickly gained international recogn ...

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

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 as well. In the early 1980s, new locomotive and rolling stock orders dropped off, forcing Norman Sandley into

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

cy. 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 Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, ...

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