It would appear that the CN’s plan to send all of their transfer traffic to CP via the WSOR is a long term deal. The CN is currently installing a passing track south of Ackerville to keep the main line open during switching operations. It’s been pretty amazing watching the guys out there in 5 degree weather hauling ties around in 12 inches of snow. I’ve heard rumor or two that the CN eventually wants to double track the entire route from Fondy all the way to Chicago. Any truth to this?
Solz,
About 4 years ago I asked a signal maintainer who was working around Burlington about the work he was doing (he was relocating the crossing signal box further from the single-track main and putting in a larger box). He told me it was because of the plan to double-track the entire line (like you heard). At the time, IIRC, the WC/CN was running about 30 trains per day on the Waukesha sub.
However, about 2 or so years ago, I heard that the plans were temporarily on hold due to CN rerouting some of it’s traffic from the central-Wisconsin trackage to some (I think) BNSF tracks from around Superior down to Chicago. This reduced the trains on the Waukesha sub to around 20 per day.
If CN goes through with their plan of eliminating FDL as a yard/crew-change point, I wonder if it will change the traffic density.
I heard the same thing about double tracking but they would like to do it all the way from Winnepeg to Chicago. When the CN rebuilt the bridges north of Stevens Point, they made the abuntments wide enough to put another bridge along side the excisting one. Maybe someone along the Superior route can verify this. I was told that from a maintenence worker that was tying up in Owens some years back. THe CN can double track the entire route from FDL but the “Scoots” will decide if the trains make Shops (FDL) in the Hours of Service. Yesturday (12-8) one of the hottest trains, Q-199, was held up at Buffalo Grove for about 3 hours for 6 “scoots”. Got to Shops with 2 hours left of HoS
I always wondered why the CN didn’t approach WSOR and have the siding extended from Rugby to Slinger crossovers and just upgrade the WSOR to CN standards. I got my answer when I asked a crew and he mentioned something about CN wanting everything for nothing and WSOR wanted a certain amount of money that CN didn’t want to pay. So CN just bought up the land along side their ROW and installing the track there. The CN did think that the WSOR was going to let the CN have their way so the CN installed 40 mph switches at Slinger. I do beleive the WSOR track speed thru there is 25mph.
I do beleive that the CN still has haulage rights on the BNSF, from the BN and the Santa Fe Merger, of 6 (3 each way) trains per day from Superior to Chicago.
If the CN gets the EJ&E, the yard at FDL will most likely close down. When the WC ran, FDL had 22 jobs based there, now there are 4. FDL will be just a yard for local switching. With the crew change, most Northbounds have Point crews on them and most of them can’t make Stevens Point on their HoS but the southbounds usually make the Chicago area from Point. So I have no idea if they will get rid of FDL as a crew change point. A lot of employees think thats what the CN wants to do.
One step closer to buying the EJ&E, CN struck a deal with Amtrak. The deadli
If CN wants to doubletrack all through WI a big issue would be the 1899 swing bridge in Oshkosh. There are streets on either side of the track from about Irving south to the Fox River in town. That would be a hard spot for the RR to get around. I’d like to see if, if it’s warranted, but what a headache for someone it would be!
Mayve they could bring back street running like there was years ago…
I don’t believe those are 40 mph switches. They are rough enough at 25.
CN apparently makes enough money on the Saukville and West Bend lines to put in the Ackerville siding. It is probably better with the new siding on the CN side. WSOR can do their switching on their own schedule, not when the CN lets them. The switching on the CN side can take an hour or two, during which no mainline trains can get through. I think Ackerville holds around 100 cars, and it does get wedged tight from time to time.
It would be fun to see again but sadly not likely. I assume you meant that tongue in cheek! [swg]
Most of that ROW is now parking lots, backyards, and city streets. IMO CN would have to run double track through where the “WINNEBAGO” siding ends north of Oshkosh and start it again at “BLACK WOLF” south of Oshkosh where there are two tracks in place all the way to shops, IIRC. Theoretically they could run double track on the north side of the river up to the bridge. That would likely mean hammering out a deal to install an overpass or 3 (ala Neenah) to eliminate grade crossings.
From a cost standpoint though I don’t see CN replacing that bridge anytime soon, despite the fact that it gives them fits from time to time.
As far as I can tell from the many times I’ve driven along the CN ROW between Point and Marshfield I can say confidently that the bridge abutments there are not primed for double track- if you want evidence just look at the massive new overpass that was built in Marshfield- there are other smaller bridges but this one is the most obvious that disputes the claim of double tracking the whole line.
http://flickr.com/photos/nordique72/3096305301/
CN is adding new sidings and extending existing ones on the line north of Point- Atwood siding is a good example. Add to that the massive reconstructions that would need to take place- the Wisconsin River bridge at Point, and the river bridge at Ladysmith to name a few…I don’t think the CN will be justifying any capital to double track this line any time soon past Point.
As for the BNSF haulage- I am pretty sure the CN gave that up completely when they got the WC (In fact it happened before the CN got WC- WC made the better offer for the CN overhead traffic to snag it away from the BNSF). The traffic that is being diverted through the Twin Ports is given to the UP (and possibly the BNSF too) and bypassed around Chicago via the Twin Cities. The entire idea behind diverting the traffic at the Twin Ports is to avoid running the traffic through the Chicago bottleneck- not the old Soo main line.
Do you think that CN’s plan to double-track in Wisconsin is in any way reliant upon the EJ&E fracas down here in Illinois? - a.s.