now that i am on summer vacation i want to go do some fanning on the cp. i need some spots first. i do some in the milwaukee area such as mitchell park, & muskego the park in wauwatosa, duplainville. im not sure if the tracks still go through the state fair pakr or nto. i heard they got removed a few years ago but i odnt know that for a fact yet. i need places west of milwaukee. watertown i heard is good & i did hear good things about columbus. i would also like to know good spots in the portage yard to watch & take pictures. i seen some videos made in the dells so i would like to get some info for watching their. then theirs tomah & la crosse.
if any one can help please do so.
i return if anyone needs help on the CN in wisconsin i can do that.
You are right those tracks did get removed a couple of years ago don’t know why but all it is now a bike trail. Now but a few other places you might want to try is up by wisconsin dells where the amtrak empire builder goes though. Also here in milwaukee at the waterford st. Crossing where up to 50 trains or more go though everyday and you would get a mix of trains from amtraks to just regular frieghts. But a few other places is by the amtrak station in downtown milwaukee. But otherwise you have the other spots like mitchell yard over in wauatosa. But I’m sure there are more but I can’t think of them right now.
Watertown has a depot that I am told is a good place to see train from. Portage has an Amtrak Depot that the CP usually doesn’t mind railfans standing on the platform of so long as they stay plenty back from the tracks and don’t do anything stupid. Most trains change crews here, so the trains are usually crawling slow and stop before proceeding.
Wisconsin Dells also has an Amtrak Amshack, but it’s not much to see. Your better bet is to either find a crossing south of the Dells near Lewiston Siding, or North of the Dells near Kilbourn siding. Both places have a few good shots. The next town is Lyndon Station, and there are a couple of places to pull off and park there. There is a detector to the North of Lyndon Station that can help you know what trains are coming southbound if you have a scanner tuned into 160.520. (There is also a detector just south of Lewiston/North of Portage too.) Mauston has a couple of places where you can pull off to watch trains, at crossings or by the sides of the road, as does New Lisbon. Camp Douglas is next followed by Tomah, and in both towns you can find lots of places to sit. Camp Douglas has a overpass over the tracks that is good for getting elevated views of trains. Tomah has another Amtrak station. Tunnel City has (obviously), the MILW tunnel to see.
I don’t railfan as much beyond there though, so I don’t know much from Tunnel City to La Crosse, but I’m sure there are places. La Crosse has another Amtrak Depot that makes a good base for railfanning, although it’s not so good for photos as the platform is on the wrong side of the tracks. If you’re in La Crosse though you might as well go sit at Grand Crossing so you can catch both the CP and BNSF. There is a fence in the way now which makes photography there not so good, but you can still see trains if that’s what you’
thats nice to know that them tracks were removed. when i went to the state fair i always remember seeing trains going through their & whne i would go on some rides i would see over the top of the trains. it would be nice to know why the line was remvoed. i do know in downtown dells the bridge that goes over the main drag ( hwy 12 i think) & thi ers the sidewalk on the street & the tracks go over the rd. this summer ill probably check out the yards & then ill go do some chasing & stuff. i would like to check out the tomah sub this summer though.
Portage has an Amshack just west of the CP depot and yes they tolerate responsible railfans on the platform and near west end of parking lot.
Wisconsin Dells has a nice looking depot on north side of tracks just east of Wisconsin River bridge. The depot is a replica of the original one that was destroyed by a coal train derailment back in the '70’s. Most eastward trains really roll thru the Dells and can be on you quickly. Be aware, as there are no crossings nearby to the west to hear them coming.
Tomah still has the Milw depot at the Amtrak stop. It’s on south side and sort of delapidated. Eastward trains here are also really going unless heading in at Monroe, but you can see them for a nearly three miles when they come out of the second “S” curve east of the tunnel.
The east end of the tunnel at Tunnel City is a small hike to see it and is in a cut near the junction of the UP line from Wyeville photo would be limited. West end of tunnel is in the open for photos, but there is a hike thru private property to get there. It should go without saying, but do not even think about hiking thru the tunnel as there’s no room for a person and a train.
Columbus WI has a neat old depot that is still used, and the Empire Builders stop there. The little cafe across the tracks has decent food and outdoor seating so keep your camera handy
The vicinity of the depot has interesting old structures on both sides of the track, including the old freight house, an interesting oil depot in the weeds and what looks like an old creamery west of the depot.
Depending on time of day the photo angles are not bad.
Wisconsin Dells is a nice spot. I don’t usually go to the Amtrak station, though. I usually go around the bridge over the Wisconsin River, a neat looking double deck structure that dates back to 1903. Access to the bridge is quite easy and the photo possibilities are great! The Dells is also a great place to bring the whole family as it is the entertainment capitol of the midwest, and there are a lot of fun things to do within walking distance of the bridge and Amtrak station. I will be going there this coming Wednesday and I will be staying until Saturday. Another thing you can do while in the Dells is go to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, about a 25-30 minute drive from the Dells. They don’t have steam right now, but it is still a fun place to visit. Here are some examples of the photo opportunities from Wisconsin Dells. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=146638http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=148995http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=146703http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=154642http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=160959
I put this webpage together to help people out last year for the Milwaukee Road #261 visits to Milwaukee in June 2006. It has photos for many of the locations talked about above. Also check out my webpage for railroad frequencies