I don’t think anyone posted about this yet, but Kenosha’s “Farm Subdivision” (AKA the KD Line) is in the process of being upgraded.
The line, while still mostly 105 lb. jointed rail, is being upgraded to 130 lb. (I believe) welded rail. There was a burro crane working on the passing siding in what used to be the Farm Yard, taking up tie plates from a gondola and putting them on the ground for a track gang to work on (not sure what exactly they were doing, however)
The rail replacement is underway, and I read that it will go until mid-May.
Some time ago, there was mention of a yard area there in Kenosha, that was somehow linked to the KCS, something about realestate for sale and the the contact was the KCS. Did they at some time own a rail link to that area? The mention of KCS in
that area was really a curiosity. Anyone offer some information on that?
Sam
Chad,
This line is 4.2 miles long and runs from Kenosha to Bain. The C&NW had two lines north from Chicago to Milwaukee and this line linked them. Kenosha is just north of the Wisconsin border on the route beside Lake Michigan and Bain is on the New Line Sub which is the mainline.
Sam, the KCS link is to the yard I mentioned in the post. Formerly a fairly good sized complex, it’s now just a passing siding (which is almost never used anyway) and a single yard track (which has a red flag at the end of it). Although it’s now overgrown with grass and trees, you can see where the other 10 tracks used to be. The land is apparently for sale by KCS, as there is a large sign on the edge of the yard saying so. No one I’ve asked really knows why they own the land, but I’ve heard a rumor that CNW planned an intermodal yard and plans fell through. Another rumor is that someone wanted to use the line for excursions, but that makes even less sense (given the FRA excepted track status it has until the rail is replaced)
The upgrade is rumored to be for the UP to start pulling Oak Creek coal trains from Proviso to Bain on the New Line/Milwaukee Subdivision, then east via the Farm to get on the Kenosha Subdivison. It sounds like a dumb idea for me; only a 30 mph line with about 15 grade crossings in its four miles? Maybe if they only ran these coal trains at night…
At one time, the line continued west through Kenosha County before angling toward Rockford IL. Most of the line was abandoned by C&NW many years ago, though a few short stretches are still in place here and there.
Chicago-Chemung Railroad operates a short stretch of the line west of Harvard IL to Chemung
UP has a piece between Caledonia IL and Poplar Grove that is at the end of a branchline from Beloit WI
UP has track from Loves Park IL to Rockford
(source: SPV Railroad Atlas, Great Lakes West)
Also see Vulcan Gravel Train for some photos of the gravel train operation on the line. The first group of pictures (text links) are all from the area near Vulcan Materials, while the third group (small thumbnails) show a train that I chased across the former Farm Sub (now “Kenosha Industrial Lead”) from end to end in January.
The only possible reason to run the Oak Creek coal trains through Kenosha is if the UP was planning to something about the Lake Subdivision. Maybe the ultra-yuppies are complaining about the noise of the occassional coal train passing their “estates”. Just think how upset they will be when the new burner goes on line in Oak Creek, and the railroad starts running 3-4 trains per day.
I wonder how upset the people of Kenosha would be if they knew the reason for the increase in train traffic through their town was due to the yuppies complaining about all the truck traffic in Racine by the quarry that they moved next to that has been there for alnost 100 years.
If UP actually increases the speed on the KD line, I’m going to start campng out, camera in hand, on either 60th street or 22nd avenue and wait for the collisions. And I’d like to see the trains head up the wye at 30mph!
Actually, my guess is that the line is being upgraded simply due to the stone traffic (Vulcan). The line has never seen such tonnage pass over it, and this will be the first upgrade on that line I have ever seen in 35 years.
The following information is from “KD Line”, by PaulL. Behrens
Most of the segment from Bain to Rockford was abandoned in 1939. Service from Harvard to some local industries carried on for years.
The last train to service Hebron was on 9/7/65 after 104 years of service. The hebron-bassetts segment began operating in 1939 as Subdivison 3A of the Galena Division. Operation of the line was handled by the Williams Bay way-freight until the mid-50’s, when the remaiing track was demoted from its status as a seperate subdivison to a branch line contained entirely within Genoa City’s yard limits. As a final note, after the rmoval of tracks, the Genoa City’s depot was torched by a wrecking crew.
And just a fyi: the New Line has been renamed to the Milwaukee subdivision.
The very first name of this trackage was “The Kenosha-Beloit Railroad”, incorporated March 4, 1853. It next became the Kenosha & Rockford railroad, chartered January 20, 1857. Next it became (through a merger) the Kenosha, Rockford, and Rock Island Railroad Company on March 5, 1857. It was sold to the newly-formed C&NW on January 7, 1864.
It’s now the Farm industrial lead, and the talk of running Oak Creek trains through there is for now just a rumor. It is just one option that is being looked at. The big problem is the ATS that is used between Lake Bluff and Kenosha on the Kenosha sub for the scoots. The UP is trying to speed up the move through Proviso by not having to add an ATS motor there.
As a side note the Lake sub between KO and Lake Bluff is also scheduled to be upgraded this year also.
What gets me here is the two distinct plans for traffic increases on the Kenosha Sub.
One plan is to extend Metra to Milwaukee (or have a separate agency operate the trains in Wisconsin). Admittedly, this isn’t far past the talking stage–but wouldn’t ATS have to be restored on the whole line if this plan goes through (or replaced with something more sophisticated)?
The other is expansion of the power plant at Oak Creek. That I’ve seen drawings for. And these drawings seem to deny the possibility that anything else is going to happen on that track, with the main line (one track) being shifted to accommodate part of the loop tracks through the plant.
If the passenger trains return, there are going to be a goodly number of blocked crossings on the Farm Industrial lead from time to time, if that’s used for coal trains. Of course, there’s always the possibility that they could route empties off the line there and loads in on the Lake SD, or vice versa.
Carl
(who remembers riding in waycars at 60 mph on a double-track “Old Line” [sigh])
Thanks, Gluefinger.
The KCS is an amazing operation, they always seem to have different irons in the fire, and the mention of that sign sparked my curiosity. The area of NE ILL and SE Wi, has a lot of facilities that are lightly used or just abandoned in place, so there is always the potential for redevelopment or other railroad options.
Sam
The ride was surprisingly smooth–keep in mind that there were still passenger trains being run.
I caught more jobs between Proviso/40th Street and Butler off the yard extra board in my first three months on the job (Feb-May of 71) than I did yard jobs. Couple of conductors I remember working with were a guy named Small (he might have been another brakeman), Wally Bruner, and Herman Hedel.
Re: Oak Creek, I have been collecting some photos of the construction of the underpass for Six Mile Road, and the additional tracks to the north of there: http://www.fuzzyworld3.com/up01.html#e