It’s amazing how much rail traffic Milwaukee (as well as southeast Wisconsin) has lost over the last 20 years. The Menomonee Valley used to be a hive of activity; even the yard there had a hump operation years ago. Now, most of the freight one sees on Wisconsin rails is just passing through.
I am not that familiar with the Milwaukee Road operations in Milwaukee. However, when I started with the CNW (1973), they had way freights and switch engines all over the place. There used to be 2 jobs just to switch Ladish, Patrick Cudahy, and the car repair shop. There were 3 jobs working the Mitchell Belt area. 2 to 4 jobs on duty at Mitchell yard. There was even 2 jobs that served the Waukesha area. Kenosha had 5 switch engines (2 day, 2 evening, and 1 night) just for AMC and Ocean Spray, and in addition to the jobs working at the Bain auto loading facility, there was a way-freight on duty at Bain. Butler had at least 2 yard engines on duty at all times. And, of course, there were all the trains that ran to Adams, Fond du Lac and Green Bay. And all of those jobs were already quite a bit fewer than used to be operating before my time there.
Now they are almost all gone. 1 yard engine at Butler, along with one way-freight. No jobs at Kenosha. 1 job at Mitchell yard, along with 1 way-freight.
I also started on the CNW in 1973 on the very last day of the year. Worked the pool from Chicago to Milwaukee.Not anymore. I can’t believe all that is gone. All the trains originated and terminated in and around Milwaukee. Has all the industry moved to China or is just gone? All the trains that went through Milwaukee too. Too bad I hate to see it all go away.
It’s dowright depressing to think about what Milwaukee has turned into. It used to be an industrial powerhouse, of which the beer line was a characteristic. (If it’s any indication, Milwaukee was supposedly a target of the USSR during the cold war.) Now it is just a big suburb of Chicago. All of those factories are either dormant or turned into overpriced, gaudy condos. Any industry that would even think of locating in Milwaukee is met with such suspicion and animosity that they promptly turn and head for the hills. Couple that with a rabid crime problem and the potential for a tax rate that is higher than the rest of the nation and you can kiss any hope of the return of old Milwaukee good-bye. Best get pictures of the beer line now while you can because in a few years it may be 900,000 dollar 100 square foot condos.
Speaking of, in my travels once down commerce street where the marshaling yards were for Schlitz I did actually find the remains of some of the roller coaster track bridge work. It was pretty amazing, given that it was surrounded by cookie-cutter condos.
Acording to a UWM Leader article I read a couple years ago, the remains of the roller coaster on the Beer Line is going to remain, as it is protected on City property and has been incorporated into the architecture of the footpaths in the area.
As for the railroading in Milwaukee, yes this city has nearly gone the way of steam, but I don’t believe Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific and Canadian National are going to leave the area any time soon. So at least, you’ll always be able to watch trains in Milwaukee.
I was actually taking a trip down memory lane this morning, and the thing I think I miss most about how the railroading scene has changed in Milwaukee in the last 20 years is the loss of all the weird little quirks.
Back when I was growing up:
There was still an old FM H10-44 switcher sitting in CNW’s yard in Wauwatosa, and I saw the day it was finally taken to the scrap yard.
There were Alco RSD15s coming down on the Green Bay & Western
There were unmodified Soo Line GP7s and GP9s all over the valley.
There were still Milwaukee Road passenger cars sitting in the Muskego Yard.
There was an Alco S-series switcher working the grain silos near Jones Island, and thankfully, last I knew that little yellow thing is still there!
Cheers!
~METRO
The industry and the jobs left, and then the crime came in. About the only thing Milwaukee has going for it is the availability of Lake Michigan water. Areas to the west are mostly cut off from it. Miller doesn’t seem to be too bad of an area. North of there I wouldn’t want to be off the train for most any length of time.
Last time I looked, there was a MILW passenger car or two in Muskego, repainted and assgined to the crane.
Here is a shot of the yellow Alco.
Some other critters around town here: http://www.fuzzyworld3.com/fuzzyphpfoto/rr07.htm#qga
Still going strong, in fact spending big bucks on new buildings and new hiring, is the Bucyrus International plant in South Milwaukee, on the UP (former CNW “old line”). It still gets rail shipments and is a rail shipper, and maintains its own plant railroad. In fact it seems they have just completed work on one of the center cabs featured in Mark/Fuzzy’s website, above.
Dave Nelson
Wow that is really sad to see that line going down the drain. Even though I’m to young to remember. Most of the line that ran from the north side though the east side and into downtown to the old brewery. That is in longer in business. But it is sad to see railroads losing lines because companies close up shop. LIke how Tower Automotive went out of business just a couple of years ago. I remember going under the railroad bridge on Capitol drive and seeing loads of cars with car and truck frames. Waiting to be shipped out but now when I go that way. See maybe 20 cars and one engine sitting around waiting for something to do. Now I don’t know when the Red yeast company went out of business down in the valley. But I did see Cp railroad taking out the switch track that led into the plant. I have also seen over here in my neck of the woods where ADM used to be some of those tracks have been removed and severed. also where Hotpoint was before. They built a pick 'n save and a menards they ripped out all of the tracks that led into there. It seems where ever I go more and more tracks are getting ripped up and pulled out of service. It’s a sad thing to see this happening but i guess it comes with the times. As the times change the railroads lose businesses new businesses come in and take on the railroads for help to ship products from like wisconsin to colorado and other points. But any who that’s really bout it from this end hope the railroad’s stop losing business because it a sad thing to see this happening.
That MMSD switcher is an oddball deal. I’ve worked right next to that thing in the car loadout dock and I still can’t figure out who built it. Not only that, but the cars of milorganite that they pull out of there don’t go very far, I think they shove them onto a dock right away for loading into a ship of some sort. Very rarely have I seen a car in there that has actual interchange markings on it. Most of the time they are just dock cars, forever banished from leaving Jone’s Island.
So if industry is moving out and the old factories are being turned into high price “gaudy” condos, maybe there still is life in the old beer line. Perhaps it could be turned into a light rail commuter line - call it the “Lite Beer Line”![:D]
CC
That would be possible, except that the high priced gaudy condos are built right on the right of way. Perhaps they could build a subway version of it.
First, since no one else has done so, let me congratulate cpprfld for his wonderful play on words in the subject line. Kudos, my friend. [bow]
My question is how many breweries were once HQed in Milwaukee, and how many remain? I remember taking in one day tours of Miller, Schlitz, Blatz and Pabst and feeling very good about myself when we were finished.[(-D]
I know Miller is still there. I see Schlitz at the store, but haven’t really paid attention to see if Pabst and Blatz are still being made.
Milwaukee once brewed more beer than any other place in America, and Wisconsin produced the most cheese of any state. Now, from what I read, neither claim can be made.
How sad. No wonder Milwaukee pines for becoming a Chicago suburb.
I’ll concede the cheese, but we brewed more beer here than Milwaukee and are still doing so. I won’t name all the breweries, it’s too much work but I toured Miller’s a couple years ago while at an Army reunion in Milwaukee, and it doesn’t match Anheuser-Busch. I have an army buddy in Milwaukee and we have been visiting back and forth and arguing about beer for 50 years.
As to the rail activity, I’ll say that we are in the same place as Milwaukee as far as losing railroads. Since Kansas City took our place as #2 to Chicago, I can show you more abandoned lines than active. And we’re almost too far away to be a Chicago suburb.
But we still have some good rail activity if you know where to look.
What? [:O] Are telling me they don’t make Shotz Beer any more?[;)]
Attention all F.I.B.'s:
Please return to Ill Annoy as soon as possible. And stay there.
But if you must travel north to the land of relative sanity, please leave your IllAnnoy attitude at the state line.
Somehow I don’t think that any land of sanity has people wearing slices of cheese on their head.
Well, I just defected.
I was born in the middle of Illinois, raised there, and lived in Illinois all my life except for my two years in the Army. But I quit. I’m gone. I was very proud of being from the “Land of Lincoln”. My great grandfather fought with an Illinois regiment at Shilo. I took pride in my state.
No more. I’m trying to sell a very nice home in Illinois and not getting any takers. It doesn’t help that my property taxes went up 55% in four years. I now pay $652/month in property taxes + $180/month for natural gas to heat the place. Here in “North Fondy” I have a very nice two bedroom apartment for $615/month - heat included.
I no longer spend three hours a day commuting. I spend 15 minutes each way. Tonight, I’ll get a pizza and a “double buble” of wine for under $9.00. (The pizza will also serve as breakfast tomorrow.)
It’s better in Wisconsin. And that IllAnoy attitude (which is actually local to Chicago - the rural part of the state ain’t like that) is not reserved for dealing with out of state people.
I can not take credit for the title, the author of the article came up with it. I thought the article was interesting in that a small six mile line that generated 247 boxcars a day is now being abondoned. I wish the city was able to replace the industries that closed in the city, but with the high tax rates and heavy regulations, why would a company locate here.
I said relative sanity (meaning only in comparrison with the Chicago area).
And yes, wearing foam-rubber cheese slices does NOT constitute sanity!
It’s just that the pace of life seems so hectic and out-of-control in northeast Illinois; at least compared to the more relaxed pace in rural Wisconsin. Which is why I could never figure out why people from Illinois travel all the way to Wisconsin in order to “get away from it all”, but instead just bring “it all” with them.
Of course, I would guess that the aforementioned people of Illinois view us “hicks” from Wisconsin as being half-asleep, tractor-riding farmers with a strand of straw in our mouths.
Not better. Not worse. Just “different”, which can be a great thing sometimes. Life down here is more … frantic.
