Today, I drove through the area that is (was?) served by the Menomonee Belt Line, long a joint CNW-MILW property and now primarily operated by the CP. The massive ADM grain elevator, closed within the past couple years, was in the process of being torn down. [:(] A large GE Hotpoint plant lay dormant across 43rd Street/Miller Park Way, the last time railroad equipment used its spurs unknown. [V] Other large factories and warehouses – most of them once served by rail – have also been torn down to make way for new office complexes, industrial/retail complexes and a new Target complete with outlots. Unfortunately, NONE of these new buildings uses rail service!
I was going to throw in a couple "why"s here, but I guess it is all too clear: The old-line Class 1 railroads don’t care about keeping industries along their rails. They’d just as soon abandon all but the main line, unless there’s a customer big enough to make the right amount of money for that line, or stubborn enough to continue to use rail service no matter how bad it gets.
It would be nice to see the Belt Line, and perhaps some other neglected properties, leased out or sold to a shortline railroad who would work at growing business and making a success of the line. Hopefully CP will consider doing this before many more properties are consumed by yet another piece of suburbia USA.
I do not quite know what to make of the fact that a switch in Elm Grove that feeds that area (pretty sure, at least from west end) is still used. The rails are not rusty enough to show no traffic. It branches off to the southeast, across Bluemound…
That line was part of the original Milwaukee Road line through the state. Most of it is abandoned between the one or two remaining industries close to the main line in Elm Grove and the lead to the Menomonee Belt Line, with the exception of a short stretch of track that was sold to Avalon Rail, near/in the old Allis Chalmers plant. The rest will eventually become part of the Hank Aaron Trail, so at least we’ll get to bike it…
Old timers who worked the Belt Line at night told of standing on the footboard of the engine, flashlight in hand, switching the various grain elevators, while hundreds if not thousands of grain-fed rats scurried in front of the engine.
Dave Nelson
Your bringing tears to my eyes fro all the memories that come back.
I recall that we on the Milwaukee serviced the power and the train was usually made up at five rings. There was at the time I was there (in addition to a working hump) 3 belt jobs per day , in addition to the CNW job that started out of thier Mitchell yard. I think the CNWs power was serviced at Mitchell yard too.
Randy
Yeah, I know where you guys are talking about. The “Air Line” is going to be converted into a trail. All the industries on that side of town are either gone or pretty close. Milwaukee used to a be an industrial powerhouse! Now it is just a little crap-hole city that wants to turn itself into Wisconsin’s Las Vegas. Potowatami wants to expand over the rail yards in the Menominee valley and any remaining traces of what was there will be gone. You can still see the signal that sat on top of the hump in the Air Line yard. They keep building offices and condos. Sooner or later the market will be tapped out and then they will just have to build a whole buttload of casinos, which is really great for rail business (right). It is too bad that CPRail doesn’t try to get more business in Milwaukee. Maybe there isn’t too much business to be gotten.
It is unfortunate about these two lines. I drive buy there at least once a week, and have seen the demolition of two of the malting plants. At least on a brighter note, Froedert Malt seems to be doing alright, and I think the Urinal-Sentinel still gets some newsprint delivered. As far as the Airline goes, its in real sad shape. I live 3 blocks from it, and over the past 3 months all of the crossing lights have been taken down on Hawley Road, and 76th St. I walked the roadbed from Miller Park to 76th Street, and took pictures in July. The Masterson plant has about 15 old flatcars behind it for moving around the big mining equipment, with some other neat stuff as well. The ballast is made of broken beer bottles for most of the line, and the ties are in terrible shape. I don’t support tresspassing normally, but I felt it was my duty to record some of this for posterity. Maybe Fuzzy will let me post them on his site. On a happy note. The UP line from Waukesha to West Allis seems to be in the best shape that I’ve ever seen it. I saw a short train with a GP39-2 on each end last week., and yesterday, I missed the local by about 2 minutes. I grew up 4 blocks away from that one, and fished at Greenfield park 5 days a week in the summer as a kid, and recall seeing only 2 trains in 14 years. Now I see 2 a week. Also saw a small manifest train yesterday going over the bridge by Walthers. That is the first time I’ve ever seen that.
Back in the 80’s there was a job that primarily worked the piggyback ramps on Florida street on the south side. A real pain to spot, because of the configuration of the ramps and track curvature. I drove there recently to check out the area, and there is no sign of the ramps or tracks anymore. And the bridge that crossed Howell avenue that was formerly used by the Madison division passenger trains has been completely removed. Used to be two jobs working the Ladish plant, one for Patricl Cudahy, one for the rip tracks. And that’s just some of the jobs lost that worked out of Mitchell yard. The losses at Butler are likely just as great.
I drive by there every night and I to have noticed that they have taken down the signals.
Also along with hawley road and on 76th they have also removed the signals on miller park way over by froedert malt but usally every day I’ll see a train moving cars along the tracks between lincoln ave and mitchell st. Also I have noticed CP has started to remove the rails on the west side of miller park way. But anywho in a it’s sad to see all of these railroads lose their lines but it comes with the changing times
I have now noticed that they are starting to rip down the old adm building now and also they are going to be puting a pick n save/ menards on the west side of 43rd st across the street where one of the froedert malt buildings used to be but one of the good things is now you get a better view of the trains from 43rd st. Which is a very cool thing because you use to not beable to see very well over there.
Ahhh yes the good ol days of just a few years ago[:o)] Is there any where still in the downtown area to go and do some good spotting?? I’ve tried to find a good spot to watch CP down in the Vally at the old Milwukee Road yard but havent found that perfect spot. When I drive home from work there is on 6th street the two tracks that lead into the yard and there are some office buildings on both sides of the tracks but I don’t know if that area is private property down there off of 6th street?? I know that the Milwaukee Journal still gets its paper delivered via rail at its Burnham plant, not sure if its daily or weekly but I have seen a CP bandit delivering paper there just this past July.
Off subject sort of, but does anybody know if the parking lot at the old Amtrak Stuertvant station has been opened back up for us to go watch trains??? I heard that CP didnt care as long as we stayed on the east side of the tracks and did not try crossing over to the side the station is on.