Reversing Loops

[dknelson]

At one time the Milwaukee Road had reverse loops in Beaver Dam and Fox Lake, Wisconsin. The railroad had two passenger depots in Beaver Dam, one on the north side of town and one on a branch that ran downtown and formed a loop. The latter depot was a rather nice brick building that I believe survives as the Chamber of Commerce offices. The loop permitted the passenger trains to travel into the center of town and return back to a wye at the main line and then continue in the direction they were originally heading.

There were also a number of local industries along the branch, including a stove manufacturer, a foundry, a grain dealer and a cheese (Philadelphia Creamed Cheese, to be exact) factory. It existed into the Wisconsin and Southern era at least into the late 80’s and parts may still be there. As to the Fox Lake loop, I never investigated it but it was being used to store cars the last I knew, which is some twenty years ago.

John Timm

A fair amount of that loop track still exists at Fox Lake so it should show up on Google Earth. We explored it when Soo Line 2-8-2 1003 hauled a photograopher special freight past the junction. Fox Lake is a neat little town when lots of good ideas for modeling.

The Fox Lake track plan was the subject of an excellent Model Railroader article by, naturally, Gordon Odegard. February 1976 – get the issue if you can, or buy a copy of the article from Kalmbach. The thrust of the article was how to use the Fox Lake track plan as part of a layout. Highly recommended.

Dave Nelson