I have been having a very entertaining time listening to CP, CN, and UP in my area. CP dispatch often mentions LAKE as a place. I am pretty sure it is near Mitchell Field, but can anyone pinpoint it? There used to be a tower, I think.
Also, UP mentions BJ very often. But that’s one I have not been able to ‘de-code’ yet. Could someone explain BJ (a place)?
Thanks…
Rick at CP mp95
BJ is at the junction north of Butler. Butler Junction ?
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=12&Z=16&X=516&Y=5967&W
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=12&Z=16&X=516&Y=5967&W
Lake is at mile 77.9
Yes, CP’s CP Lake is just south (timetable direction east) of Amtrak’s Milwaukee Airport station.
Over on UP, BJ is the junction just north of Butler Yard. There are actually two interlockings, BJ South and BJ East. At BJ South, two main tracks on the Milwaukee Subdivision split to a single track for the Adams Sub and a single track for the Shoreline Sub. At BJ East, the interlocking controls two switches, the first is a from the Shoreline Sub to “the backside,” essentially the third leg of a wye back to the Adams Sub, and a switch into the west end of the Fonda siding. I’ve always wondered why there is no BJ West controlling the switch from the backside to the Adams. Perhaps someone here can answer that.
For the definitive listing of railroad radio frequencies used in the Milwaukee area (and more), see Dan Grudzelaniek’s page at Keith Schmidt’s Steam Engines and Tractors site – http://steamtrainsandtractors.com/RR_Freq_Guide.html
Great!
nanaimo73: thanks for the map references. I think there is another wye farther south in West Allis, right? How did you know Lake is at 77.9?
Mike: I’ll have to check out those interlockings. Now I get it. Looks like Silver Spring for the South. I’ll bet East is buried in industry obstacles. They make it hard to get the fun stuff.
Rick
That would be Belton.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=12&Z=16&X=518&Y=5952&W http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=12&Z=16&X=518&Y=5952&W
The Canadian Trackside Guide has track charts for all RR track in Canada and all Canadian owned track in the USA. That covers a fair bit of Wisconsin.
There is a wye at Belton – the sign said “west wye” when I lived there. Belton Junction actually had two junctions at one time: the junction from the CNW line to Madison joined the main line (both with an eastern and western leg, hence the wye) and the CNW also had a junction with the Milw electric lines. At one time a fragment of the junction with the electric lines was in place as a spur serving a small oil or chemical plant.
Lake used to be the name of a town on the south side of Miwaukee – The Town of Lake is long since annexed. On the Milwaukee Road, now the CP, more or less under the College Avenue bridge, was a tower called Lake Tower. There was a station stop there at one time. The sidings at Lake are still in place but the tower is gone. That is, more or less, the place still called Lake.
The wonderful Don Ross website has a photo. Sure hope I copied the link correctly:
http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/milwlk.jpg
If not you can get to it by searching for Milwaukee Road depots
http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/
Dave Nelson
Re Belton: ah, yes - I believe that electric line lines up with the long abandoned ROW that is used for bicycles, etc, out at Moorland in Brookfield (or New Berlin).
Re LAKE: nanaimo73, how would I get one of those guides? Sounds just right…
Rick
The 2005 issue is sold out. The 2006 issue should be ready in 4 weeks. Other than the 90 pages (ninety ! ) covering CNs and CPs rosters, there would be only about 10 pages dealing with the USA. The track charts for the former Soo, D&H, WC, IC and GTW contain mileages, sidings, HB dtectors and radio freqs.
http://www.bytownrailwaysociety.ca/sales.htm
Mike, et al:
Years ago there were controlled switches on both legs of the wye (controlled by the Butler dispatcher sitting the old yard office (now razed)). At some point, the west power switch was removed account the back leg was not rated for the locomotives exceeding the weight of an SD40. The east switch is still there so the yard job can access industries on the wye using switch engines, and sometimes for storing MOW equipment.
Oooh, that’s interesting. Sheboygan coal train power (AC4400s etc.) occasionally wye there. And the occasional Sheboygan empty hopper train has been known to head back toward the mines over the Adams sub – via the backside.
Then I sit corrected! My apologies. I should have qualified my reply as “Fifteen years ago, when I was with the CNW,”.
Back in those days, the wye was actually out of service for quite a few years, except for MOW equipment. I only remember this because in '93 I was hostling one night, and the yardmaster tried to get me to wye some big power, which I refused to due, account ‘track out of service’. The yardmaster got someone else to do it, who subsequently turned a rail under one of the units.
Are the two CP lines from Elm Grove http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=16&X=1028&Y=11917&W
to Brookfield http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=16&X=1019&Y=11922&W
both used on a directional basis ?
Main 1 (northern) separates from 2 there because of some differential grades. Since 1 is MOSTLY westbound, that shallower grade makes the climb easier, of course. Main 2 is usually comin down the hill so grade not much of a factor.
Still, occasionally, I see traffic against current, especially Amtrak 7. Maybe to get around some freight.