Green Bay and Western Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Green Bay and Western Railroad served the transportation and freight haulage needs of northern Wisconsin
for almost 100 years before it was absorbed into the Wisconsin Central in 1993. For much of its operating history the railroad was also known as the Green Bay Route.
. The existing route, which was originally built by the Green Bay and Lake Pepin Railroad, linking Green Bay, Wisconsin
, and East Winona, Wisconsin
, formed the bulk of the new railroad. The Green Bay and Western acquired on August 1, 1906 a majority of shares/interest in the Ahnapee and Western Railway
.
The GBW established in 1929 the Western Refrigerator Line Company
(WRX) to operate a 500-car fleet of reefers
. Passenger traffic ceased in April 1949. The Line had carried 50 000 passengers yearly in the 1870's, 310 000 in 1915 but only 1000 in 1947 having reverted to mixed trains. The Green Bay and Western sold off the Ahnapee and Western Railway
to Vernon M. Bushman and a group of private investors on May 31, 1947. The Itel Corporation purchases the Green Bay & Western in 1978. The Green Bay & Western and the Fox River Valley Railroad
were merged into a new Wisconsin Central subsidiary, the Fox Valley and Western Railroad August 27, 1993. Wisconsin Central was, in turn, purchased by Canadian National railway in 2001.
Green Bay - New London. Opened - November 1871. 2011 Status - Open to industrial spurs in west Green Bay. Otherwise abandoned.
New London - Wisconsin Rapids. Opened - January 1873. 2011 Status - Open New London - Manawa and Plover - Wisconsin Rapids. Otherwise abandoned.
Wisconsin Rapids - Merrillan. Opened - January 1873. 2011 Status - Open.
Merrillan - Marchland. Opened December 1873. 2011 Status - Open.
Marshland - East Winona. Opened 1883. 2011 Status - Open.
East Winona - Winona. Opened 1891. The GBW operated over this section as one third owner of the Winona Bridge Railway Company. Two thirds was owned by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
. Status 2011 Abandoned. The bridge was closed to traffic in 1984 and dismantled in 1990.
Iola (Iola Northern Railroad) Opened 1893 from Scandinavia - Operated by the GBW and purchased by them in 1914. Abandoned October 1956. Note - The proposed extension to Prentice
to conect with the Soo Line
was never constructed.
Waupaca (Waupaca Green Bay Railway) Opened 1907 from Scandinavia. Purchased by GBW in 1922. Closed 1947 (Passenger traffic ceased some years previously). The Waupaca Line was promoted by local business interests to provide competition to the Wisconsin Central
. The Waupaca Depot was unusual in that it was the former Evangelical Lutheran church.
Biron Branch Opened sometime between 1881 and 1896 from Wisconsin Rapids. Status 2011 - Open. Although only 2.2 miles long from Wisconsin Rapids it proved valuable as connection to paper industries.
Stevens Point (Stevens Point and Northern) Opened January 1882 from Plover
. Purchased by GBW May 1896. Status 2011 - Open.
La Crosse Branch (La Crosse to Onalaska) 6.38 miles. Opened 1876. Abandoned 1922. Connected to main line via trackage rights
over the C&NW from Marshland.
was introduced across Lake Michigan from Kewaunee eliminating transhipment and bypassing the congested Chicago area. Ferries ran to Frankfort, Michigan
, operated by the Ann Arbor Railroad
and Ludington, Michigan
, operated by the Chesapeake & Ohio.
Frankfort services ended around 1980 and those to Ludington in 1990.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
for almost 100 years before it was absorbed into the Wisconsin Central in 1993. For much of its operating history the railroad was also known as the Green Bay Route.
History
The Green Bay and Western Railroad was formed in 1896 from the bankruptcy proceedings of the Green Bay, Winona & St Paul and the Kewaunee, Green Bay and WesternKewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad
The Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad, constructed with Lackawanna Trust and W. W. Cargill backing, was incorporated on May 19, 1890 for the purpose of moving cargo between the port cities of Green Bay and Kewaunee in Wisconsin...
. The existing route, which was originally built by the Green Bay and Lake Pepin Railroad, linking Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
, and East Winona, Wisconsin
East Winona, Wisconsin
East Winona is an unincorporated community in Buffalo County, Wisconsin, United States, located where Canadian National Railway subsidiary Wisconsin Central Ltd.'s former Green Bay and Western Railroad line meets the BNSF Railway's St. Croix Subdivision. East Winona is located in the town of...
, formed the bulk of the new railroad. The Green Bay and Western acquired on August 1, 1906 a majority of shares/interest in the Ahnapee and Western Railway
Ahnapee and Western Railway
The Ahnapee and Western Railway was a common carrier short line railroad located in northeastern Wisconsin.The railroad ran from a connection with the Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad at Casco Junction to the lakeshore terminals of Algoma in Kewaunee County and Sturgeon Bay in the "Door...
.
The GBW established in 1929 the Western Refrigerator Line Company
Western Refrigerator Line
Two distinct and separate railroad refrigerator car companies have operated under the name Western Refrigerator Line.The first, the Western Refrigerator Line was a refrigerator car leasing company founded by the Western Pacific Railroad on January 1, 1923 specifically to service the fruit and...
(WRX) to operate a 500-car fleet of reefers
Refrigerator car
A refrigerator car is a refrigerated boxcar , a piece of railroad rolling stock designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Refrigerator cars differ from simple insulated boxcars and ventilated boxcars , neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus...
. Passenger traffic ceased in April 1949. The Line had carried 50 000 passengers yearly in the 1870's, 310 000 in 1915 but only 1000 in 1947 having reverted to mixed trains. The Green Bay and Western sold off the Ahnapee and Western Railway
Ahnapee and Western Railway
The Ahnapee and Western Railway was a common carrier short line railroad located in northeastern Wisconsin.The railroad ran from a connection with the Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad at Casco Junction to the lakeshore terminals of Algoma in Kewaunee County and Sturgeon Bay in the "Door...
to Vernon M. Bushman and a group of private investors on May 31, 1947. The Itel Corporation purchases the Green Bay & Western in 1978. The Green Bay & Western and the Fox River Valley Railroad
Fox River Valley Railroad
The Fox River Valley Railroad was a short-lived railroad in eastern Wisconsin from 1988 to 1993 with about 214 miles of track, all of which was former Chicago and North Western Railway trackage. The line ran from Green Bay, Wisconsin to the north side of Milwaukee. Owned by the Itel Rail...
were merged into a new Wisconsin Central subsidiary, the Fox Valley and Western Railroad August 27, 1993. Wisconsin Central was, in turn, purchased by Canadian National railway in 2001.
Main Line
Kewaunee - Casco Junction - Green Bay. Opened - November 1891. 2011 Status - Open Luxembourg to Green Bay. Otherwise abandoned.Green Bay - New London. Opened - November 1871. 2011 Status - Open to industrial spurs in west Green Bay. Otherwise abandoned.
New London - Wisconsin Rapids. Opened - January 1873. 2011 Status - Open New London - Manawa and Plover - Wisconsin Rapids. Otherwise abandoned.
Wisconsin Rapids - Merrillan. Opened - January 1873. 2011 Status - Open.
Merrillan - Marchland. Opened December 1873. 2011 Status - Open.
Marshland - East Winona. Opened 1883. 2011 Status - Open.
East Winona - Winona. Opened 1891. The GBW operated over this section as one third owner of the Winona Bridge Railway Company. Two thirds was owned by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
. Status 2011 Abandoned. The bridge was closed to traffic in 1984 and dismantled in 1990.
Branch Lines
Casco Junction - Algoma - Sturgeon Bay See Ahnapee and Western RailwayAhnapee and Western Railway
The Ahnapee and Western Railway was a common carrier short line railroad located in northeastern Wisconsin.The railroad ran from a connection with the Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad at Casco Junction to the lakeshore terminals of Algoma in Kewaunee County and Sturgeon Bay in the "Door...
Iola (Iola Northern Railroad) Opened 1893 from Scandinavia - Operated by the GBW and purchased by them in 1914. Abandoned October 1956. Note - The proposed extension to Prentice
Prentice
Prentice may refer to:* Dr. John Prentice, a fictional character on the soap opera General Hospital* Percival Prentice, a British military trainer aircraft* Prentice, Wisconsin, United States* Prentice , Wisconsin, United States...
to conect with the Soo Line
Soo Line
Soo Line may refer to:*Soo Line Railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway subsidiary**Soo Line Corporation, parent of the above*Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, major railroad west of Minneapolis-St. Paul; merged into the above in 1961...
was never constructed.
Waupaca (Waupaca Green Bay Railway) Opened 1907 from Scandinavia. Purchased by GBW in 1922. Closed 1947 (Passenger traffic ceased some years previously). The Waupaca Line was promoted by local business interests to provide competition to the Wisconsin Central
Wisconsin Central
Wisconsin Central could refer to:*Wisconsin Central Railroad , Wisconsin Central Railway , and Wisconsin Central Railroad , successive names for a predecessor of the Soo Line...
. The Waupaca Depot was unusual in that it was the former Evangelical Lutheran church.
Biron Branch Opened sometime between 1881 and 1896 from Wisconsin Rapids. Status 2011 - Open. Although only 2.2 miles long from Wisconsin Rapids it proved valuable as connection to paper industries.
Stevens Point (Stevens Point and Northern) Opened January 1882 from Plover
Plover
Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.Plovers are found throughout...
. Purchased by GBW May 1896. Status 2011 - Open.
La Crosse Branch (La Crosse to Onalaska) 6.38 miles. Opened 1876. Abandoned 1922. Connected to main line via trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
over the C&NW from Marshland.
Lake Michigan Ferry Connections.
The GBW prospered from 1892 when a train ferryTrain ferry
A train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
was introduced across Lake Michigan from Kewaunee eliminating transhipment and bypassing the congested Chicago area. Ferries ran to Frankfort, Michigan
Frankfort, Michigan
Frankfort is a city in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,513 at the 2000 census. The elevation of Frankfort is above sea level. The city is situated with Lake Michigan to the west, Lake Betsie, formed by the Betsie River before flowing into Lake Michigan, on the...
, operated by the Ann Arbor Railroad
Ann Arbor Railroad
The Ann Arbor Railroad was an American railroad that operated between Toledo, Ohio and Elberta and Frankfort, Michigan with train ferry operations across Lake Michigan.-History:...
and Ludington, Michigan
Ludington, Michigan
Ludington is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,357. It is the county seat of Mason County.Ludington is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River...
, operated by the Chesapeake & Ohio.
Frankfort services ended around 1980 and those to Ludington in 1990.
See also
- Western Refrigerator LineWestern Refrigerator LineTwo distinct and separate railroad refrigerator car companies have operated under the name Western Refrigerator Line.The first, the Western Refrigerator Line was a refrigerator car leasing company founded by the Western Pacific Railroad on January 1, 1923 specifically to service the fruit and...
- Ahnapee and Western RailwayAhnapee and Western RailwayThe Ahnapee and Western Railway was a common carrier short line railroad located in northeastern Wisconsin.The railroad ran from a connection with the Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad at Casco Junction to the lakeshore terminals of Algoma in Kewaunee County and Sturgeon Bay in the "Door...
- Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western RailroadKewaunee, Green Bay and Western RailroadThe Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad, constructed with Lackawanna Trust and W. W. Cargill backing, was incorporated on May 19, 1890 for the purpose of moving cargo between the port cities of Green Bay and Kewaunee in Wisconsin...