01-07-2014, 05:32 PM
That was a former part of the Soo Line/Wisconsin Central/Wisconsin Northern railroads which I ran for Progressive Rail about ten years ago.
The logs were brought in by rail to manufacture golf clubs which were then shipped out by truck. The shipments were sporadic and Birchwood no longer receieves anything by rail.
Back in the Soo Line days of the 60s/70s there was additional business on the line including LP gas, outbound cheese/butter from a creamery just north of this plant, inbound coal for the creamery's fuel, and covered hoppers of seasonal fertilizer and plastic pellets. The Soo Line used to shove all the way (7 miles) from Cameron (Jct. with the mainline) to Rice Lake, caboose first to make switching easier. But alas times change and so do the railroads.
The creamery closed in the 80s and away went the cheese/butter and coal. The LP gas went to truck and so did the logs.The track in Rice Lake which the Wisconsin Northern leased from CN has been taken back by CN not for local customers but to reach huge frac sand (think oil drilling ) facilities which now load out 50 and 100 car unit trains on heavy re-built track. The only time that CN comes up to Rice lake is when they must to service a small plastics plant or a few cars of fertilizer.
So what look's like a neat industry to model switched by a small short line is no more but that doesn't mean you can't you can't model it.
Barry, who has railroaded for 15 roads in 47 years.
The logs were brought in by rail to manufacture golf clubs which were then shipped out by truck. The shipments were sporadic and Birchwood no longer receieves anything by rail.
Back in the Soo Line days of the 60s/70s there was additional business on the line including LP gas, outbound cheese/butter from a creamery just north of this plant, inbound coal for the creamery's fuel, and covered hoppers of seasonal fertilizer and plastic pellets. The Soo Line used to shove all the way (7 miles) from Cameron (Jct. with the mainline) to Rice Lake, caboose first to make switching easier. But alas times change and so do the railroads.
The creamery closed in the 80s and away went the cheese/butter and coal. The LP gas went to truck and so did the logs.The track in Rice Lake which the Wisconsin Northern leased from CN has been taken back by CN not for local customers but to reach huge frac sand (think oil drilling ) facilities which now load out 50 and 100 car unit trains on heavy re-built track. The only time that CN comes up to Rice lake is when they must to service a small plastics plant or a few cars of fertilizer.
So what look's like a neat industry to model switched by a small short line is no more but that doesn't mean you can't you can't model it.
Barry, who has railroaded for 15 roads in 47 years.