WC Chicago Sub in Fall 2001: Sussex to Duplainville, WI

These pictures were originally posted on the website of the Society of Model Engineers model railroad club at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. The website is no longer online, so I am posting them here.

…Continued from Ackerville to Colgate, WI

The new layout for the Society of Model Engineers at the Milwaukee School of Engineering was to be based on the Wisconsin Central’s Chicago Subdivision between Burlington and Cedar Lake, Wisconsin, with staging yards representing Chicago, Illinois and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In November 2001, fellow SOME member Stuart Baker and I explored the route, taking pictures with a digital camera of interesting things along the line to model.

Here are the pictures from Sussex to Duplainville, Wisconsin, taken on November 19, 2001.

Sussex was founded in 1843 by George Elliott, a bricklayer from Beckley, East Sussex, and Richard Cooling, a blacksmith from Dorset.

Sussex - Union Pacific (former Chicago & North Western) Bridge over the Wisconsin Central at Quad/Graphics

The Chicago & North Western Railway line through Sussex was built in 1910 on reclaimed limestone quarry land. This through plate girder bridge carries the Chicago & North Western over the Wisconsin Central. It is probably not the original bridge, though it is unclear when it was built. The Chicago & North Western was merged into the Union Pacific on April 24, 1995.

Sussex - Abandoned M. Davidson Lime Kiln at Quad/Graphics

As many as nine lime kilns were operating in the area of Sussex from as early as 1840. The abandoned M. Davidson lime kiln is the only one remaining in Sussex. It was built by the Wisconsin Lime & Stone Company prior to 1891, perhaps as early as 1873. The kiln is approximately 35 feet tall with exterior walls of heavily-mortared limestone. It has two rectangular burning shafts lined with refractory brick and granite with rounded corners for the uninterrupted movement of the hot, sticky pieces of limestone, which was fed from carts into the top of the kiln, accessed by an inclined wooden skid. Firing eyes originally covered by cast iron doors are on the east and west sides, and finished lime was drawn from arched opening at the base of the west side. This kiln operated continuously in all seasons until 1910, when the Chicago & North Western Railway was built on reclaimed quarry land to the north, and the kiln was abandoned.

Sussex - Passenger Cars at Quad/Graphics from the South

Three stainless steel streamlined passenger cars owned by Quad/Graphics are stored on a siding here.

Sussex - Passenger Cars at Quad/Graphics from the North

Sussex - Silver Express

Silver Express was ordered from the Budd Company in June 1948 and was delivered in June/July 1950 for the Southern Pacific’s Sunset Limited between Los Angeles and New Orleans as Southern Pacific #3102. It is a Class 83-BD-2 Baggage-Dormitory car that was built with a baggage compartment and 16 dormitory bunks. It was transferred to Southern Pacific’s Texas subsidiary Texas & New Orleans as #300 in 1951, and was transferred back to Southern Pacific #3102 in 1961. After Amtrak took over passenger service on May 1, 1971, it became Amtrak #1530. It was converted to Head End Power in 1980 and was renumbered to Amtrak #1623. It was retired in 1995 and sold to Quad/Graphics, rebuilt as club lounge-dance floor-storage and named Silver Express.

Sussex - Parcel Direct Logo on Silver Express

Sussex - Silver Shore

Silver Shore was built by the Budd Company in 1948 as Chicago, Burlington & Quincy #424 Silver Shore for the California Zephyr between Chicago and Oakland. It was originally a sleeping car with 10 roomettes and 6 double bedrooms. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy was merged into the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, and this car was assigned BN #1413 but this number was never applied before Amtrak took over passenger service on May 1, 1971, and this car became Amtrak #2651. It was retired in October 1983. It was sold to Quad/Graphics and was rebuilt as a sleeper-kitchen-lounge car.

Sussex - Silver Chalet

Silver Chalet was built by the Budd Company in November 1948 as Western Pacific #831 Silver Chalet for the California Zephyr between Chicago and Oakland. This mid-train Dome-Dormitory-Buffet-Lounge car originally included dormitory space for 15 crew members, a lounge under the dome that was remodeled into the “Cable Car Lounge” in 1964, and a buffet with seating for 19 passengers. Following the conclusion of the last run of the California Zephyr on March 24, 1970, Burlington Northern’s former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Dome-Dormitory-Buffet-Lounge #252 Silver Roundup was stored in Western Pacific’s yard in Oakland, California, only to be gutted by fire in April 1970. With no remaining passenger service of its own, Western Pacific traded its identical Silver Chalet to the Burlington Northern in exchange for the remains of the Silver Roundup which Western Pacific sold for scrap. The Silver Chalet was assigned Burlington Northern #252 but it retained its original name and the Burlington Northern number was not applied before Amtrak took over passenger service on May 1, 1971 and it was sold to become Amtrak #9812. It was retired in 1983 and sold into private ownership, where it was restored to its original appearance. In 1987 it was sold to Quad/Graphics and was rebuilt by Northern Railcar with the rounded open platform as seen here.

Sussex - Quad/Graphics - North Building

One of the major customers on the Wisconsin Central line, Quad/Graphics was founded July 13, 1971 by Harry V. Quadracci and his wife Elizabeth. Quad/Graphics became the largest privately-owned printing company in the world and the fifth largest printing company in the United States with 13,000 employees and 22 facilities on three continents.

Sussex - Quad/Graphics - South Building

The Sussex plant opened in 1983. The 1.3 million square foot facility employs over 2,900 workers. This plant’s M-64 32-page offset web printing press set a world record in 1996 printing more than 350,000,000 impressions that year. This facility features a 24-hour child care center, fitness center, sand volleyball courts, softball diamond, and fishing ponds for employee use.

Sussex - Quad/Graphics - South Building Again

Sussex - End of Silver Chalet

Sussex - Quad/Graphics Trailer

The Sussex plant is also the headquarters for Duplainville Transport with over 350 trucks, the company’s distribution subsidiary originally founded in 1973.

Sussex - Parcel Direct Trailer

Parcel Direct was founded by Quad/Graphics on September 16, 1998 as a package consolidator and expeditor for catalog and online retailers, picking up and sorting parcels and delivering them to post offices for final delivery. Parcel Direct’s headquarters and main facility was in New Berlin, Wisconsin. Parcel Direct was sold to Federal Express in 2004.

Sussex - Trailer Ends

Sussex - Quarry

This quarry in Sussex was owned by the Vulcan Materials Company and was a customer of the Wisconsin Central. Vulcan Materials Company is based out of Birmingham, Alabama, and was formed on January 2, 1957, in a merger of companies dating back to 1909. This quarry was sold to Lannon Stone Products, Inc. on June 20, 2013.

Sussex - Quarry

Sussex - Quarry

Sussex - Quarry

Sussex - Quarry

Bridge over Sussex Creek between Sussex and Duplainville

This bridge carries the Wisconsin Central main line over Sussex Creek, which flows south and east from Sussex, eventually becoming a tributary of the Fox River.

Duplainville - Wisconsin Central Freight Train led by an EMD SD45

Duplainville is a neighborhood in the city of Pewaukee. The Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad main line between Brookfield and Watertown was built in 1855. It was merged into the Milwaukee & St. Paul in 1867, which subsequently merged with the Chicago & Pacific Railroad in 1874 to become the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway (also known as The Milwaukee Road). The Wisconsin Central Railroad line from Rugby Junction to Chicago was built in 1885, crossing the Milwaukee Road at Duplainville with a diamond junction. A wooden tower was built in the northwest quadrant of the diamond in 1890. The Wisconsin Central Railroad was reorganized as the Wisconsin Central Railway in 1897 and was leased in 1909 by the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway, which itself was controlled by the Canadian Pacific Railway. On September 1, 1944, the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway was reorganized as the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad. The Wisconsin Central Railroad entered receivership in 1932, declared bankruptcy in 1944, and was reorganized as the Wisconsin Central Railroad Company in 1954. On January 1, 1961, the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad and the Wisconsin Central Railroad Company were merged with the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad to form the Soo Line Railroad. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway was reorganized in 1928 as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. The original tower burned and January 1, 1929, and was subsequently replaced with a brick tower that stood until it was torn down in 1987. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific declared bankruptcy in 1977, and on January 1, 1986, the remains of the bankrupt railroad, including the main line through Duplainville, was merged into the Soo Line. On October 11, 1987, the Soo Line spun off the former Wisconsin Central line to the new independent Wisconsin Central, Ltd. The Canadian Pacific acquired full control of the Soo Line in 1990, and the Wisconsin Central was purchased by Canadian National Railway on October 9, 2001. Duplainville is the only place in Wisconsin where the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific cross. Duplainville Road also crosses the Wisconsin Central mainline here.

The backbone of the Wisconsin Central locomotive fleet was a group of 110 second-hand EMD SD45s making up nearly half the roster. These 3,600-horsepower locomotives were built between June 1966 and December 1971, and were being retired at the time the Wisconsin Central started up, making them a readily available and relatively inexpensive source of motive power for the new railroad. Just over half of Wisconsin Central’s SD45s, a total of 57, were previously owned by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, and another 42 came from the Burlington Northern, with 11 more from a variety of sources. They had full second careers on Wisconsin Central, continuing to operate even after the Canadian National Railway took over on October 9, 2001, with some lasting until 2007.

Duplainville - Quad/Graphics

Quad/Graphics was founded July 13, 1971 by Harry V. Quadracci and his wife Elizabeth, and this is the original Quad/Graphics location in Pewaukee on Duplainville Road. Originally a 20,171 square foot abandoned mill warehouse that Harry V. Quadracci purchased at auction, Quad/Graphics started here with 11 employees, a leased press and a loaned binder. Since then it has grown to a 291,097 square foot facility with over 700 employees, and includes an on-site medical clinic, fitness & rehabilitative center, and child care center for employee use. It is a major customer on the Wisconsin Central main line. Quad/Graphics became the largest privately-owned printing company in the world and the fifth largest printing company in the United States with 13,000 employees and 22 facilities on three continents.

Continue to Waukesha, WI…