WC Chicago Sub in Fall 2001: Waukesha, 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 Sussex to Duplainville, 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 Waukesha, Wisconsin, taken on November 19, 2001.

Waukesha is the county seat of Waukesha County. It was incorporated in 1896 and it named after the leader of the local tribe at the time of the first European settlement in the area in 1834. Natural mineral springs were later discovered in Waukesha that were believed to have medicinal properties, leading to it becoming a spa town with resorts and hotels for the tourists drawn to the waters.

North Waukesha - Tank Car HPLX #354002 Unloading at Cooper Power Systems, Inc.

The Cooper Power Systems, Inc. power generating facility at 1900 East North Street in Waukesha received bulk fuel oil in tank cars which were unloaded here and this interesting little facility with the track cut into the hillside. Tank Car HPLX #354002 was built by American Car & Foundry in November 1967 for the Exxon Company. It is one of a group of 25 DOT 111A100W1 23,500 gallon, single compartment tank cars with no insulation and no coils numbered #354001 to #354025. The HPLX reporting marks stand for Humble Pipe Line Company. The Humble Oil and Refining Company was founding in 1911 in Humble, Texas. In 1919 Standard Oil of New Jersey purchased a 50% stake in the company, and it acquired the rest of the company in September 1959. The companies were formally merged to form the Exxon Corporation on January 1, 1973.

North Waukesha - Tank Car HPLX #354002 Unloading at Cooper Power Systems, Inc.

The spur leading to this facility was originally part of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific line through Waukesha. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific declared bankruptcy in 1977, and Wisconsin DOT purchased the abandoned Milton Jct. to Waukesha branchline from the on February 26, 1980, for $266.677. The operation of this line was leased to the Central Wisconsin Railroad Company on March 4, 1980. The Central Wisconsin Railroad filed for bankruptcy in December 1984, and in January 1985 the Chicago West Pullman Railroad’s Wisconsin & Calumet Railroad took over operations. In 1987 the Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission assumed jurisdiction over the line. The rest of the line was abandoned around 1989, but the section from the connection with the Wisconsin Central to this point remained to allow the Wisconsin Central to continue to serve Cooper Power. It is unclear when this unloading facility was last used, but it was still in place in 2007. Cooper Industries was acquired by the Eaton Corporation in 2012, and the crossing on East North Street was removed by 2013. By 2017 the tracks were gone and the cutout where this unloading facility was had been filled in and relandscaped.

Waukesha - La Casa de Esperanza on Arcadian Avenue North of the Wisconsin Central Depot

The street to the north of the Wisconsin Central depot in Waukesha is Arcadian Avenue. La Casa de Esperanza, a non-profit supporting Waukesha’s Hispanic community founded in 1966, has been located on the north side of Arcadian Avenue adjacent to the tracks since 1979, opening this new $2.3 million community and child development center in May 2001.

Waukesha - Wisconsin Central Depot from the North

This is the view toward the Wisconsin Central depot from Arcadia Avenue.

Waukesha - Wisconsin Central Depot

This limestone vernacular depot at 120 East Broadway in Waukesha was built by the Wisconsin Central Railroad in 1887. 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. On October 11, 1987, the Soo Line spun off the former Wisconsin Central line to the new independent Wisconsin Central, Ltd. The last passenger train served this depot in January 1965, but it continues to be used by local train crews and maintenance personnel to this day. It was listed as a local landmark in 1992. The Wisconsin Central was purchased by the Canadian National Railway on October 9, 2001.

Waukesha - East Broadway South of Wisconsin Central Depot

East Broadway is south of the depot. The depot is actually between Arcadian Avenue and East Broadway, but is closer to East Broadway.

Waukesha - Illinois Central GP40R #3117 parked near the Wisconsin Central Depot

Parked near the Wisconsin Central Depot, Illinois Central #3117 was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in 1966 as Illinois Central GP40 #3031. It was rebuilt in June 1989 as GP40R #3117. The Illinois Central Railroad was purchased by the Canadian National Railway on February 11, 1998, with integrated operations beginning July 1, 1999. Also seen here is a Wisconsin Central GP38-2, one of six built by General Motors Diesel Division in London, Ontario, in April 1981 as Algoma Central Railway #200-205. The Algoma Central Railway was purchased by the Wisconsin Central on February 1, 1995. These locomotives became Wisconsin Central #2001-2006. The Wisconsin Central was purchased by Canadian National on October 9, 2001, making these two locomotives now part of the same railroad.

Waukesha - Looking North from Grand Avenue

This view looking north from Grand Avenue shows the junction of the Wisconsin Central main line and the Wisconsin & Southern, along with the abandoned Chicago & North Western right of way to the east.

Waukesha - Looking South toward Grand Avenue

This view looking south shows the Wisconsin Central and the Wisconsin & Southern crossing Grand Avenue.

Waukesha - Waukesha Depot Restaurant from the North

The Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Company was organized on May 15, 1880 to build a railroad between its two namesake cities, and this depot of local limestone and cream-colored brick was built in 1881. Designed by Chicago-area architect William Warren Boyington and constructed by local carpenter Samuel Dodd, the depot’s architecture has been described as Stick style, Queen Anne, and Victorian Gothic. The Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Company was consolidated into the Chicago, Milwaukee & North Western Railway Company on March 19, 1881. The first passenger train arrived from Madison on February 1, 1882. On June 7, 1883, The Chicago, Milwaukee & North Western Railway Company was consolidated into the Chicago & North Western Railway Company.

Waukesha - The Store at 301 North Grand Avenue

This building at 301 North Grand Avenue was an antique store called simply The Store.

Waukesha - Davies Brothers Building on North Grand Avenue North of Waukesha Depot Restaurant

The Cream Brick Commercial Vernacular Industrial Building at 307 North Grand Avenue is known as the Davies Brothers building. It was built in 1912 with additions built around 1918.

Waukesha - Citgo Station at North Grand Avenue & Williams Street by the Waukesha Depot Restaurant

Waukesha - Williams Street Sign at the Waukesha Depot Restaurant

The depot is located at 319 Williams Street in Waukesha. Although only one block long, Williams Street was an important focal point for business transportation and public accommodations from the 1880s and into the 20^th century, as commercial travelers, tourists visiting the Springs Era resorts and spas, home seekers, and business entrepreneurs arrived in Waukesha at this depot, which served 16 trains a day at its peak. Other businesses on Williams Street that served railroad passengers included the Northwestern Hotel at 322 Williams Street, George Borchardt’s saloon at 328 Williams Street, and Stephen Platner’s Livery at 332 Williams Street.

This depot also served as a terminal for the Waukesha Beach Railway, an electric interurban railroad which was formed on August 27, 1894 with $75,000 in capital. This six-mile railroad was built by C. E. Loss & Company of Chicago to the shore of Pewaukee Lake, where the railroad built the Waukesha Beach Amusement Park. The 20-acre park featured a swimming beach on the lake, the Palm Gardens Ballroom, a hotel, 3 roller coasters, a fun house and other amusement rides. The Waukesha Beach Railway began operating its first summer season on June 15, 1895, with the formal opening of the railroad and the park on June 25, 1895. The six-mile trip to the park took about 15 minutes, with scheduled trains every 40 minutes. The Waukesha Beach Railway was purchased by The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company in August 1897. Originally intended for operation only during the summer season, the line was connected to the rest of The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company system, and year-round service began on December 11, 1899. Operations of the Waukesha Beach Amusement Park ended on July 21, 1941, with the park and beach closing entirely in 1949.

Waukesha - Waukesha Depot Restaurant sign

On October 14, 1948, President Harry S. Truman made a ten-minute speech at this depot in front of 10,000 people. The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company ceased operations on July 2, 1951, and the last Chicago & North Western passenger train ran stopped in Waukesha on June 16, 1957. While freight service continued, the depot was vacated by the railroad in 1964 and remained empty until 1973, when it was purchased and converted into a railroad-themed restaurant by Edward Friend of Hubertus, Wisconsin, with a train of heavyweight passenger cars for restaurant patrons to dine in. These cars, lettered for the fictitious Waukesha & Western, were previously owned by the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad. The Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad was created on September 13, 1940, by the merger of the Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad, which was created in 1917 as a reorganization of the New Orleans, Mobile and Chicago Railroad, and the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, which was chartered in 1848. On August 10, 1972, the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad merged with the Illinois Central Railroad to form the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. The name changed back to Illinois Central Railroad on February 29, 1988.

There was originally a steam locomotive at the head of the display train: Soo Line 4-6-0 #2645, built by Brooks Locomotive Works in 1900 as Wisconsin Central #247. Soo Line leased the Wisconsin Central in 1909. The last 4-6-0 in service on the Soo Line, it was retired in 1952 with over 1 million miles of service and was donated to the city of Waukesha on October 29, 1952, and placed on static display in Frame Park, where it would stay until it became part of the restaurant in 1972.

The Chicago & North Western abandoned its line from Waukesha to Cottage Grove in 1983. This left the tracks running past the depot as only a connection to the nearby former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific branch line from Milton Jct. through Waukesha, which had been purchased by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation on February 26, 1980, for $266.677. The operation of this line was leased to the Central Wisconsin Railroad Company on March 4, 1980. The Central Wisconsin Railroad filed for bankruptcy in December 1984, and in January 1985 the Chicago West Pullman Railroad’s Wisconsin & Calumet Railroad took over operations. In 1987 the Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission assumed jurisdiction over the line. In 1988, plans were made for a new connection between the Wisconsin & Calumet’s former C&NW line and the Wisconsin Central’s former Soo Line track to allow most of the former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific track to be removed. This would require a curved track following a path that the steam locomotive was blocking. On September 20, 1988, the Waukesha City Council donated the steam locomotive to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin, where it arrived in July 1989 and remains today. This connection marks the southern end of the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad’s trackage rights over the Wisconsin Central. The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad acquired the Wisconsin & Calumet in August 1992, and the trackage rights over the Wisconsin Central are the only connection between the Wisconsin & Southern’s original lines in the north and the former Wisconsin & Calumet lines in the south.

Waukesha - "Waukesha & Western" Baggage Car #94

The history of "Waukesha & Western" Baggage Car #94 is not documented, but it is presumably a former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Baggage Car that may have been originally owned by the Mobile & Ohio.

Waukesha - Waukesha Depot Restaurant from the North

"Waukesha & Western" Coach # 326 (not visible, but the next car after Baggage Car #94) was previously Gulf, Mobile & Ohio #326, and was originally Mobile & Ohio #326.

Waukesha - Close-Up of the Waukesha Depot Restaurant from the North

Waukesha - Depot Barber Shop Caboose

Also at the depot is a 28’ steel cupola caboose, built in 1941 as Illinois Central #9803. This caboose was built on an underframe from an Illinois Central gondola car, and features side doors used for collecting train orders while in motion. This caboose was the home of the Depot Barber Shop at 321 Williams Street. The barbershop was operated by Clarence “Butch” Mareno. At the age of 83 in 2001, he was one of the oldest barbers in Wisconsin, having been cutting hair in Waukesha for 66 years.

Waukesha - Waukesha Depot Restaurant Entry

Waukesha - Close-Up of the Waukesha Depot Restaurant from the West

Waukesha - "Waukesha & Western" Coach #3096

"Waukesha & Western" Coach #3096 was built by Pullman in 1923 as Chicago & Alton Railroad #325 Webster Groves, for the 1924 Alton Limited between Chicago and St. Louis. The Alton Limited was originally introduced in 1899, and two new 6-car consists were built for the 1924 train at a cost of 1 million dollars. The Chicago and Alton Railroad was created on October 10, 1862, in a reorganization of the St. Louis, Alton and Chicago Railroad, and could trace its history back to the Alton and Sangamon Railroad, which was chartered February 27, 1847. In 1931 the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad purchased the Chicago and Alton Railroad and renamed it The Alton Railroad Company, before eventually ceding the bankrupt Alton Railroad to the courts in 1942. The Alton was merged into the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad on May 31, 1947, and this car became Gulf, Mobile & Ohio #3096.

Waukesha - "Waukesha & Western" Coach #217 Bethesda

"Waukesha & Western "Coach #217 Bethesda was previously Gulf, Mobile & Ohio #217, and was originally Mobile & Ohio #217. It may be from the same order as coach #212.

Waukesha - "Waukesha & Western" Coach-Observation Car #212 Prairieville

"Waukesha & Western" Coach-Observation #212 Prairieville was built by Pullman in 1927 as Mobile & Ohio #212, and it later became Gulf, Mobile & Ohio #212. This car was not built as an open-platform observation car; it appears one of the vestibules was cut away to create the open platform after the car was purchased for the restaurant.

Waukesha - Waukesha Depot Restaurant Train Consist

Waukesha - White Building

This white building on the east side of North Grand Avenue south of the Wisconsin Central mainline has since been demolished to make way for Carroll University's new Dennis Punches Track & Field Complex, which was dedicated August 26, 2008.

Waukesha - Red Building

This old red brick building sits on the west side of the Wisconsin Central mainline south of the former Milwaukee & Madison Depot.

Waukesha - Waukesha Depot Restaurant from the East

Waukesha - Waukesha Teen Center Sign

Waukesha - Waukesha Teen Center Building

These buildings on the west side of North Grand Avenue adjacent to the Wisconsin Central main line, including the Waukesha Teen Center, have since been demolished to make way Carroll University's new 231-bed Frontier Hall, which opened in 2011. A satellite YMCA opened in Frontier Hall in 2013.

Waukesha - Carroll College Tennis Courts

This view looking north across North Grand Avenue shows the abandoned right-of-way of the former Chicago & North Western line adjacent to the tennis courts of Carroll College.

Waukesha - Waukesha Depot Restaurant Freight Cars

There are also at least three freight cars at the depot, two along Williams Street with the caboose, and one more closer to the depot building. These cars have their sides covered with metal siding, hiding their original sides and making them difficult to identify, but they have stirrup steps near the middle where the doors would have been, suggesting they were insulated box cars or refrigerator cars, which would allow for their potential use as restaurant storage. The easternmost car along Williams Street appears to have ice hatches on the roof, indicating it was a refrigerator car. The running boards on the others suggest they were boxcars. The dreadnought steel ends on the cars are not covered with siding, suggesting these cars might have wood-sheathed sides. Wood-sheathed insulated boxcars would have been unusual, though they might have started out as refrigerator cars and had their ice hatches removed.

Waukesha - Waukesha Depot Restaurant from the West

The Depot was designated a Local Landmark in 1992. It was placed on the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places on October 24, 1994, and on the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1995. Known as the Waukesha Depot Restaurant through 2001, in 2002 it would be purchased by Tony Marquéz and converted into a Mexican restaurant called La Estacíon.

Waukesha - Depot Barber Shop Caboose Sign

Waukesha - Depot Restaurant Caboose Sign

Continue to Mukwonago, WI…