| It looks like the residents of Manawa, WI have had their complaints of rough grade crossings addressed. Unfortunately the solution does not seem to bode well for the future of rail service there in the near term. This view is looking southeast from Depot St. along the recently truncated CN, former GB&W, rails at Manawa, WI on 30 Nov. '15. On the drive toward Manawa, I was thrilled to see the red flag at Northport had been removed, but my elation suddenly turned to disappointment as I pulled into Manawa on this day. The tracks have been removed from all of the grade crossings in town, the passing siding here has been removed, and the tracks leading from the mainline into downtown and Sturm Foods have been removed. Maybe the fact that the entire line has not been torn up still offers a glimmer of hope for a return of rail service, maybe I am naïve. You can find a similar view in my Northeast WI, Summer 2013 album at http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=96037. Unfortunately the GBW 1001 40' steel box car which rested at upper left for decades has been removed. Was it saved somehow, or was it scrapped? I believe the ca. ‘51 cinderblock GB&W Manawa depot was located just beyond the station sign. A photo can be found at: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/. |