Illinois Central (IC) 3107 - Rebuilt EMD GP40R

While one CN train transitions from the west leg of the wye to the north leg of the wye, a ballast train traverses the west leg of the wye as it approaches the former SOO yard at Neenah, WI, on 22 Aug. '25. Looking southwest from Arrowhead Park, a closed paper sludge landfill. Before the landfill was opened in the '50s, the south shore of Little Lake Butte des Morts came right up to the north leg of the wye.

A CN train slows to halt on the west leg of the wye at the north end of the former SOO yard at Neenah, WI, on 22 Aug. '25. Train was preparing to take the north leg of the wye. Looking west from Arrowhead Park, a closed paper sludge landfill. Before the landfill was opened in the '50s, the south shore of Little Lake Butte des Morts came right up to the north leg of the wye.

CN 9626 & IC 3107 rest between assignments at Schiller Park, IL.

CN 9626 & IC 3107 rest between assignments at Schiller Park, IL.

IC 3107 & CN 9626 receive some attention between assignments at Schiller Park, IL.

IC 3107 & GTW 5856 rest between assignments at Schiller Park, IL.

IC 3107 & GTW 5856 rest between assignments at Schiller Park, IL.

Two old IC locos still wearing there heritage rumbles south on the old Mainline of Mid-America.

IC 3107 & GTW 5856 rest between assignments at Schiller Park, IL.

IC 3107 & GTW 5856 rest between assignments at Schiller Park, IL.

Rare catch to find this on my way home from Meridian, MS

GTW 5856 leads 501 south through Rondout.

508 hauls south at 1326.

508 finishes up 515's work at 1208.

508 powers south at 1226.

A CN local crosses W. Wisconsin Ave./Hwy. 96 as it heads southeast via former C&NW rails at Town of Grand Chute, Outagamie Co., WI on 6 Jan. '19. The local was headed back from New London to Appleton. The Fleet Farm gas station/convenience store at the intersection with N. Bluemound Dr./Hwy. AA can be seen in the background at right.

A CN local passes a neat, old barn and crosses W. Capitol Dr. as it heads southeast with 12 covered hoppers via former C&NW rails at Town of Grand Chute, Outagamie Co., WI on 20 Jan. '19. The local was headed back from New London to Appleton. The farmstead dates to at least 1882, but I’m not sure if the barn does. It does not appear to be an active farm.

A CN local crosses the frozen Black Otter Creek via the former C&NW bridge as it heads southeast with 12 covered hoppers at Town of Hortonia, Outagamie Co., WI on 20 Jan. '19. The bridge was built by the American Bridge Co. of New York in 1909. The local was headed back from New London to Appleton. Black Otter Lake is on the other side of the tracks. The land to the left of the bridge on the far side of the tracks is in Hortonville, on this side of the tracks is the Town of Hortonia. The land on both sides of the tracks to the right of the bridge is in the Town of Hortonia.

Winchester Road at 1020.

Built February 1966 as IC 3004.

Right behind 535 is 533, rolling out of the yard at 1004.

A CN local passes United Cooperative (an active rail customer), N1868 Municipal Dr., and crosses Municipal Dr./Hwy. 76 as it heads southeast via former C&NW rails at Greenville Township, Outagamie Co., WI on 6 Jan. '19. Founded as Greenville Cooperative in 1931, it merged with United Cooperative in 2017. The historic Greenville House, a.k.a. Kronser Hotel & Saloon, is partially visible at the right. Built by Joseph A. Kronser in 1897, it is currently home to Greenville Station, with a first floor bar and a second floor resale store. Several references erroneously state that the building dates to 1887. The original hotel was erected in that year, but it burned down and the current facility was erected in its place. Some references also claim that the building has been called Greenville Station for over 100 years, but that too is an exaggeration. The depot, built in 1915 to replace the original (ca. 1876) depot, stood right about where that F-150 is parked.

A CN local approaches the station sign and S. Nash St./Hwy. M (originally Oshkosh St.) as it heads southeast with six cars via former C&NW rails at Hortonville, WI on 6 Jan. '19. I believe that the depot stood a little closer to S. Nash St./Hwy. M than the station sign currently does. It is difficult to believe that there used to be five tracks here. To the right stands the historic Peter Olk’s Elevator (a.k.a. Olk’s Elevator) at 136 W. Dewey St. The oldest part of the facility dates to at least 1894, when it was the W. L. Root Grain & Potato Warehouse. A 10,000-bushel elevator was added to the facility in 1908, about the time that Olk acquired it. A couple of other additions have been erected since then. Circa ‘10, Peter Olk was a “dealer in grain, flour, feed, salt, lime and cement.” In ‘34 the facility became the home of Schneider Multifeed (a purveyor of feed for livestock and pets), and operated as such until at least 2006. Black Otter Supply is the facility’s most recent, if not current, occupant (a bird seed store). Another historic facility is partially visible in the background. The Wisconsin Grain and Malt Co. also dates to at least 1894. It was later acquired by the Western Elevator Co. and became the Miller Grain & Fuel Co. in 1909.

A CN local crosses W. 2nd St. while setting out a string of cars at the former C&NW yard at Appleton Junction, WI on 15 Dec. '18. Train will soon continue on to Little Chute and Kaukauna. Carter's Caboose, 1428 W. 2nd St., a small, old, rail side tavern, is partially visible beyond the train at left. It dates to at least 1930, when it was a soft drink establishment owned by Hubert J. Merkel and August F. Brandt (Prohibition was still in effect). By ’36 it was a tavern operated by Albert Giesen, owned by Mrs. Gretchen Merkel. By ’38 it was Bob’s Tavern, still owned by Mrs. Merkel. It was the Junction Tavern from at least ’43-’71, still owned by Mrs. Merkel until at least ’60 (there were at least two different owners between ’67-’71). At some point in the ‘70s it became Pete’s Junction (possibly Palomino Pete’s Junction). It was called Netticoat Junction ca. the ‘90s (owned by Joanne M. ‘Nettie’ Nett).

A CN local parallels W. Butte des Morts Beach Rd. and approaches the station sign as it heads northeast with about 15 cars via former C&NW rails at Stroebe, WI on 8 Dec. '18. The former SOO main line runs parallel on the other side of the tree line at right. Stroebe is a railroad station in Fox Crossing, WI (formerly Town of Menasha, Winnebago Co., WI until 14 Apr. '16). The Hwy. 41/Hwy. 10/Hwy. 441 (a.k.a. Tri-County Expressway) interchange (a.k.a. the Polish Connection) is partially visible background left.

Pulling empties at 1536.

504 has just finished up at Quad Graphics at 1520.

Built February 1966 as IC 3004.

Weyer Road at 1416.

Pulling at 1416.

504 is gearing up for some switching at Weyer Road at 1411.

Awaiting a recrew.

Train CN-5 (Chicago-New Orleans) is headed around the curve approaching the Tennessee state line at the south end of Fulton Yard.

A CN local pulls 12 cars west through The Flats via former C&NW rails at Appleton, WI on 12 May '18. Train was headed back to the yard at Appleton Junction after working Kimberly and Combined Locks. The bridge crosses the last remaining scrap of what was once the South Channel of the Fox River through the Flats. South Island St. (which I was standing on) used to run parallel to the north bank of the South Channel. Old maps reveal that the west end of the South Channel was filled in at some point between 1916 and ‘57. Most of the remainder of the South Channel was filled in the following years. This remaining portion forms the confluence with a mill race which connects West’s Power Canal (a.k.a. West’s Canal, a.k.a. Grand Chute Island Canal) to the Fox River. Edward West bought Grand Chute Island and excavated the canal in 1870 to provide water power for the industries which were built soon after. Up until about 2010, everything beyond the train would have been obscured by the paper mill which stood there for over 100 years. The Kerwin Paper Co., a subsidiary of Riverside Paper Corp., closed in ‘05 or ’06. It was demolished in order to erect the hideous, modern apartment buildings, known as the Landing at Eagle Flats and Riverwalk Place, in ‘11-‘12 (both are just out-of-frame to the right). The white, concrete wall beyond the train is a remnant of the paper mill’s foundation. The bridge tender’s tower for the Lawe St. bridge over the Fox River Navigation Canal can be seen near the center of the photograph. The recently restored lock tender’s house can be seen background right.

A CN local pulls 12 cars west through The Flats via former C&NW rails at Appleton, WI on 12 May '18. Train was headed back to the yard at Appleton Junction after working Kimberly and Combined Locks. The bridge crosses the last remaining scrap of what was once the South Channel of the Fox River through the Flats. South Island St. (which I was standing on) used to run parallel to the north bank of the South Channel. Old maps reveal that the west end of the South Channel was filled in at some point between 1916 and ‘57. Most of the remainder of the South Channel was filled in the following years. This remaining portion forms the confluence with a mill race which connects West’s Power Canal (a.k.a. West’s Canal, a.k.a. Grand Chute Island Canal) to the Fox River. Edward West bought Grand Chute Island and excavated the canal in 1870 to provide water power for the industries which were built soon after. Up until about 2010, everything beyond the train would have been obscured by the paper mill which stood there for over 100 years. The Kerwin Paper Co., a subsidiary of Riverside Paper Corp., closed in ‘05 or ’06. It was demolished in order to erect the hideous, modern apartment buildings, known as the Landing at Eagle Flats and Riverwalk Place, in ‘11-‘12 (both are just out-of-frame to the right). The white, concrete wall beyond the train is a remnant of the paper mill’s foundation. The bridge tender’s tower for the Lawe St. bridge over the Fox River Navigation Canal can be seen near the center of the photograph. The recently restored lock tender’s house can be seen background right.

A CN local approaches the former W. 8th St. and S. Pierce Ave. grade crossings as it heads northeast via former C&NW rails at Appleton, WI on 6 May '18. Train was headed for Little Chute and Kaukauna. The train would have been hidden behind the historic Pierce Manufacturing plant that occupied this city block from 1917 until it was razed in 2011. This plot of land has been divided into lots for Habitat for Humanity and some homes have sprung up to partially obscure the view.

A CN local crosses S. Story St. as it heads northeast via former C&NW rails at Appleton, WI on 6 May '18. Train was headed for Little Chute and Kaukauna. The interesting, old commercial or industrial building at right is 302 S. Story St. It has a sign painted on its front proclaiming it The Train Station. I haven’t been able to find any relevant hnformation regarding its historic or current use. The grass in the foreground was home to the historic Pierce Manufacturing plant that occupied this city block from 1917 until it was raxed in 2011. This plot of land has been divided into lots for Habitat for Humanity and some homes have sprung up to partially obscure the view.

504 shifts by Weyer Road at 1721.

The local sneaks north between CP trains with four empties at 1652.

Built February 1966 as IC 3004.