• Question about Wisconsin Central & Geneva Steel

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in the American Midwest, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas. For questions specific to a railroad company, please seek the appropriate forum.
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in the American Midwest, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas. For questions specific to a railroad company, please seek the appropriate forum.

Moderator: railohio

  by Leo_Ames
 
While reading an old issue of Trains Magazine tonight, I saw this interesting note in the news section from August 1998.
Wisconsin Central has come to terms with UP on moving the Geneva (Utah) iron-ore trains to an all-UP routing from northern Minnesota, which took place in 1997, over a year before the contract expires.
This is intriguing for several reasons. First of all, this was a big deal for WC in 1994 to win this contract in conjunction with Southern Pacific and the Missabe Road, which makes it unlikely that they'd of wanted out just a short time later. Secondly, this news piece reads as if Union Pacific did this by force after gaining control of SP, since the 1998 settlement occurred a year after the traffic shift actually had happened.

Did Union Pacific refuse to interchange this traffic and short haul themselves, forcing Wisconsin Central out in favor of a shorter all-UP routing? Or was it actually just not profitable for WC, with them voluntarily wanting out?