Trails to Rails?!

Found this on thw WSOR (Wisconsin and Southern) website today.

http://www.wsorrailroad.com/news/news.html

They have ambitious plans to restore rail service in SW Wisconsin. The first 2 'little' projects are just repairs of lines with existing track, but the last one (and on the picture on their home page) involves restoring over 60 miles of LONG abandoned track back to rail service. These lines currently have some very popular 'county and privately owned' ATV and biking trails (I believe they are in the rails to trails conseratory which allows returning to rail service.) Even if they win the fight to restore the line, I doubt the Wisconsin budget will allow. I'm not even sure what industries remain on the line (grain mills I think) or if they would want to return to rail service.

I will say this - they are trying to restore and maintain rail service in southern Wisconsin.

WSOR would be better off spending its money bringing the existing infrastructure up to current standards so it can safely transport the traffic it already has.

You are correct, most of the potential business on the Mineral Point and Shullsburg lines would be grain elevators. It could be big business -- farmers out there want a cheaper and more efficient alternative to trucking their grain to market, and ethanol plants across southern Wisconsin (including Badger State in Monroe) need carloads upon carloads of corn.

I agree. They have great plans on their website, but all that rehab takes money. At the mad city rail show, I bought a time table. One of the first things I noticed was the low speed limits on all of the track. Only a few areas have 30 mph or more. The WSOR rep at the show didnt have any info on the prespective customers on the rebuilt line, he just said possibly grain elevators and new ethanol plants.

On a different topic, many many years ago (1983?) when I was in scouts, my troop went to Horicon and we spent the day in the yard and got to drive one of the Locos. It was #4491, a GP9 I think. Does it still exist or has it met the scrap pile? I assumed it was scrapped years ago, but saw a picture of it (painted in the current color scheme vice the old blue with yellow stripes) in 2001.

WSOR 4491 is still around, but not on the WSOR. I think it's at a grain elevator somewhere in Nebraska.