| A CN local traverses the west leg of the wye at the north end of the former SOO yard at Neenah, WI on 15 Jun. '19. The local, preparing to head for Appleton, Little Chute, and Kaukauna, is approaching the remnants of the foundation from the ca. 1955 masonry SOO depot. The rail sections supported by concrete blocks and railroad ties rest atop the remnants of the foundation. The masonry depot was built to replace the wooden depot built in 1891 on Sherry St., about 850 ft. to the southeast, which was torn down soon after the new one opened. In the background, GTW 6226 prepares to transition from the east leg of the wye to the north leg of the wye. The white building partially visible between the locomotives is, or was, Progressive Paper Storage, Inc. (formerly Kimberly-Clark Warehouse (K-C Warehouse)), 135 Millview Dr. It does not receive rail service, but it looks like there may have been a spur on the northwest side of the building in the past. The Fox Valley Energy Center (formerly Minergy Fox Valley Glass Aggregate Plant) stood to the left, at what is now Arrowhead Park, until demolition was completed in the spring of '16. Opened in Jan. '98, it stood idle since 15 Jun. '13. The P. H. Glatfelter Co. paper mill dominated the skyline in the background for 135 years, the oldest part of the original mill was constructed in 1874. Glatfelter purchased the mill from Bergstrom Paper Co. in 1979. Bergstrom had purchased the mill, originally Winnebago Paper, in 1904. Glatfelter moved the jobs to Ohio in June 2006, the mill stood idle for about two years until it was torn down, demolition was completed in May 2009. The corporate headquarters of Plexus, 1 Plexus Way, (out of frame to left), and an Ascension clinic (formerly Affinity clinic) at 101 Main St. occupy most of the site of the old paper mill. Neenah's newest, modern eyesore, the Gateway office building (also obviously used by Plexus), looms in the background. After razing some more cool, old buildings, construction commenced on 4 May '16 and was completed about a year later. There is no room for historic buildings and classic architecture in Future Neenah. |