A CN container train passes a halted through freight and traverses the west leg of the wye at the north end of the former SOO yard at Neenah, WI, on 7 Sep. '20. It looks like some new, concrete railroad ties will be installed on the main line soon. I've never seen these around here before. The remnants of the foundation from the ca. 1955 masonry SOO depot can be seen near the center of the scene. There are rail sections supported by concrete blocks and railroad ties stacked upon it. It 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. On the far side of the train lies 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 (partially visible to the right). Clearwater Paper Corp., historically Kimberly-Clark’s Lakeview mill, 249 N. Lake St., Neenah, WI (physically located in Fox Crossing, Winnebago Co., WI (formerly Town of Menasha, Winnebago Co., WI, from 1855 until 14 Apr. 2016)), an active rail customer, stands in the background to the left. The former C&NW bridge across Little Lake Butte des Morts, now part of the Friendship Trail (often erroneously referred to as the Trestle Trail), can be seen in the background to the right. Train had two locomotives, CN 2282 pulling as well as CN 8846 pushing. |