Milwaukee's 3rd Ward was once a beehive of railroad activity on the CNW. Only a few customers are left in this shot from March of 1983 as CNW 4131 negotiates some rough track between buildings. Al... (more)

A westbound Chicago & North Western Railway freight crosses over Diggins Street as it passes through Harvard, Illinois, on its way Janesville, Wisconsin, on June 13, 1993.

It's March of 1996 and big changes are to come along the former C&NW mainline in western Iowa. C&NW had single-tracked the railroad west of Dennison, IA and it had become quite a bottleneck that U... (more)

A Chicago & North Western train of empty ore cars is depart Escanaba, Michigan. The only thing missing is a crew.

Two Centuries Shy of a Millennium

Eight of Chicago & North Western's thirty ex-Norfolk & Western C628’s congregate at the north end of the yard in Escanaba, Michigan.

With the ore unloading house prominently in the background, two Chicago & North Western C628’s idle on the wye at the north end of the yard in Escanaba, Michigan.

Two Chicago & North Western C628’s show off their sleek profiles in Escanaba, Michigan. I believe that the building to the right is the shed where ore cars were unloaded.

UP's Proviso to Gateway Yard train has a classic consist up front, with all CN&W locomotives on the point and some classic Wisconsin Central box cars in tow.

A train of empty ore jennies is ready to return to the ore mines from Chicago & North Western’s yard in Escanaba, Michigan. Three ex-Norfolk & Western high-hood C628’s provide the power.

In 1994 C&NW is still an independent operation, although dependent upon UP for its livelihood to a large extent. UP functioned as a bridge line for Powder River coal traffic between South Morrill,... (more)

Heading for a crew change at South Pekin, a Chicago & North Western freight skirts Peoria, Illinois, and crosses Kickapoo Creek in March 1984. The southbound train is powered by venerable EMD GP9R... (more)

UP's "Peoria Wayfreight" approaches the entrance to their Adams Street yard with hoppers pulled from the ADM ethanol plant. At this point in time, UP had yard locomotives assigned to th... (more)

Chicago and North Western GP7 4350 - GP7 4344 - F3A 208 - F5A 215 - GP7 4340 - GP9R 4380 lead a northbound on the former Chicago Great Western mainline to Minneapolis just north of Hampton, Minnes... (more)

CNW 4281 switches Jones Island (the Port of Milwaukee) in January of 1994. A couple of cement boats are visible in the distance.

Alco caboose hop
Chicago & North Western Alco RS32 No. 4243 on a caboose hop, rolls by at Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 27, 1985. Both the RS32 and bay window caboose No. 11031 are pain... (more)