Wisconsin
and Southern Railroad - (en)
The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad (AAR reporting marks WSOR) is a
Class III shortline railroad operating in the southern portion of
Wisconsin and the northeast corner of Illinois.
WSOR runs over 700 miles of branch and mainline tracks which are
jointly owned by the state of Wisconsin and the 21 counties that the
railroad serves. The WSOR holds a 50 year operating agreement with the
state of Wisconsin to operate on these tracks. Using existing rights
of way, some of the bridges along the line date back as early as 1903.
Much of the railroad's operating territory is formed from the defunct
Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad, on tracks originally constructed by
the Milwaukee Road and Chicago and North Western railroads.
Within Wisconsin, WSOR connects with four western Class I railroads:
BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway and
Union Pacific Railroad. With direct access to Chicago, WSOR connects
with eastern Class I railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern Railroad. WSOR
has access to harbor facilities in Prairie du Chien, and WSOR
transload facilities are located in Milwaukee, Janesville, Madison,
and Oshkosh. 22 grain elevators have located rail load-out facilities
on the Wisconsin & Southern system.
For train operation purposes, the WSOR system is divided into two
divisions, the Northern Division and the Southern Division. The
Northern Division is essentially the original WSOR trackage from when
the railroad was incorporated in 1980, with a few new lines that have
been added around the Milwaukee area in recent years. It includes the
lines radiating out of Horicon and Milwaukee. The Southern Division
includes the former Wisconsin and Calumet trackage, as well as
trackage currently leased from the Union Pacific Railroad (ex-Chicago
and North Western Railway) in the Madison area. The two divisions are
not physically connected with WSOR owned trackage, but trackage rights
over a short section of the the Canadian National Railroad from
Waukesha to Slinger provide a link between the two divisions.
WSOR is headquartered in Milwaukee, where all dispatching duties are
carried out. Locomotive maintenance is centered in Janesville; WSOR's
Horicon paint shops often do contract work on both rolling stock, for
railroads such as Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad, and
locomotives, including Union Pacific Railroad.
Timeline
WSOR 4025 in its 25th anniversary livery at the open house party in
Madison1980: Wisconsin & Southern is formed.
1992: Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad is acquired by Wisconsin &
Southern
2001: Railway Age Magazine names the Wisconsin & Southern its
Regional Railroad of the Year.
2005: WSOR celebrates its 25th anniversary by painting engine number
4025, an EMD SD40-2, in a special anniversary paint scheme, and
holding "open house" parties in Janesville on July 9 and in
Madison on July 23.
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