Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

From Railroad Depot

Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

The complete WSOR System Map as of 2006
Reporting marks	WSOR
Locale	southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois
Dates of operation	1980 – present
Headquarters	Milwaukee Wisconsin, Wisconsin

Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Co. (AAR reporting marks WSOR) is a regional railroad operating 700 miles of track (600 owned or leased and 100 in trackage rights) throughout south central Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Wisconsin & Southern connects within the state with all the western Class One railroad’s: Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and Union Pacific. With direct access to Chicago, WSOR connects with the eastern Class One Railroads: CSX and Norfolk Southern. In addition to the Belt Railway in Chicago, WSOR also has access to harbor facilities in Prairie du Chien, Wisconin. WSOR has branch offices in Janesville, Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin and Horicon, Wisconsin.

1 About the Railroad
2 Divisions
- 2.1 Northern
- 2.2 Southern
3 Quick Facts
4 Timeline
5 See Also
6 External Links

[edit] About the Railroad

SD40-2 4025

WSOR operates on former Milwaukee Road and Chicago & North Western tracks that were earmarked for abandonment in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These tracks are now owned and managed cooperatively by the State of Wisconsin and 17 counties. WSOR has a 50-year operating agreement with the State and the counties to provide freight rail service on the 700-mile publicly-owned railroad system.

Since its inception in 1980, WSOR has quadrupled the freight business served on the lines by their previous owners, handling over 50,000 carloads in 2005. WSOR expects to handle close to 73,000 carloads by the year 2010. Over 200 people are employed by WSOR.

[edit] Divisions

For train operation purposes, the WSOR system is divided into two divisions, the Northern Division and the Southern Division. 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, Wisconsin provide a link between the two divisions.

[edit] Northern

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, Wisconsin.

[edit] Southern

The Southern Division includes the former Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad trackage, as well as trackage currently leased from the Union Pacific Railroad (ex-Chicago and North Western Railway) in the Madison area.

[edit] Quick Facts

The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad operates 700 miles of track.
The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad operates in a total of 21 counties and partners with four rail transit commissions/consortiums in managing the public rail system.
The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad is the third largest railroad in the State of Wisconsin.
When it began operations in 1980, the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad ran on 56 lb. rail on various segments; today’s minimum standard is 112 lb. rail.
Since the start up of operations in 1980, twenty-two grain elevators have located rail load out facilities on the Wisconsin & Southern system for loading of grain.
The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad ships more grain by railcar than all other railroads combined in the State of Wisconsin.
The rail industry, as a whole, is trying to reduce transportation costs for its customers by providing equipment that can haul more volume, increasing 100-ton carrying capacity to 115-ton capacity.
It takes 3.6 trucks to transport the same amount of volume as does one rail car.
The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad handles over 50,000 carloads annually, which equates to over 180,000+ trucks that are not on Wisconsin’s highways.
The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad saves Wisconsin taxpayers over 12 million dollars in additional highway maintenance annually.
The Wisconsin & Southern was named Regional Railroad of the Year by Railway Age Magazine in the year 2001.
The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad received the 2002 Marketing Award from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.
The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad employs over 200+ people.

[edit] Timeline

1980: 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.

[edit] See Also

[edit] External Links

List of United States railroads by political division
Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
District of Columbia · Puerto Rico

See also: List of defunct United States railroads