Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Waukesha Depot

Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

The Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Company was organized on May 15, 1880 to build a railroad between its two namesake Wisconsin cities, and this depot of local limestone and cream-colored brick was built in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in 1881. Designed by Chicago-area architect William Warren Boyington and constructed by local carpenter Samuel Dodd, the depot’s architecture has been described as Stick style, Queen Anne, and Victorian Gothic. The Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Company was consolidated into the Chicago, Milwaukee & North Western Railway Company on March 19, 1881. The first passenger train arrived from Madison on February 1, 1882. On June 7, 1883, The Chicago, Milwaukee & North Western Railway Company was consolidated into the Chicago & North Western Railway Company.

Williams Street Sign at the Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

The depot is located at 319 Williams Street in Waukesha. Although only one block long, Williams Street was an important focal point for business transportation and public accommodations from the 1880s and into the 20th century, as commercial travelers, tourists visiting the Springs Era resorts and spas, home seekers, and business entrepreneurs arrived in Waukesha at this depot, which served 16 trains a day at its peak. Other businesses on Williams Street that served railroad passengers included the Northwestern Hotel at 322 Williams Street, George Borchardt’s saloon at 328 Williams Street, and Stephen Platner’s Livery at 332 Williams Street.

Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

This depot also served as a terminal for the Waukesha Beach Railway, an electric interurban railroad which was formed on August 27, 1894 with $75,000 in capital. This six-mile railroad was built by C. E. Loss & Company of Chicago to the shore of Pewaukee Lake, where the railroad built the Waukesha Beach Amusement Park. The 20-acre park featured a swimming beach on the lake, the Palm Gardens Ballroom, a hotel, 3 roller coasters, a fun house and other amusement rides. The Waukesha Beach Railway began operating its first summer season on June 15, 1895, with the formal opening of the railroad and the park on June 25, 1895. The six-mile trip to the park took about 15 minutes, with scheduled trains every 40 minutes. The Waukesha Beach Railway was purchased by The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company in August 1897. Originally intended for operation only during the summer season, the line was connected to the rest of The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company system, and year-round service began on December 11, 1899. Operations of the Waukesha Beach Amusement Park ended on July 21, 1941, with the park and beach closing entirely in 1949.

Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

On October 14, 1948, President Harry S. Truman made a ten-minute speech at this depot in front of 10,000 people. The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company ceased operations on July 2, 1951, and the last Chicago & North Western passenger train ran stopped in Waukesha on June 16, 1957. While freight service continued, the depot was vacated by the railroad in 1964 and remained empty until 1973, when it was purchased and converted into a railroad-themed restaurant by Edward Friend of Hubertus, Wisconsin, with a train of heavyweight passenger cars for restaurant patrons to dine in.

Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

These cars, lettered for the fictitious Waukesha & Western, were previously owned by the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad. The Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad was created on September 13, 1940, by the merger of the Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad, which was created in 1917 as a reorganization of the New Orleans, Mobile and Chicago Railroad, and the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, which was chartered in 1848. On August 10, 1972, the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad merged with the Illinois Central Railroad to form the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. The name changed back to Illinois Central Railroad on February 29, 1988.

Coach-Observation #212 Prairieville at the Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

"Waukesha & Western" Coach-Observation #212 Prairieville was built by Pullman in 1927 as Mobile & Ohio #212, and it later became Gulf, Mobile & Ohio #212. This car was not built as an open-platform observation car; it appears one of the vestibules was cut away to create the open platform after the car was purchased for the restaurant.

Coach #217 "Bethesda" at the Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

"Waukesha & Western "Coach #217 Bethesda was previously Gulf, Mobile & Ohio #217, and was originally Mobile & Ohio #217. It may be from the same order as coach #212.

Coach #3096 at the Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

"Waukesha & Western" Coach #3096 was built by Pullman in 1923 as Chicago & Alton Railroad #325 Webster Groves, for the 1924 Alton Limited between Chicago and St. Louis. The Alton Limited was originally introduced in 1899, and two new 6-car consists were built for the 1924 train at a cost of 1 million dollars. The Chicago and Alton Railroad was created on October 10, 1862, in a reorganization of the St. Louis, Alton and Chicago Railroad, and could trace its history back to the Alton and Sangamon Railroad, which was chartered February 27, 1847. In 1931 the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad purchased the Chicago and Alton Railroad and renamed it The Alton Railroad Company, before eventually ceding the bankrupt Alton Railroad to the courts in 1942. The Alton was merged into the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad on May 31, 1947, and this car became Gulf, Mobile & Ohio #3096.

Coach #326 at the Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

"Waukesha & Western" Coach # 326 was previously Gulf, Mobile & Ohio #326, and was originally Mobile & Ohio #326.

Baggage Car #94 at the Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

The history of "Waukesha & Western" Baggage Car #94 is not documented, but it is presumably a former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Baggage Car that may have been originally owned by the Mobile & Ohio.

Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

There was originally a steam locomotive at the head of the display train: Soo Line 4-6-0 #2645, built by Brooks Locomotive Works in 1900 as Wisconsin Central #247. Soo Line leased the Wisconsin Central in 1909. The last 4-6-0 in service on the Soo Line, it was retired in 1952 with over 1 million miles of service and was donated to the city of Waukesha on October 29, 1952, and placed on static display in Frame Park, where it would stay until it became part of the restaurant in 1972.

Wisconsin & Southern and Wisconsin Central Rail Lines at the Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

The Chicago & North Western abandoned its line from Waukesha to Cottage Grove in 1983. This left the tracks running past the depot as only a connection to the nearby former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific branch line from Milton Jct. through Waukesha, which had been purchased by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation on February 26, 1980, for $266.677. The operation of this line was leased to the Central Wisconsin Railroad Company on March 4, 1980. The Central Wisconsin Railroad filed for bankruptcy in December 1984, and in January 1985 the Chicago West Pullman Railroad’s Wisconsin & Calumet Railroad took over operations. In 1987 the Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission assumed jurisdiction over the line. In 1988, plans were made for a new connection between the Wisconsin & Calumet’s former C&NW line and the Wisconsin Central’s former Soo Line track to allow most of the former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific track to be removed. This would require a curved track following a path that the steam locomotive was blocking. On September 20, 1988, the Waukesha City Council donated the steam locomotive to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin, where it arrived in July 1989 and remains today. This connection marks the southern end of the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad’s trackage rights over the Wisconsin Central. The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad acquired the Wisconsin & Calumet in August 1992, and the trackage rights over the Wisconsin Central are the only connection between the Wisconsin& Southern’s original lines in the north and the former Wisconsin & Calumet lines in the south.

Caboose at the Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

Also at the depot is a 28’ steel cupola caboose, built in 1941 as Illinois Central #9803. This caboose was built on an underframe from an Illinois Central gondola car, and features side doors used for collecting train orders while in motion.

Depot Barber Shop Sign at the Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

This caboose was the home of the Depot Barber Shop at 321 Williams Street. The barbershop was operated by Clarence “Butch” Mareno. At the age of 83 in 2001, he was one of the oldest barbers in Wisconsin, having been cutting hair in Waukesha for 66 years.

Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

There are also at least three freight cars at the depot, two along Williams Street with the caboose, and one more closer to the depot building. These cars have their sides covered with metal siding, hiding their original sides and making them difficult to identify, but they have stirrup steps near the middle where the doors would have been, suggesting they were insulated box cars or refrigerator cars, which would allow for their potential use as restaurant storage.

Freight Cars at the Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

The easternmost car along Williams Street appears to have ice hatches on the roof, indicating it was a refrigerator car. The running boards on the others suggest they were boxcars. The dreadnought steel ends on the cars are not covered with siding, suggesting these cars might have wood-sheathed sides. Wood-sheathed insulated boxcars would have been unusual, though they might have started out as refrigerator cars and had their ice hatches removed.

Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

The Depot was designated a Local Landmark in 1992. It was placed on the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places on October 24, 1994, and on the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1995.

The Waukesha Depot Restaurant Sign at the Milwaukee & Madison Railroad Depot in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on November 19, 2001

Known as the Waukesha Depot Restaurant through 2001, in 2002 it would be purchased by Tony Marquéz and converted into a Mexican restaurant called La Estacíon.

1992 California Trip: California Western Railroad

Photo by Cliff West

On our family's California trip, we arrived in Fort Bragg on the afternoon of March 17, 1992. Due to our unscheduled exploration of The Geysers, we were too late to ride the California Western Railroad to Willits, so we spent the night in Fort Bragg. Our motel in Fort Bragg was the best we stayed in during the entire trip. It was a fairly new motel with an indoor swimming pool. Meanwhile, my dad went down to the California Western depot and got these pictures of a California Western freight train arriving in Fort Bragg.

The California Western Railroad was originally built in 1885 by the Fort Bragg Lumber Company as the Fort Bragg Railroad. In 1904, passenger service was inaugurated. On July 1, 1905, the railroad was renamed the California Western Railroad & Navigation Company. The railroad was completed to Willits and a connection with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad on December 11, 1911. Self-propelled gas-powered railcars were added for passenger service in 1925, they were nicknamed "skunks" because of the smell of their exhaust. The "skunks" soon took over passenger service, and regular steam-powered passenger train service ended in November 1929.  On December 19, 1947, the name was shortened to California Western Railroad. In June 1987, the California Western was sold to Kyle Railways.

Photo by Cliff West

California Western GP9R #64 was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1955 as Southern Pacific #5607. In 1965 it was renumbered to #3444. It was rebuilt at Southern Pacific's Sacramento General Shops to GP9R #3311 on May 11, 1970. It was retired by Southern Pacific on December 17, 1986 and sold to Metal Processing, Inc. in Vinton, Texas on January 2, 1988. It was resold later that year to Kyle Railways as #1750, and was transferred to the California Western in May 1989.

The second locomotive is California Western RS11 #62. It was originally built by Alco Products in April 1959 as Southern Pacific #5854. In 1965 it was renumbered to #2919. It was sold to Kyle Railways on January 10, 1980, and was later assigned to the California Western.

The next day, we rode the California Western Railroad’s “Skunk Train” from Fort Bragg to Willits and back. While we waited for departure time, we made a souvenir flatted penny in a machine in the depot. I also got a single-use camera so I could take pictures of the ride. I took this picture of California Western motorcar M-300 waiting in front of the Fort Bragg depot for passengers to board.

Motorcar M-300 is a Motorailer built by American Car & Foundry in 1935 as Seaboard Air Line #2026. It was the third of a group of three built for the Seaboard. It became Aberdeen & Rockfish #106 in 1944 and then became Salt Lake, Garfield & Western MC-3 in 1951. It was purchased by the California Western in 1963.

Photo by Cliff West

Dad took this picture of the front end of motorcar M-300 at Northspur, the midpoint of the line, where the train makes a brief stop. Passengers have the option of remaining in Northspur, where there is a picnic area, and waiting for the train to return from Willits.

Since I took a picture of the front of motorcar M-300 in Fort Bragg, I took this picture of the rear end at Northspur.

Photo by Cliff West

At one point the railroad goes around several horseshoe curves, and another part of the line appears to be a parallel track. My dad took this photo to illustrate it. This is one of the five horseshoe curves with a total length of 6.5 miles required to climb 932 feet between two points 1.5 miles apart.

Here is a view from the train I took as it approached Tunnel #2, the second of the two tunnels on the line. This tunnel is 795 feet long and was completed in 1911.

Photo by Cliff West

My dad took this picture of the train’s engineer at the controls.

I took this picture looking back at the interior of motorcar M-300 as we travelled, showing the light passenger load on this March weekday.

Here is a picture I took of a horse I spotted along the line as we approached Willits.

As we entered Willits, I spotted this green & white patrol car of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office stopped at a railroad crossing on California State Route 20 and snapped a picture, as I’d never seen a green & white police car before. At this point the highway crosses Broaddus Creek, which parallels the railroad here.

Photo by Cliff West

While the train was turned around in Willits, we had a little time to explore. At Willits, the California Western connected with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific. There was a variety of railroad equipment in Willits that my dad took the opportunity to photograph. Arcata & Mad River #102 is a General Electric 44-Tonner. It was built in 1950 for the Pine Flat Dam Contractors and was acquired in 1954 by the Arcata & Mad River Railroad, a small shortline that connected to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad at Arcata, California, north of Eureka. The Arcata & Mad River shut down on May 24, 1985, and the abandoned line was sold to the Eureka Southern in 1988. This locomotive was sold to a private owner and was stored in Willits. It has since been scrapped.

Photo by Cliff West

Eureka Southern Caboose #51 is former Southern Pacific caboose #1101. It is a C-40-3 Class Caboose built by SP’s Los Angeles Shops in 1942. The Eureka Southern purchased the northern section of the Northwestern Pacific from the Southern Pacific in 1984, and operated from Eureka to Willits. The Eureka Southern would declare bankruptcy in April 1992, a month after our visit.

Photo by Cliff West

California Western #53 is a DS-4-4-1000 built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1949 as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers W8380. It was later sold to Pan American Engineering and was acquired by the California Western in 1956. It was retired in 1985 and sold to a John Bradley of Laytonville, California, but remained stored in Willits.

Photo by Cliff West

Central California Traction #42 is an S-1 that was built by the American Locomotive Company (later called Alco Products) in 1942 as Northern Pacific Terminal Company #34 for use in Portland, Oregon. It was sold to Central California Traction in August 1965. It was retired and sold in March 1983 to a Jim Bruggere who stored it in Willits.

Photo by Cliff West

California Western #57 is an S-12 originally built by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton in September 1953 as Southern Pacific #1541. In 1965 it was renumbered to #2148. It was retired by Southern Pacific on May 24, 1973, and was sold to the California Western on August 9, 1973. The California Western sold it to John Bradley of Laytonville, California, in January 1985. 

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific SD9R #4418 is wearing the “Kodachrome” paint scheme of the Southern Pacific’s aborted merger with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. It was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1955 as Southern Pacific #5432. In 1965 it was renumbered to #3910. On November 5, 1976, it was upgraded at Southern Pacific's Sacramento General Shops as SD9R #4418. It was painted in SPSF's "Kodachrome" colors in 1986, and continued to wear them despite the merger being denied by the Interstate Commerce Commission on June 30, 1987, and would continue to wear them to its retirement on September 18, 1995.

Photo by Cliff West

Eureka Southern #30 is a GP38 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in 1969 as Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines #2007. It was built with dual control stands, and part of the front wall of the cab is extended forward a few inches to make a little more room to walk around the control stand.

Photo by Cliff West

This locomotive became Conrail #7667 before being sold to Eureka Southern in 1984 with three other identical GP38s. All four locomotives would be sold shortly after Eureka Southern’s bankruptcy in April 1992.

After our train was turned around, we returned to the Willits depot and reboarded for the return trip to Fort Bragg. Here are some pictures I took of motorcar M-300’s control stand while we waited for departure time.

We departed Willits to return to Fort Bragg aboard the train. Here is another view I took as we approached Tunnel #2, this time from the other end.

Here is a view I took from onboard the train as it approached Tunnel #1. The train is on a trestle over the Noyo River right up until it enters the tunnel. The tunnel is 1,100 feet long and was completed in 1893.

Photo by Cliff West

After returning to Fort Bragg, my dad took one last picture of California Western Caboose #11, on static display at the Fort Bragg depot. The plywood-bodied caboose was built in Fort Bragg in the 1960s, on the frame of a former Southern Pacific wood caboose.

Caboose at the California State Railroad Museum

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific CA-5 Caboose #25256 was built by Union Pacific’s Omaha Shops in July 1952 as #3956. It was renumbered to #25256 in June 1959. It was retired in September 1983 and donated to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California, in October 1983.

1992 California Trip, Part 2: Dunsmuir, California

After some car repairs, our next stop was the town of Dunsmuir, California. Dunsmuir was a division point on the Central Pacific and later Southern Pacific Railroad, where, in the days of steam, trains changed locomotives and crews at the base of the mountains. Though diesel locomotives reduced the town's importance to the railroad, Dunsmuir still celebrates its railroad history.

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific steam locomotive #1727 is on static display at the city park in Dunsmuir.

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific #1727 is an M-6 Class 2-6-0 Mogul built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in September 1901. It was donated to the city of Dunsmuir in June 1957.

Photo by Cliff West

Near the city park is a steel caboose painted to commemorate the Southern Pacific Railroad in Dunsmuir. Despite the paint job, this caboose was never owned or operated by the Southern Pacific. It was built for the Northern Pacific Railway in 1954 as #1068. Later it was renumbered to #10068. After the Northern Pacific Railway was merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad, this caboose became Burlington Northern #11411 and operated into the 1980s.