A Brookfield, Wis., railroading landmark has been relocated. Thursday night into Friday morning, the town’s former Milwaukee Road station was moved from its location along the current Canadian Pacific right-of-way to a new spot about 350 feet away [see “Brookfield, Wis., depot prepared for move,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 29, 2021]. Estimates are that at least 200 people shows up to watch the move, which began at 10 p.m. The station was moved across the CP tracks during a four-hour work window that had begun an hour earlier. The building will become a coffee shop. The structure is in a suburb about 12 miles from downtown Milwaukee.
You might still see remnants of the old Railcar Scale they had across from the Gravel Quarry in Waukesha to weigh cars (in order to charge correctly). Last I drove by there on my last Wisconsin visit I saw some remnants of it.
When I was a younger I took the family Golden Retiever to see live steam in Wisconsin on the C&NW (#1385). Same reaction by the dog. The dog was fine until you could feel the ground vibrations from the locomotive. Humans forget that part of a dogs senses are through their paw pads.
Charles, that is the street leading to the Town of Brookfield Service Truck area, Salt Storage, Etc. Not necessarily out of place there as the road descends the hill towards the service truck area the Milwaukee Road used to have it’s mainline swing across it in a curve towards Waukesha. It crossed North Avenue below Elmbrook Memorial Hospital diagonally right across the intersection there (rails might still be in place on either side of crossing but buried in growth). Then proceeded where it crossed the Soo Line at grade right under a freeway overpass, then past a lumber yard where there was a 4-5 track holding yard for train cars, then onto the gravel quarry in Waukesha and beyond crossing the C&NW at grade in Waukesha by the Depot Restaurant, then proceeding to Eagle, WI and eventually Prarie Du Chen. Bryon Kilborn initially rode the first Milwaukee and Mississippi train behind a wood burning locomotive from Milwaukee to Waukesha. I think he was a promoter of the line and involved in getting financing for construction.
Actually it’s the City service yard (the Town service yard is a couple of miles away). There are two possible entrances to the new depot site, the lower being the City yard service driveway and the upper being a residential street. I saw the Mayor yesterday at church but I’ve long since found out he doesn’t discuss business on Sunday mornings.
The branch you mentioned, ex MILW Brookfield to Waukesha, is of course a study in rail abandonment and return to nature. Several ex-MILW, ex-CNW, and ex- Milwaukee Electric lines have become bike trails but not this one. Crossing a wetland it would have been a scenic bike trail – but not a good one as it would dump into a busy ex-SOO (now CNR) yard by the Waukesha quarry. Getting in and out of the north side of Waukesha by bicycle is just about impossible.
Passed by the site today. Looks out of place on a residential street intersecting Brookfield Road. Hope there will be parking! Anyway it’s on high ground so if patio and/or windows will have a view of the action.
Anyone notice anything about the byline of the photographer?
I knew her father, Bill Kratville; he wrote one of the old classics: “Steam, Steel and Limiteds.” He at one time owned the Anheiser-Busch business car that became PRR 1000, then Amtrak 10,000 when he leased it to ATK. (This is all from memory; correct me if any errors.)
Fix the headline! Brookville?
Pathetic. Trains Magazine IS IN BROOKFIELD (Town of). The P/O address is Waukesha but the building isn’t.
I have a sad story about this crossing. Years ago we adopted an Australian shephard we named Tobias Fuenke (now deceased) and brought him home to meet Burlington and the other cats. The next day, as a family should, we brought Tobias to LaGrange (Illinois) for a day of train watching, which he seemed to enjoy.
After that one day, Toby hated trains. A few years later, we drove across the tracks (as in the photos) and saw a steam engine (MILW 261) coming toward us. Quickly, I pulled over. Mrs. L. and I got out to watch.
When we got back into the car, we found Tobias cowering on the floor of the back seat, whimpering. Useless animal. What good is a dog that won’t go train watching?
Charles – Did you ever take Tobias to the airport to see how he felt about your other passion? Just askin’.
No. Dogs don’t focus on distant objects. Only what they can smell.
Charles, my cocker Brady hears the crossing gates and goes nuts until the locomotives have gone by then all is fine. In the yard, even though he can’t see the trains, he hears them blowing for the crossings and it sets him off!
And the most daftness thing is he sees or hears the airplanes overhead and barks and chases them away, thinks the planes are birds.
Jim, I have a friend that had a dog that did the same with the planes as yours. He would run across the yard in the same direction that the plane was going. We could be standing and talking to each other and all of a sudden the dog would take off. We would look up, and sure enough, a jet at 30,000 feet.
I was last in Brookfield over 25 years ago, didn’t know there was a city and town.
Have a good weekend all!
Mister Landey, you in the picture?
No was home in bed. But thanks for asking!
Charles, when the place opens, your first beverage is on me.
Thankx Andy, but as a Town of Brookfield resident I’m allowed into the City of Brookfield only to go to church.