CRANDON, Wis. – Canadian National has filed a notice of exemption with the Federal Surface Transportation Board to abandon a former Soo Line route in northern Wisconsin. The 6.4-mile line is on CN’s Pembine Subdivision, between milepost 242.21 (formerly milepost 243.00 on the old Shawano Subdivision) in Argonne and milepost 235.85 (formerly milepost 249.38) at Crandon.
The line was once part of Soo Line’s route from Wisconsin’s Fox River Valley to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, linking with Soo’s Minneapolis-Sault Ste. Marie line at Argonne. After Soo sold these lines to Wisconsin Central in 1987, the route continued in that role until WC’s acquisition of Union Pacific’s former Chicago & North Western routes north of Green Bay in 1997 offered a more direct route. The line through Crandon to Argonne was then downgraded, and over the last several years, portions south of Crandon have been abandoned. There was potential for business in Crandon with a proposed metallic sulfide ore mine in the area, but that proposal has been abandoned.
The abandonment will be effective Aug. 27, 2014, unless stayed pending reconsideration.
I agree with Mr.Duprey, if CN wants out even with customers wanting to ship by rail then put the Northern WI lines up forsale or let another ooperation take them over. I think progressive rail would be a great candidate.
Mr. Welch/Mr. Walker: Neither of your analyses of the Crandon mine are accurate; neither of them are on topic. Please save the politics for political sites and stick to railroading and railfanning here? Thank you.
To Jim Norton: Not that much sand, too far east. This line also connects with another line that CN has embargoed and wants to tear up even though there are customers that want to ship by rail on the line. Hopefully the STB doesn't let them tear this line up without someone else taking a try at it. Especially someone who actually wants to make it viable & not chase all the customers away as CN has done on most Wisconsin lines.
Wisconsin Central went after pulp wood aggressively up in those parts of WI but it is not the same with CN. I bet CN well also abandon the White pine sub shortly to.
Carl M Welch: I could not have stated better what you said about the enviro natzis and their strangling of our business and commerce.
To bad.
The environmental religion is very successful in attacking most industrial projects in the US. The proposed Crandon mine was one of them. A good example of guilty until proven innocent. I guess we just can't stand prosperity.
…Guess the pulpwood business has dried out for that part of the northwoods.
It can be made into a heritage railroad like the Iron Mountain line in Jackson, MO. Very nice excursion and its ALSO 6 miles long. I have personally been on it, very nice.
Not that far north. Most sand in Wisconsin is in the western part of the state, particularly around Eau Claire. I hope this abandoned line gets converted into a multi-use trail.
Isn't there lots of sand in that neck of the woods?