Neenah
Neenah, Wis., is one of those towns you have probably never heard of. There is, however, a good chance that something from Neenah impacts your life every day. Take a good look at the next manhole cover you cross. If it’s cast with the words “Neenah Foundry Co., Neenah, WI,” you now know the town we are talking about.
Location: We are on the west shore of Lake Winnebago about 2 hours north of Milwaukee and an hour southwest of Green Bay, Wis. Today, Neenah is Canadian National territory.
Historically, the Chicago & North Western was first to arrive here in 1861, as it built north from Oshkosh, Wis., on its way to Green Bay. The original Wisconsin Central (later Soo Line) built into town in 1880. The Milwaukee & Northern (Milwaukee Road) was the last to show up, reaching Neenah in 1881. Why all the railroads? Neenah produced a ton of paper and other industrial products, like manhole covers. Today, there is still plenty of railroad activity, just concentrated in one road.
Radio Frequencies: 160.785 Neenah Subdivision, 160.845 for the yard, 161.07 or 161.125 for switching and yard.
Train Watching: The Canadian National tracks are easily accessed in Neenah. The line runs through town following Harrison Street, which is either next to the tracks or a block away. Once across Main Street, the tracks cross and follow Lake Street. Between Main Street, on the north end, and Bell Street, on the south end, the city has worked to close virtually all grade crossings, replacing them with viaducts at Main Street, Winneconne Avenue, Cecil Street, and Bell Street. The viaducts all have sidewalks and offer good positions for elevated photos. There is ample street parking available but plan for some short walks to ideal photo locations.
Neenah is on CN’s line from Chicago to International Falls, Minn./Fort Frances, Ontario, where the line meets the Canadian transcontinental route.
The CN through Neenah offers a varied run of trains. You will see locals serving industries with covered hoppers for plastics, gondolas for scrap metal, and boxcars for paper products. You will see through trains made up entirely of oil tanks, auto racks, or double-stacked well cars. With Precision Schedule Railroading, mixed merchandise trains are longer with interesting intra-train blocking. Most through trains will have DPUs about two-thirds of the way back or at the end. Through trains can have foreign power, which makes for interesting watching and photos.
If you don’t have a scanner, watch the signals just north of Winchester Road and south of Cecil Street for an indication of south bound trains. There are signals just north of Bell Street to watch for northbounds. The signals will normally display red and will change aspect when a train is approaching. Once a signal changes it can take 30 to 60 minutes for a train to arrive.
Best Viewing: Trains will come through Neenah solo or in groups of two to four. For multiples, it will usually be a combination of north and southbounds. The multiples will meet and pass in town. Northbound trains are held around Bell Street when preparing for a meet.
As the tracks run north-south, early morning and late afternoon offer good shadows and contrast on the respective sides of the rails. Also, looking north from the Main Street bridge is an interesting S-curve. Good photos can be had from either side of the curve.
If you’re looking for industrial switching or yard shots, stake out one of the bridges. Most of the industrial action is on the east side of the tracks. Street-level access is difficult. The Neenah yard extends from Winneconne Avenue south to Cecil Street. The Cecil Street bridge offers great views of the yard switching action.
Lastly, the C&NW Neenah depot still stands. Built in 1892, the depot is located at 500 N. Commercial St. Architecturally, the stone and brick depot was designed by Charles Sumner Frost in the Richardsonian Romanesque Style. Frost designed a number of significant depots for the C&NW. The depot has been restored and is now the offices of a local architectural firm.
For the Family: While you are watching the trains, the rest of the family may wish to stroll downtown Neenah, which offers a collection of unique shops and eateries. If you are in town during the winter months, visit The Plaza at Gateway Park, which is part of downtown. The Plaza offers outdoor ice skating, fire warming pits, and Globe Coffee for seasonal beverages. A visit to the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass would be a great experience. The museum exhibits the world’s largest collection of paperweights along with plenty of other glass works. Neenah has numerous parks with lake views and hiking trails. For the railroad enthusiast, a visit to Fritse Park is a must. Here you can walk the Trestle Trail, which is the old C&NW bridge across Little Lake Butte des Morts. Finally, wrap up your train watching day with a visit to Cranky Pat’s Pizza at the corner of Cecil and South Commercial Streets. This local institution has been rolling out thin-crust pizzas since 1955.
