Pine River Valley and Stevens Point Railway

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Pine River Valley & Stevens Point Railway
Delivery of the first locomotive to the Richland Center Branch (Rockwell) Delivery of the first locomotive. Twin Bluffs, 1876
Delivery of the first locomotive for the Richland Center Branch (Rockwell)

First locomotive on the Richland Center Branch (Rockwell) - Photo taken at Twin Bluffs, WI, in 1876 (original) .jpeg

Delivery of the first locomotive. Twin Bluffs, 1876
Route of the Pine River Valley and Stevens Point Railway
Pine River Trail (Rails to Trails) on the old route
Route length: 16.22 miles = 26.1 km
Gauge : probably 914 mm
Legend
   
 0.0 Lone rock
   
 9.3 Gotham
   
 15.6 Twin bluffs
   
 26.1 Richland Center
   
 planned route extension
   
 planned: Stevens Point

The Pine River Valley & Stevens Point Railway was a 16 miles long narrow gauge railway on wooden rails from Lone Rock to Richland Center in Wisconsin .

history

Foundation and route construction

The company was founded in the early 1870s with the goal of "promoting the development of the Pine River Valley and Stevens Point Railroad." It consisted of some of the most enterprising and wealthy citizens in Richland Center. George Krouskop, David James and Norman James wanted to "hold and run the company until it was paid for."

business

Income and Expenditures, 1878–1880

The narrow-gauge branch line, the construction of which had been planned for several years, got off to a good start when a steam locomotive was delivered on a long-timber wagon pulled by horse and ox carts. It was commissioned in July 1876 and then operated from the Richland Center train station.

The Pine River Valley & Stevens Point Railway was profitable and successful from 1878-1880.

Takeover and re-gauging

In June 1880, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Company took over the route and switched it to standard gauge . In fiscal 1980-81, she invested $ 87,422 to build and maintain the Pine River Valley & Stevens Point Railway. For the first half of 1889, the company's stocks and bonds were largely owned by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Company.

Closure and current use of the route

The last mixed standard gauge passenger and freight train ran in the late 1940s. In the 1990s at the latest, the line was also closed for freight traffic. The Right of Way will be used today (2019) on the Pine River Trail under the slogan "Rails to Trails" for a bike trail.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Abandoned Railroads
  2. ↑ United States Interstate Commerce Commission: Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports, Volume 44, US Government Printing Office, 1934, p. 560.
  3. ^ Gotham Train Depot - Village of Gotham, Buena Vista Township.
  4. ^ 1st Railroad Engine on the Branch Line, Sextonville, Buena Vista Township, Richland County, Wisconsin, 1875. In: Republican Observer , Richland Center, Wisconsin, Jan. 26, 1961, p. 16.
  5. ↑ Hon. HH Giles: Wisconsin Railroads. P. 184.
  6. ^ The Chronicle, October 23, 1881. p. 441.
  7. ↑ Annual Report by Minnesota Office of Railroad Commissioner, Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railway Company, p. 806.
  8. ↑ Pine River Trail (Rails to Trails) on OpenStreetMap. February 2019.
  9. ^ Wisconsin Railroads & Harbors 2019

Coordinates: 43 ° 20 ′ 35.4 "  N , 90 ° 23 ′ 31.3"  W.