This file portion of www.watertownhistory.org
website
File
on Railroad spur, North Water St.
Chapter on Railroads
This file is under construction
at this time.
Watertown's
railroad history began during the administration of Theodore
Prentiss.
At
that time $80,000 was voted for railroad bonds to cover the cost of
constructing the Milwaukee-Watertown Railroad.
1853
A
prospect of getting a few cents more in price will induce the carrying of grain
to Milwaukee over the plank road. The
only remedy is a railroad between these interior markets and the lake
towns. Farmers cannot compete with a
railroad in carrying grain, therefore they will find it to their advantage to
sell at the nearest R. R. depot. This
consequently induces a home market, and the money laid out for necessaries by
the farmers retained in the interior. State Register, 05 28 1853
1855
Col. Donald Scott came to Watertown and engaged
in railroad building with A. L. Graham, securing a contract for grading,
bridging and ballasting what is now the C.M.&St.P.
Ry. from Oconomowoc to Columbus, through this city. The road was known in those
days as the Milwaukee and Watertown Ry.
10 25 The
Railroad is now in a passable condition, though the bad weather has prevented
the work of making the track firm and even from being carried out as fast as
desirable. Trains now run regularly, and but for the number of freight cars it
is necessary to put on in order to get away the large amount of grain
accumulated at this point, there would be no difficulty in making rapid trips.
Each day is now improving the road and in a short time it will be one of the
best and most reliable thorofares in the country. As
soon as it can be done, two trains a day will be put on, which will be a great
convenience. WD
11 08 Two
trains a day are now running between this city and Milwaukee. The road is in
fair condition, and every day of pleasant weather is making it better. The cars
make good time, and thereafter will run with regularity that may be depended
upon. WD
12 27 Milwaukee and Watertown Railroad built new
freight house, parallel with the main depot WD
1858
08 05 Our
Railroad interests. Land Grant Road WD
09 & 10 The Milwaukee, Watertown and Baraboo Valley
Railroad Company to lay their line from Columbus to the Wisconsin
River WD
09 16 Trip over the Milwaukee, Watertown and Baraboo
Valley Railroad; one of the pleasantest to be had in Wisconsin Milwaukee Sentinel
10 14 Completion of section of Chicago, St. Paul
and Fond du Lac Railroad between the Watertown and the La Crosse
Junction WD
12
09 Coupons
[bonds] sold liberally, trouble when presented for payment WD
1859
04 21 Relations of city with Chicago, St. Paul
& Fond du Lac Railroad; hopelessly insolvent, city deemed advisable to
assign stock according to plan proposed
WD
07 21 La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad Co;
extend Watertown railroad by building of short section between Columbus and
Portage WD
08 11 With hardly an exception, uncompleted western railroads have been at a
standstill for the eighteen months, but large gangs of men are now busy in our
neighborhood in grading and laying the track upon two different roads leading
through this place—the first running to the west, connecting Watertown with
Madison, the state capitol, being an extension of the Milwaukee and Watertown
Road, and the other completing the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Road,
between Janesville and the La Crosse junction.
The latter is now called the Chicago and NorthWestern Railroad, and it is certain that by the middle
of October, the cars will be running upon it from Chicago to Oshkosh, a
distance of one hundred and eighty miles through the richest part of the state
. . . WD
09 01 Regular trains running over
Chicago and North Western Railroad between city and Oshkosh
New Chicago and North Western depot building a few
rods south of the plank road WD
1860
02 16 Milwaukee, Watertown & Baraboo Valley
RR Co, acquires rights, property and privileges of both earlier RR’s WD
05 24 Chicago and Northwestern derailed,
struck cow WD
05 31 Junction House,
kept by H. B. Sherman WD
07 05 Farm property for railroad stock
subscriptions, mortgages WD
08 09 Twenty freight cars have built in city
at machine shop of Milwaukee, Watertown and Baraboo Valley Co WD
12 06 Milwaukee, Watertown & Baraboo Valley
RR Co to change name to that of the “Milwaukee & Western Railroad
Co. WD
1861
05 02 Trains now
run regularly on the Chicago and North Western Railroad as far north as
Appleton. The track between that city
and Oshkosh is being ballasted and will shortly be in the best running order. Passengers can go straight through to Chicago
without delay. WD
06 06 Last Monday
we passed over the line of the Milwaukee and Western Railroad, which is now
doing a heavy carrying business. The
cars were crowded with passengers, every warehouse along the road was filled
with wheat ready to send forward, the only trouble being to get freight cars
enough to take it away. At Ixonia station a new side track has recently been put down
and several new buildings are being put up.
There was everywhere an appearance of business, activity and prosperity
— it was a pleasure to witness. We saw
some fields of rye and winter wheat heading out finely, which made us think we
were on the verge of another harvest, instead of having just passed from spring
to summer. WD
1866 In 1866 the largest
employer in Watertown was the St. Paul Railroad with 306 men on its
payroll. About two-thirds of these
employees worked in the train car repair shops until the company moved to
Milwaukee in 1868 [ source ].
1867
Railroad locomotive built in Watertown at
local railroad shop, under the supervision of F. J. Hall, master mechanic.
1872
H.
J. Darton, locomotive engineer for the Milwaukee
Road; mention of engineer C. E. Straw
Watertown Gazette, 02 12
1909
1877
Fierce fire broke out in a
warehouse at the C.&N.W.Ry. depot and spread
rapidly WG, 02 26 1909
1887
06 23 Junction fire; rail mill, machine shop, carpenter
shop and blacksmith shop of the C. M. & St. Paul RR WD
1907
01 16 Train wreck at the
Junction
08 16 Robbery of box cars at Northwestern
depot WL
08 23 Another train wreck at Junction
1908
09 04 Engine
in River. Sidetrack gave way
north of Eaton & Son's ice houses; large C. & N. W. Ry.
locomotive tipped into river. WG
1909
03 12 "Shut your ashpan" WG
Nov Chicago
and North-Western accident, 12 killed WD
1915
05 15 Hold-up
at Watertown Junction; Northwestern
depot broken into WLeader
07 29 Barnum and Bailey Circus comes to town, five
railroad trains needed WG
1957
12 06
Milwaukee Road has been denied permission
to discontinue the Milwaukee Road train stops in Watertown. WDT
09 01
Fred Fenner retired from Milwaukee Road; 50 years of service WDT
1958
09 12 Hearing into discontinuance of
Milwaukee Road's commuter train which operates between Watertown and
Milwaukee
WDT
09 23 Milwaukee Road’s “Cannonball”
commuter train between Watertown and Milwaukee, public hearing on WDT
1959
06 19 Petition to discontinue Railway Express
Agency in Watertown WDT
1960
09 04 Thirty-Three Freight Cars Derail
Thirty-three
Milwaukee Road freight cars were derailed here a few minutes before 8 o’clock
this morning. The accident occurred a short distance east
of the Union Depot, with the principal pile up of box cars occurring
between the depot and the Milford Street crossing. Of the 33 cars, 22 cars were part of a 100 or
more east bound freight train, and the other 11 were attached to a switching
engine. cars on the switching train
were knocked off the track by the impact of the derailed freight cars. No one was injured in the accident. As a result of the wreck, there was no train
service of any kind today and it is anticipated that service will not be
resumed until sometime on Wednesday, according to E.G. Stewart, Milwaukee Road
Agent. From one-quarter to one-half mile
of tracks were torn up. Repair of this
damage is under the supervision of Frank Herleby,
road master. WDT
1960s
In the early 1960s, the old
Watertown train roundhouse which housed the cars of the train companies was
demolished.
1972
Passenger trains which allowed residents to catch 30 different trains a
day in the 1930s and 1940s have been gone since 1972.
1977
06 23 Junction of Chicago
and North Western with Milwaukee Road tracks removed WDT
1983
05 03 Workers installed a crossing
diamond where the Milwaukee Road and Chicago
& North Western railroads will intersect in Watertown north of West
Street. C & NW plans to abandon
east-west track through Jefferson County this summer and to restore north-south
track from Jefferson Junction to Clyman, abandoned
several years ago. WDT
1984
02 25 Milwaukee Road discontinues freight service
in Watertown. WDT
10 21 Derailment; tanker cars of Milwaukee Road
freight train; in the Watertown yards. WDT
1998
07 02 Hiawatha Extension service
from Watertown to Milwaukee will continue to operate for only nine more
days. WDT
11 13 Canadian Pacific Railway installs new track
from the city west to Columbus WDT
1999
09 15 &
10 02 Support for Amtrak stop in Watertown;
demo ride Columbus to
Watertown WDT
12 18 Possibility of rail passenger service
for Watertown WDT
2000
02 03 Study of high-speed rail, Madison to
Milwaukee; stop in Watertown WDT
04 02 Train Horns to return; local ordinance
pre-empted WDT
10 08 Wisconsin & Southern rails, Dodge Cty Board members got the feel of WDT
2008
07 23 The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Company
services 1,400 communities in the state.
The city of Horicon is the hub of operations in Dodge County as it is
home to the locomotive repair operations, paint shop and switching system.
2009
02 25 Stimulus bill raises possibility of rail
service for Watertown; engineering plan calls for a complete upgrade of the
tracks to accommodate the high speed passenger trains in addition to the 30 or more
freight trains that pass through the city each day. WDTimes story
2010 New High-Speed Train Depot Proposed
Vacant Pick ‘n Save store proposed as
site for new high-speed train depot, adjacent to historic arch railroad bridge.
07 29 Agreement signed releasing $46.5 million for high-speed rail between
Madison and Milwaukee, includes Watertown station. WDTimes story
12 09 $1.2 billion in high-speed rail money being taken away from Ohio and
Wisconsin and awarded to projects in other states. Governor-elect Scott Walker had vowed to kill
the planned 110-mph Milwaukee-to-Madison passenger train route that was to be
funded with Wisconsin's share of $8 billion in federal stimulus dollars. Ohio
Governor-elect John Kasich had issued a similar promise for a planned 79-mph
line connecting his state's three largest cities, funded by $400 million in
stimulus cash. In a meeting with reporters
in Pewaukee, Walker called the decision a "victory" because he sees
the rail line as a symbol of excessive government spending.
Outgoing
Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle had suggested Walker's stand also would jeopardize a
separate $12 million grant for upgrades to a Hiawatha crossing and the Mitchell
International Airport station platform, but the federal announcement made no
mention of withdrawing that money. Doyle
called the loss of the high-speed rail funds a "tragic moment for the
state of Wisconsin."
The
Milwaukee-to-Madison line would have been an extension of the Hiawatha. It
eventually could have been extended to the Twin Cities, as part of a Midwestern
network of fast, frequent trains.
12 11 Killing
the train plan an opportunity lost
U.S.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood this week sounded the death knell for the
high-speed rail project in Wisconsin in an announcement that was a surprise to
hardly anyone. Gov.-elect Scott Walker
made stopping the train project a major plank in his election campaign and he
based that vehement opposition to the project on the estimated $7.5 million
annual state subsidy the train was expected to have . . .
We
have been strong supporters of the extension of the Hiawatha line from
Milwaukee through Watertown and on to Madison as the first step in a broader
plan to extend the service to Minneapolis-St. Paul. This line would have also
been the first of many which would have comprised the Midwest Regional Rail
Initiative, connecting a number of larger cities in the Midwest. We strongly
believe the train extension would have stimulated the economy of Watertown and
others along the line and near it. Not only would it have been another option
for travelers who don’t want or are unable to use the increasingly congested
highways, but it would have improved freight service dramatically . . .
But,
now those hopes are all history. The
train is dead and the opportunities are lost.
And, it’s likely they will be lost for a long, long time. Watertown Daily Times
Cross
References:
Wisconsin
railroad timeline: 19th century
