One-of-a-Kind at Combined Locks.
A Chicago and North Western local powered by RS3u 4250 has completed its switching at Appleton Papers at Combined Locks, Wisconsin on Columbus Day, October 11, 1982, and is heading back to the mainline to couple onto its train.
This unit, formerly 1613, is the result of a wreck rebuild by ALCO during which the RS3 received an RS11 hood, along with a 251-series power plant. Unit 1624 was also rebuilt, but spent its last years in the deadline at Huron, South Dakota and was not renumbered. During the Spring of 1981 it was brought east from its long-time assignment at Huron to Green Bay, Wis., along with the rest of the serviceable four-motor ALCO's. It was generally assigned to Appleton or Green Bay.
On this overcast day, my brother and I started early from our dad's campsite at Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo and headed north to Wisconsin Rapids, east to Stevens Point and Green Bay, south to Kaukauna, Appleton, Neenah, then onward in the darkness to suburban Chicago. Knowing that the ALCO's weren't going to last forever, we tried to see them at every opportunity.
After catching freight #295 at Kaukauna, as was our general practice, we followed the Appleton Flats branch to catch whatever locals might be running on the Appleton Jct.-Kaukauna line. At Combined Locks we lucked into this unique unit, one of my favorites, and followed it to LC Siding at Little Chute. I'm sure we wanted to follow it more, but it was getting late and we still had many more miles ahead in our journey.
I've always thought this branch would make a nice basis for a model railroad. In addition to switch jobs assigned to Appleton Junction and Kaukauna, there could be as many as 2-3 locals out on the line switching mills at Appleton Flats, Kimberly (MidTec) and Combined Locks, plus the huge Thilmany mill at Kaukauna. There were also several pre-fab metal warehouses owned by Kampo and Warehouse Specialties that used rail service, where finished paper products were stored until shipment. One of the jobs was routinely assigned two units, usually a pair of Geeps.
One-of-a-Kind at Combined Locks.
A Chicago and North Western local powered by RS3u 4250 has completed its switching at Appleton Papers at Combined Locks, Wisconsin on Columbus Day, October 11, 1982, and is heading back to the mainline to couple onto its train.
This unit, formerly 1613, is the result of a wreck rebuild by ALCO during which the RS3 received an RS11 hood, along with a 251-series power plant. Unit 1624 was also rebuilt, but spent its last years in the deadline at Huron, South Dakota and was not renumbered. During the Spring of 1981 it was brought east from its long-time assignment at Huron to Green Bay, Wis., along with the rest of the serviceable four-motor ALCO's. It was generally assigned to Appleton or Green Bay.
On this overcast day, my brother and I started early from our dad's campsite at Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo and headed north to Wisconsin Rapids, east to Stevens Point and Green Bay, south to Kaukauna, Appleton, Neenah, then onward in the darkness to suburban Chicago. Knowing that the ALCO's weren't going to last forever, we tried to see them at every opportunity.
After catching freight #295 at Kaukauna, as was our general practice, we followed the Appleton Flats branch to catch whatever locals might be running on the Appleton Jct.-Kaukauna line. At Combined Locks we lucked into this unique unit, one of my favorites, and followed it to LC Siding at Little Chute. I'm sure we wanted to follow it more, but it was getting late and we still had many more miles ahead in our journey.
I've always thought this branch would make a nice basis for a model railroad. In addition to switch jobs assigned to Appleton Junction and Kaukauna, there could be as many as 2-3 locals out on the line switching mills at Appleton Flats, Kimberly (MidTec) and Combined Locks, plus the huge Thilmany mill at Kaukauna. There were also several pre-fab metal warehouses owned by Kampo and Warehouse Specialties that used rail service, where finished paper products were stored until shipment. One of the jobs was routinely assigned two units, usually a pair of Geeps.