Chapter 20

The Shops and New Division Points

The reorganization of the Wisconsin Central and the formation of the New Wisconsin Central Railway Company approached completion in 1898 and Mr. Whitcomb prepared to advance his plan for the abandonment of Waukesha Terminal and the subsequent establishment of longer divisions on the System.

When Whitcomb began his search for a suitable low cost site, the citizens of Fond du Lac were determined to bring the new industry to their city.

In 1898 a reciprocal agreement between Whitcomb and Fond du Lac became effective wherein Fond du Lac citizens proposed to subscribe funds with which to purchase a suitable tract of land, at no cost to the railroad, in return for the permanent establishment of the terminal; also, provided for was a large area adjacent to the terminal site for housing and residential use. The transaction was concluded through the Fond du Lac Land Co., beaded by Mayor Hoskins, P. B. Haber and S. D. Wyatt.

The tract, which was to become the Central's foremost division headquarters and yards, is about one-half mile wide and extends from Scott Street in Fond du Lac to a point two miles northward. The location was soon named North Fond du Lac, and is shown on company time tables as "Shops". The land adjoining Lake Winnebago at this point is low and level, with a gradual rise to the north, making an ideal location for freight car handling. Much of the excavated material from grade reduction work further north came to North Fond du Lac as foundation and ballast for the new project.

In 1899 actual work of construction began and for a year following North Fond du Lac, likewise Fond du Lac, experienced a miniature boom. An electric street car line was pushed out from Fond du Lac to serve workmen on the project and the town of North Fond du Lac bloomed under the impetus of railroad influence and cooperation.

The yard layout consisted of north and south sections connected by a curved switching lead, flanked by the yard office and ice storage plant. About ten miles of track were laid originally; later, increased to a total of fifteen.

North Fond du Lac, or the "Shops" was designed to be the Central’s general operating headquarters. The mechanical plant consisted of ten buildings, locomotive repair, car repair, store room and warehouse, power plant and boiler room, twenty stall roundhouse, locomotive coaling and service station iron storage, and a workmen's locker house, near the main entrance.

The main locomotive repair shop covered an area of 507 x 129 feet with twelve pits on the "pit floor", and housed the machine shop, tool room, blacksmith shop and boiler repair section, tin shop and air brake room. Installed in this shop was the largest locomotive lifting crane in the state, excepting Milwaukee.

Opposite the locomotive shop and connected by a transfer table was the car shop, 480 feet long and 160 feet wide, containing the passenger car repair section, mill room, paint shop, paint mixing and upholstering room.

Behind the car repair building was the extensive freight ear repair yard (Rip track" in railroad lingo), open to the four winds.

Parallel to the main line and at right angles to the two large repair shop buildings was the stores building with operating offices on the second floor.   "Upstairs" meant the General Superintendent, Superintendent of Motive Power, and Division Superintendent.

For fourteen years beginning 1900, "Shops" reigned supreme as operating headquarters for the road. Daily at the Shops, ten passenger trains halted for locomotive change and train inspection. Eight regular time freights received switching and reassembly at Shops yard, and four local way freights began and ended there.

Three switch engines and the Byron Hill helper engine performed twenty-four hour duty, and twenty locomotives and crews worked "first in, first out" in the pool chain gang handling the tonnage freight trains on the two divisions.

Activity in the mechanical department reached a high point in the early l900's when the locomotive repair shops turned out a monthly average of twelve to fourteen completely overhauled locomotives.

The coach shop kept 132 passenger cars in repair and under fresh varnish;  the "Rip track" attended major repairs and reconstruction of 7500 freight cars.

The atmosphere of the busy railroad industry spread to Fond du Lac where the pay roll of the Central generously expanded the prosperity of that excellent city.

The establishment of North Fond du Lac as the first division Point north of Chicago shut Waukesha out completely, and by 1900 all machinery and equipment had been removed and installed at "Shops". Except as a local freight and milk run terminal, the "City of Springs" became just another station on the Central main.

By October 1901 the North Fond du Lac Shops were in full swing with a full complement of mechanics in all departments. The new institution far surpassed the Waukesha layout in size and scope of operations, size and design of buildings and arrangement, machine tools and equipment. Financial investment by the company totaled nearly a million dollars, of which about $440,000 could be charged to buildings, machinery and tool.

Distance from Chicago passenger stat on to Shops: 158 miles
Distance from Kolze freight terminal to Shops: 141 miles

The wide difference between the theory and the practical application of a scheme often raises havoc with railroad operation, a business notoriously subject to unforeseen complications which arise to hamper and obstruct the smooth execution of best laid designs.

In this connection, Whitcomb's passion for long divisions and full tonnage freight trains met with many serious difficulties, not the least of which rested in the quality of coal used as locomotive fuel. The old "Wabash Slack" coal failed to keep the white feather of the pop valves, but instead caused leaky flue sheets and all too frequent engine failures.

With the Wabash slack, high in ash, clinkers, sulphur, and slate, engine men found it impossible to make more than one hundred miles with a tonnage train without cleaning the fire; an hour's job -- usually concluded by running for coal to the nearest Coaling station. (The tender capacity of the old Brooks ten-wheelers was eight tons, and ten tons with sideboards).

To overcome some of these delays, the management found it necessary to provide locomotive service stations midway between division points. Locations selected for locomotive service were Vernon, a blind siding seven miles south of Waukesha; and Nelsons, another blind siding seventeen miles south of Stevens Point, both locations being out in the wide open spaces, far removed from any habitation. At Vernon and Nelsons the passing tracks were lengthened and each embellished by a water tank, coaling station, fire cleaning pit, and telegraph office. These stations were life-savers to the freight men before the 16-Hour Law became effective.

One hundred forty-five miles northwest of the "Shops" on the Central main line lay the little town of Abbotsford, founded in l88O when Finney laid the original iron west to Chippewa Falls. Abbotsford happened to be the location of the junction where the Ashland division joined the new main line, and the south terminal for Ashland division trains. As a junction point Abbotsford grew to a full round 400 population during its first fifteen or twenty years, and plugged along, taking care of the Ashland trains with one small switch engine and a couple of tracks called "the Yard". Main line passenger trains always appeared reluctant to stop at Abbotsford and always in a hurry to "get out of town" despite the profitable Ashland division transfers.

In 1900 Abbotsford still lived in the deep woods closely hedged by the pines and balsams, and its single street ended near the Central depot. Located in the mildly rolling hills and astride one of the ridges, Abbotsford is uphill in approach from almost any angle as viewed from the business end of a tonnage drag.

This was the location destined to become the number two division point north of Chicago, and the last before reaching St.Paul.

The old three-stall roundhouse was expanded to accommodate a dozen engines in a pinch; a six-track, 300 car capacity yard spread out, west of the depot, and a few other minor improvements were installed to facilitate the break up  and make up of freight trains.

All trains changed engines and crews at Abbotsford. Time freights and locals alike took time out here to be switched and reassembled in directional and station delivery order. Only the elite, the main line passenger conductors and brakemen, escaped the confines of Abbotsford; their runs, as always, took then from St. Paul to Stevens Point.

At the north end of the long flat iron shaped platform where the Ashland division rails joined the main line, stood the two story depot with telegraph and division offices upstairs. Connecting the depot at the north, the management erected one of those famous railroad beaneries, for which the Central was noted. Dingy and unkempt and without competition for years, the railroad hostelry grew and prospered. Here Fred Fisher, the Maitre d'hotel, droned his menu of robust, durable fare, and upon occasion carried the kerosene lamp to steer some grim eagle eye and his tired fireman us to their bunks in the rookery at the rear.

By way of comparison, the Abbotsford "rookery" held one distinct advantage over the Kolze "ram pasture" in that the soothing fragrance of the northern balsams provided the one single element that might induce sleep.

Despite its cramped facilities and lack of equipment, Abbotsford handled a tremendous volume of tonnage and traffic during the busy years, 1880 - 1900, when the lumber trade flourished. Daily through the old yard rolled twelve passenger trains, eight time freights, four local freights, eight to twelve extra freights, and a large volume of logs and lumber from the little Abbotsford & Northeastern.

It is generally assumed that the management selected the Abbotsford location to serve as a temporary line booster in the long three hundred mile stretch between North Fond du Lac and St. Paul. Once established, however, Abbotsford held sway for nine years as an important division point. In 1909-1910 when the Central built the Spencer-Owen cut off, it left Abbotsford on the far point of a doomed triangle, and put an end to its major usefulness. Finally, twelve miles of the old main between Abbotsford and Owen were abandoned and torn up, 1934-1938, thus breaking the tie that for fifty-four years linked Edwin Abbot's namesake with the main line, Chicago to St. Paul.

By the establishment of a primary division point at Abbotsford, the main line from Chicago to St. Paul and Ashland was now divided into four sections of nearly equal length:

Chicago to Shops 158 miles

Shops to Abbotsford 145 miles
Abbotsford to Trout Brook Jct. (St. Paul) west main 157 miles
Abbotsford to Ashland north main 132 miles

In 1910 the terminal of Ashland division trains was removed to Spencer, thirteen miles south.