Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

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Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

Reporting marks	WSOR
Locale	southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois
Dates of operation	1980 – present
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A Wisconsin & Southern train passes the Middleton, Wisconsin, depot eastbound toward Madison.

The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad (AAR reporting mark WSOR) is a Class III shortline railroad operating in the southern portion of Wisconsin and the northeast corner of Illinois.

WSOR runs over 700 miles of branch and mainline tracks which are jointly owned by the state of Wisconsin and the 21 counties that the railroad serves. The WSOR holds a 50 year operating agreement with the state of Wisconsin to operate on these tracks. Using existing rights of way, some of the bridges along the line date back as early as 1903. Much of the railroad's operating territory is formed from the defunct Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad, on tracks originally constructed by the Milwaukee Road and Chicago and North Western railroads.

Within Wisconsin, WSOR connects with four western Class I railroads: BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. With direct access to Chicago, WSOR connects with eastern Class I railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern Railroad. WSOR has access to harbor facilities in Prairie du Chien, and WSOR transload facilities are located in Milwaukee, Janesville, Madison, and Oshkosh. 22 grain elevators have located rail load-out facilities on the Wisconsin & Southern system.

WSOR is headquartered in Milwaukee, where all dispatching duties are carried out. Locomotive maintenance is centered in Janesville; WSOR's Horicon paint shops often do contract work on both rolling stock, for railroads such as Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad, and locomotives, including Union Pacific Railroad. Six unique UP "Heritage" paint schemes on SD70ACe locos (such as 1989 and 1995) came to life in Horicon. In October 2005, UP 4141 was renumbered from UP 8423, and re-painted in a white/blue scheme commemorating the nation's 41st President, George H. W. Bush.

The railroad sponsors its own WSOR Fan Club for interested railfans around the world.

[edit] Timeline

WSOR 4025 in its 25th anniversary livery at the open house party in Madison

1980: Wisconsin & Southern is formed.
1992: Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad is acquired by Wisconsin & Southern
2001: Railway Age Magazine names the Wisconsin & Southern its Regional Railroad of the Year.
2005: WSOR celebrates its 25th anniversary by painting engine number 4025, an EMD SD40-2, in a special anniversary paint scheme, and holding "open house" parties in Janesville on July 9 and in Madison on July 23.