WSOR News Archive

Wisconsin & Southern Hosts National Transportation Research Board

WSOR President Bill Gardner greets guests from the Transportation Research Board on-board theater car Stone Gardner during Chicago's morning commuter rush at Union Station. Photos by Athaphon Kawprasert, University of Illinois, except as noted.


View from the theater car of Metra trackage and the Chicago skyline.


Inbound Metra train passes the inspection trip.


WSOR President Bill Gardner, Ron Adams, Director WisDOT Bureau of Rails and Harbors, Frank Huntington, WisDOT Bureau of Rails and Harbors and Ben Meighan, WSOR Sup't of Maintenance.


Members of the Transportation Research Board, University of Illinois-Urbana, University of Tennessee and Wisconsin & Southern officials at the Janesville Roundhouse after the trip. Photo by Pat Weeden.
On August 3, 2007, the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Co. was honored to host a rail excursion trip for the National Transportation Research Board (www.trb.org) as part of its summer meeting on the campus of Northwestern University. The 2-day event, which featured a presentation and rountable discussion on the CREATE project, culminated with a rail excursion trip between Chicago's Union Station and Janesville, WI.

Early Friday morning August 3rd, WSOR's Business Train departed Chicago's Union Station at 7:00 a.m. bound for Janesville, WI. WSOR President Bill Gardner was present to welcome the members of the TRB while the business train traveled on trackage owned and operated by Metra.

Traveling at commuter train speeds while following Metra trains, it took only 90 minutes to arrive at Fox Lake, IL where the WSOR trackage begins. Traveling through Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, WSOR officials pointed out various points of interest such as existing rail shippers, rail and bridge projects, local industrial park developments and existing conditions of track infrastructure. President Bill Gardner explained the role of a regional railroad like WSOR and how the WSOR aids in strengthening state and local economies that rely upon freight rail as their transportation solution.

After the lunch hour, President Bill Gardner gave a brief presentation on the history of the WSOR and how the State of Wisconsin became active in acquiring and preserving rail corridors throughout Wisconsin. A key to WSOR's growth has been the increased production of the ethanol biofuel here in Wisconsin. It was stated by WSOR staff that by the year 2010, WSOR is expected to be hauling more than 300 million gallons of ethanol annually.

The WSOR would like to thank the following organizations for their involvement with the TRB: University of Illinois-Urbana Program of Railroad Civil Engineering, University of Tennessee-Knoxville School of Transportation Research, American Association of Railroads, Norfolk Southern Corp. as well as all other participating organizations and individuals who participated in the 2007 Summer Meeting.