Railfan Sites in Wisconsin
A self-guiding railfan tour
Railfan, railfan--where do you see trains in Wisconsin?
Mapwork: If you're going to be looking for railfan locations, you'll need an industrial strength map resource. I definitely recommend you get a DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, study it before your trip, and copy pertinent pages for your field work. You can find information here about Railfan Maps that are available.
Cities And Sites
- Burlington -- Overview (3)
- Burlington -- Downtown (3)
- Burlington -- Downtown to West Burlington (3)
- Burlington -- Nestle Area (3)
- Burlington -- South Side Industries (3)
- Butternut
- Byron -- Byron Hill
- Duplainville
- Janesville -- Pearl Street (3)
- Janesville -- UP Yard North Lead (3)
- Janesville -- UP Yard South Lead (3)
- Janesville -- WSOR Yard (3)
- La Crosse
- Lomira
- Milwaukee -- Butler Yard @ Hampton Avenue
- Milwaukee -- Waterford Avenue
- Monroe (4)
- Portage (6)
- Waukesha -- WC Station
- Superior -- BNSF 17th Street Yard
- Superior -- CN Pokegama Yard
- Superior -- CP 21st Street Yard
- Superior -- Saunders Junction
NOTE 1: The "Twin Cities" are as complicated as any railroad areas in the United States and Canada, with the exception, of course, of Chicagoland. Before venturing forth, for Heaven's sake get a good map, study these pages, and only then move out.
NOTE 2: The area in and around Duluth/Superior is a surprisingly confusing railroad scene, and one which any traveler should not enter without pretty good info. If you're going up there, or even more, if you live there, you need the "Twin Ports Railfan Guide", which is a publication of the Lake Superior Transportation Club. The Club has allowed me to include some data from this publication on this page, but the info contained in the publication goes far beyond what I can provide here. Just the map of Duluth and Superior is worth more than the $5.00 purchase price for the publication. To get your copy, contact the Club at 218-733-7593.
(3) Christopher Tully, of Delavan, Wisconsin, was thoughtful enough to provide this most detailed info for us.
(4) Tom Persoon, railfan far-above-average in Iowa, was kind enough to send us this evocative information on a town in rural Wisconsin, which has seen its railroad activity slowly but steadily slip away. This, too, is part of railfanning, and we need to acknowledge it and respect it.
(6) Thanks to Russ Babington for this info.
Burlington -- Overview (May 11, 1999)
This town of 9,000 is located on the Wisconsin Central mainline (Chicago Subdivision) 70 miles north of Chicago, and 25 miles south of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Railroad facilities here include a CTC-controlled passing siding, an industrial track serving several industries, a small yard, and a brick Soo Line era depot now serving as a maintenance of way base.
To reach Burlington from Chicago, head north on I-94 to WI-50. Go west on WI-50 about 15 miles to WI-83, and head north. From the north, take I-94 south from Waukesha and then WI-11. Head west on WI-11 for 17 miles to Burlington. From the west, take WI-11 east from I-43 at Elkhorn, about 12 miles to Burlington.
A few words about driving in Burlington: Burlington has a real screwy street system, with an abundance of one-way streets and the like. Take a few laps between trains to get to know the layout, where you can and cannot turn, etc., and you'll have a much better time getting photos. Also, despite its relatively small size, Burlington traffic can be really bad, so don't count on being able to get through it in a hurry -- plan ahead to avoid being rushed when a train comes. There are numerous signals and radio conversation, so be wise and take advantage of them. [Webauthor's comment: Darned good advice for watching any trains, anywhere.]
About 20-25 WC trains a day, plus 4-7 CN trains ply the main here. Expect to see CN power on their haulage trains, and foreign power is common and can be almost anything. Virtually every type of freight trains will be seen here, including unit trains of sulfur, potash, iron ore, and aggregates. There is no passenger service. Trains are dispatched via CTC located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Note that Canadian National is taking over Wisconsin Central, so you're going to see an interesting mix of power. Expect the older SD45's, especially, to disappear shortly. Get your pix NOW.
This excellent and very detailed description has been provided by Chris Tully. It can serve as a model for those providing fan guides for a specific area.
Burlington -- Downtown (August 6, 1999)
Starting from the T-intersection behind McDonalds (which has got to be one of the best-located McDonalds anywhere for railfans), [NOTE: The stem of the T is Calumet Street, and the thru street is Washington Street.], turn left and immediately you'll cross the tracks. Turn right at the next stop sign. This street will intersect Chestnut Street. At this intersection, go left to continue following the tracks thru town. If you go straight, there are a few parking spots between a building and the tracks. Backing into one of these spots is an easy way to observe the railroad from your car. In this area is Hi-Liter Graphics, which receives occasional carloads of paper on its spur.
Also in this area is an intermediate signal. Its normal aspect is yellow in both directions. Any other indication means something is lined up thru the area, and will usually appear within 15-20 minutes. Shots with interesting urban backgrounds can be had in both directions from this spot while standing on non-railroad property, but be careful, as the tracks are tightly wedged between buildings and there is a fair amount of vehicular traffic.
After turning left on Chestnut, turn right at the next street, which is Commerce Street. If you haven't already noticed it, Burlington's bizarre street layout will be very apparent at this intersection! Stay in the center lane and continue on this street thru the stop sign. This street parallels the WC main line (hidden behind the buildings), and you will pass a grain elevator. Here is the entrance to WC's Burlington station. This is an excellent area for photos, but be aware that WC personnel are most interested in safety and liability, so stay off railroad property.
At the station, the track nearest the street is used by the grain elevator as it's spur track. On the other side of the depot are four more tracks: The mainline and three "yard" tracks. This is a nice area to model, as there is a look of "selective compression" here in real life. WC's bridge over Fox River/Echo Lake is just west of here, but don't go there directly, as WC is very serious about trespassing in the bridge area. Instead, continue in the same direction you were going on Commerce. The street will make a hard left and T-intersect with WI-11. Go right here and watch for a small pull off area adjacent to a park. Park here and walk down towards the lake. The view of the bridge from the lake's edge should provide a nice afternoon shot of trains on the bridge, but a telephoto lens is probably needed here.
This excellent and very detailed description has been provided by Chris Tully. It can serve as a model for those providing fan guides for a specific area.
Burlington -- Downtown To West Burlington (August 6, 1999)
At the T-intersection by McDonald's [NOTE: The stem of the T is Calumet Street, and the thru street is Washington Street.], turn right until you reach another T-intersection at Bridge Street, which is adjacent to the Fox River. Go left here for one block, then go right. Continue straight (or as straight as possible, anyway, as this is another opportunity to marvel at Burlington's strange street layout) thru the first stop light, and turn left at the second one. There will be a park adjacent to Echo Lake/Fox River on your left. This offers good views of the WC mainline, yard, and depot on the other side of the water. Echo Lake is more or less a wide spot in the Fox River, so a telephoto lens will be helpful here.
Keep going on this street. It will gradually swing around to the right and pass Echo Lake egg farms and what may be some sort of golf course on the right. This road will then become very hilly for a brief stretch before coming to an intersection with Spring Prairie Road, which branches off to the left. Take this left, and you will soon go over a small hill and arrive at the WC main.
This is West Burlington. The name applies only to the siding switch a few hundred yards north (RR west) of the crossing -- there is no town of West Burlington. There are gravel driveways on both sides of the tracks. These can be used as pull-offs for railfanning, but they are posted past a certain point, so stay close to the road. These dirt roads are used by WC MOW folks, so don't block any of these roads. If you prefer, there is a farm pull-off a hundred yards or so to the east, and you can park there and walk back to the crossing.
To the south (RR east) of the crossing, the tracks are, in order from west to east, a storage track used by mainline trains to make setouts/pickups, the WC mainline, and the controlled siding. The siding is about 5100 feet long, so many trains cannot use it. However, ore and sulfur trains, which tend to be short but heavy, give the siding plenty of usage. To the north of the road are the switch signals that protect the west end of the siding. Beyond this, the tracks curve off to the right and drop down a short grade. Good shots are available in either direction from this crossing. While the signal provides notice of westbounds, it is difficult to detect eastbounds until they are visible. Eastbounds can sometimes be heard blowing for a crossing approximately one mile west.
This excellent and very detailed description has been provided by Chris Tully. It can serve as a model for those providing fan guides for a specific area.
Burlington -- Nestle Area (August 6, 1999)
Coming into Burlington from the south on WI-83, you will pass a Tenneco packaging plant on the right. Immediately behind the plant is the WC mainline, although it's not accessible at this point. Tenneco is the newest of WC's customers in Burlington, and presumably receives carloads of paper on its spur. Continuing north on WI-83, the tracks will soon become visible between the highway and the sewage treatment plant. The signal that is visible at this point once guarded the crossing of a Milwaukee Road secondary main. This point is known as "Nestle" to the WC, because of the nearby chocolate plant. When the MILW line was pulled out east of the WC crossing, for some reason, the signal and interlocking plant were left in place. This is nice for railfans, as a high green on the signal here in either direction announces that a train will be coming within a few minutes.
At this point, WI-83 crosses over a set of WC tracks. This is not the mainline, but is rather a connecting track that allows WC access from its mainline to the ex-MILW line west. The line is used to serve several important industries . Take a right immediately after crossing this industrial spur (across from the Citgo station). The turn will take you into the driveway of a (currently vacant) factory. This driveway leads to a gravel parking lot that backs up directly to the WC main. Westbounds can be photographed here coming around a curve, and despite the closeness of the sewage plant, there are photo angles that block it out with trees. This spot is not recommended for shooting eastbounds.
Getting back on WI-83, don't turn into the vacant factory, but pass the Citgo station; be alert at this point for the first street on the right side of WI-83, and turn here. This street will cross the tracks at a simple crossbucks/stop sign crossing. At this crossing dull but adequate shots can be had in either direction, but the scenery is rather unappealing, so I tend to see this as an "emergency" spot, for use only when really interesting power is coming and there isn't time to get to another spot.
Immediately after crossing the WC mainline, a right turn will take you to a small park/fire department training area with a large gravel parking area. This is adjacent to the sewage plant and signals mentioned above. It is not good for photography, due to low hanging wires, but is a good spot to wait and watch the signals, since it is out of the way, and you'll not be bothered by traffic, pedestrians, etc.
If you go left after the crossing mentioned above, you can follow the WC main into downtown Burlington. This street closely parallels the WC through the south end of town. There are not many photo spots in this area, but you will pass one WC customer, a feed mill that usually has a covered hopper or two spotted. The first stop sign you reach is Jefferson Street, which can be a real pain to get across, especially after a train passes and traffic is backed up. If you plan on chasing a train out of town (which is sometimes possible due to WC's 25 mph speed limit through town), take parallel streets to avoid this area.
Continue across Jefferson Street for one more block, and you'll end up at a T-intersection behind McDonalds. The stem of the T is Calumet Street, and the thru street is Washington Street. To continue from this point, see Burlington -- Downtown.
This excellent and very detailed description has been provided by Chris Tully. It can serve as a model for those providing fan guides for a specific area.
Burlington -- South Side Industries (August 6, 1999)
Burlington's main sources of traffic for the WC are located along a remnant of the ex-MILW "Southwestern" secondary mainline which once ran from Sturtevant, WI, (a connection with the Milwaukee to Chicago mainline) to Savanna, IL (a connection with the Chicago to Omaha/Kansas City mainline). WC serves this line, and other area customers, with a weekday local out of Waukesha. The "Burlington Job," as its called, usually arrives between noon and 2PM, and works for several hours. To reach this line, turn left on Market Street just after the Citgo station mentioned in the Burlington -- Nestle Area described above.
Several apartment buildings will block your view of the tracks for the next few blocks. Turn at the first street to the left, which will cross the tracks and eventually deadend in an industrial park. To the left at this point is the Burlington Co-op's grain elevator, which loads large amounts of grain in season. If you look along the tracks, beyond the grain elevator, the spur that serves the huge Nestle Foods candy plant branches off to the right. This industry receives almost daily shipments in Airslide covered hoppers. There is no need to go past the grain elevator on this road, so turn around and re-cross the tracks, then turn left and continue following the tracks west.
The road will parallel the tracks around a sweeping curve that was probably a nice photo spot back in MILW days, and will intersect with County Highway P (McHenry Street). If you turn left on McHenry, it will cross the tracks and pass a large glass plant on the right. This used to be called Foster Forbes, but now is known to as Ball-Foster. This is WC's largest customer in Burlington, and receives multi-car shipments of sand virtually every day. These cars can be seen on an elevated spur to the right (north) of the plant. There is no need to go any further than this, as there are no more railroad sites south of here on County Highway P.
Turn around, cross the tracks again, and turn left at the same intersection mentioned above. This will put you back on Market Street. Stay on this street and bear left. The street takes a serpentine route past a quarry and a residential area, and ends up at the entrance to a cement plant. Immediately to the left will be the WC ex-MILW line and the switch the WC uses to access the glass plant. This is a good place to watch the WC local switching the glass plant, but stay out of the way of the frequent truck traffic into and out of the cement plant.
To get back to downtown Burlington and the mainline, retrace your drive as far back as McHenry Street and turn left. You will pass a hospital and a large church on the right, and an Amoco station on the left. Turn right on the next street, which will be Jefferson Street, and keep going until you cross the tracks. There will be an intersection right after the tracks (it's practically on the tracks). If you go right here, you will end up back in the Nestle area. If you turn left, parallel to the tracks, you will end up at a T-intersection behind McDonalds. The stem of the T is Calumet Street, and the thru street is Washington Street. To continue, see Burlington -- Downtown .
This excellent and very detailed description has been provided by Chris Tully. It can serve as a model for those providing fan guides for a specific area.
Butternut (September 10, 1998)
In northern Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Central owns and operates a rail line that runs from below Prentice up to Ashland, which is on Lake Superior.Butternut is a very small town about 50-55 miles south of Ashland, and about 35 miles north of Prentice (which is on US 8). The local which plies this line stops at various pulpwood yards and feed mills.In Butternut, the tracks run right thru the middle of town, and a veneer company has a large siding from which it receives loads of wood from Pennsylvania via rail.The local runs, apparently, M-F, but that is speculation.The trains are generally pretty heavy, and have lots of motive power, with reportedly up to five engines.
For railfans, the fall season is absolutely beautiful in northern Wisconsin, as the leaves work their magic. All along this rail line are excellent photo locations, and most of the line tightly parallels WI-13.
With gracious thanks to Ryan Suchanek, who provided this information. I'd like to point out that we sometimes spend too much time concentrating on how many trains per hour we can see, etc., etc., and too little time reminding ourselves why we love trains in the first place.A visit to places like Butternut will remind us.
Byron -- Byron Hill (November 28, 2001)
Byron is a community/crossroads about 9 miles south of Fond du Lac. The big attraction for fans is the Byron Hill. But first: From Fond du Lac, go south on US-41 (a freeway), and take the WI-49 exit. Go west on WI-49, and then north (right) onto WI-175. You'll cross the tracks, and within 1/2 mile, you should take a left onto local road F (LR-F).
LR-F goes over the now-double track CN (ex-WC) main line. It's nice to see a railroad line which has been upgraded, and not downgraded or abandoned. There is an average of 1 train per hour, and sometimes more, so this is a fairly busy line. The double tracking eliminated many of the ugly shadows which plague many down-on photo locations. While CN has publicly said it will keep WC as a separate operating entity )as is Grand Trunk) it's only a matter of time until the WC's very interesting rolling stock disappears. Get your pix.
Byron Hill has been helper country for many decades, and there are still some occasional helper movements. Helpers are put on at Fond du Lac and removed just south of the LR-F bridge in the Byron area. It was, and remains, the only helper district in Wisconsin.
This entry is courtesy of Keith Schmidt, who has lots more Wisconsin railfan goodies on his site, which can be accessed here . Used with permission.
Duplainville (April 1997)
Using data presented in the April, 1997, issue of TRAINS Magazine*, as well as a very detailed map from the MapQuest site (www.mapquest.com/), it is possible to construct a good entry for this railfan site. In Duplainville, the Wisconsin Central and CP Rail lines cross. Perhaps a total of 2 trains per hour will flow thru this crossing. To get there, take WI-164 north from I-94 to east on Green Road, and then south on Duplainville Road to the CP tracks. The crossing is about 150 meters east of Green Road and the CP tracks.
There appears to be ample off-railroad property photo locations, at least according to the picture on page 68 of the TRAINS article.
*[Note: This material was adapted from info provided by TRAINS Magazine in April of 1997. If you don't subscribe to TRAINS, well, you should. It's an excellent publication. Get on its web site here. ]
Janesville -- Pearl Street (January 18, 1999)
Pearl Street is in the vicinity of the WSOR yard. Find Pearl Street (you really should have a good map), and follow it as it passes directly behind the roundhouse, and then crosses the WSOR yard leads. All three railroads running into Janesville (WSOR, UP, and I&M Rail Link) operate in this area. Traveling south on Pearl, you will first cross the WSOR, then the IMRL on the other side of the WSOR warehouse, and then the UP about a block later.
Christopher Tully, of Delavan, Wisconsin, was thoughtful enough to provide this most detailed info for us.
Janesville -- UP Yard North Lead (January 18, 1999)
From the vicinity of the WSOR yard (see below), get back on WI-11 and head east. Take the first right after crossing the tracks; this is US-51 South. Heading south on US-51, you'll soon pass Geri's Hamburgers on the right. This is a good spot to grab a cheap meal! Cross the Rock River on a long bridge, and you'll see two railroad bridges on your right. The much higher deck truss structure closest to you is the Union Pacific (ex-CNW) bridge, while the farther, lower bridge is the WSOR (ex-MILW) span.
Immediately after crossing the river, take a left at the first light, which will be Delavan Drive. This street will pass the massive GM plant that is Janesville's major source of rail traffic. UP has a small yard adjacent to the west edge of the GM plant, but it is on plant property and therefore inaccessible to railfans.
Continue east and turn right at the third light after the GM plant, which is Beloit Street. Stay on Beloit for about a mile, and just before Beloit crosses the tracks, a driveway to the left with a UP shield adjacent to it will lead to the north end of the yard. Without entering into the yard itself, you can see the engine facility, but there is relatively little power here most of the time -- besides the yard itself is private property, and you would have to have written permission to enter and take photos.
The north lead area of the UP yard is very busy with truck traffic, and the main road tracks are quite close to the driveway. BE ALERT AND SAFE. Don't go where you don't belong.
Christopher Tully, of Delavan, Wisconsin, was thoughtful enough to provide this most detailed info for us.
Janesville -- UP Yard South Lead (January 18, 1999)
From the north lead area of the yard (see above), get back on Beloit Street and go left. Take another left at the first stop sign, which will be WI-351. WI-351 crosses over the south throat of the yard on a long bridge. Turning right just before or left just after the bridge will lead to Read Road, which crosses the mainline and the yard lead at grade. All Union Pacific road trains into and out of the yard cross Read Road.
As an alternate route, from I-90, take the WI-351 exit and head west. This will lead to the area described in the preceding paragraph.
Christopher Tully, of Delavan, Wisconsin, was thoughtful enough to provide this most detailed info for us.
Janesville -- WSOR Yard (January 18, 1999)
To reach the WSOR yard from I-90, exit at Wisconsin 11 and go west. This will take you into town, and eventually you will cross the Rock River [Note from the Webmaster: This is one of the prettiest rivers anywhere, on any continent, in any place!!]. After crossing the river, WI-11 will turn left after about 1/2 mile. You will now be going west. You will reach a stoplight with a Walgreens on the left. From here, WSOR's yard will be visible dead ahead. Go straight through the light and there are two choices to get to the yard's east end and the roundhouse. The first way is to take the first left after passing the light and crossing the tracks, which will lead to a gravel driveway, which in turn leads directly to the tracks adjacent to the roundhouse.
Christopher Tully, of Delavan, Wisconsin, was thoughtful enough to provide this most detailed info for us.
La Crosse (March 1999)
"La Crosse" is an extremely old (for this part of the country) French name meaning "the crossing", or the place to get from one side of the river to the other. The river here is the Mississippi, and even this far north, it is a mighty big impediment to anything with wheels. In the excellent manner which we've all grown accustomed to, TRAINS Magazine provides maps, photos and text which will all help you have a good railfan experience in this town. In this, the March 1999 edition, we can see that the crossing of highway B and Oak Street in North La Crosse seems to be a promising area for trainwatching, as does the Highway 33 overpass down in the Graf section of La Crosse.
What? You don't subscribe to TRAINS Magazine? Well, you should, as you're missing a darned good railroad publication. Get on their website here to subscribe to this excellent magazine.
Lomira (April 1997)
This is a town of some 1,500 folks, and the train station shouldn't be too tough to find! This station is pictured on page 68 of the April, 1997 TRAINS Magazine* issue. From the picture, there seem to be plenty of photo locations from off-railroad property in the area. Based on the current Canadian National scheduled movements, plus some unit trains, one should see a maximum of one train per hour here.
Lomira is south of Fond du Lac, immediately west of US-41.
*[Note: This material was adapted from info provided by TRAINS Magazine in March of 1997. If you don't subscribe to TRAINS, well, you should. It's an excellent publication. Get on its web site here. ]
Milwaukee -- Butler/Hampton (November 7, 2001)
Butler Yard is UP's (ex-CNW) major classification facility in the Milwaukee area. The yard is in the northwest part of the city. Trains from the south all go thru here, and immediately north of the yard go either north to Sheboygan or west to Minneapolis. Traffic thru the yard is perhaps 15-20 per day. Security is tight, but here is an good off-railroad property location.
Hampton Avenue goes over the yard in an interesting location. Imagine that the yard has two "bulges": The large southern bulge is the classification area, and the smaller, northern bulge has the engine facility, maintenance and other "service" functions of the yard. The nice thing about Hampton Avenue is that it crosses the yard in the narrow part of the complex just between these two bulges. As with all overpass locations, this can be dangerous, as the street is busy, and the yard activity is so interesting that you can forget where you are. Be alert and be safe.
From I-94 west of Milwaukee, take US-45 (a freeway), and get off at exit-45, West Hampton Avenue. Go west, and you'll very shortly be on the bridge.
This entry is courtesy of Keith Schmidt, who has lots more Wisconsin railfan goodies on his site, which can be accessed here . Used with permission.
Milwaukee -- Waterford Avenue (November 7, 2001)
Waterford Avenue is located on the south side of Milwaukee. It is a grade crossing on the Canadian Pacific (ex-MILW) main line between Milwaukee and Chicago. The street is a good location because it doesn't have a lot of vehicular traffic, there is the crest of a hill just before the crossing, and there is a decent curve north of the crossing. About 30-40 trains per day cross Waterford. Amtrak fans will get to see 6 pairs of Hiawatha Service Milwaukee-Chicago trains (7 days a week), as well as the Empire Builder in both directions (during the afternoon).
From the west on I-94, go east to the downtown area, and I-94 swings 90° to the south. Get off at Howard Street, exit-314. Go west on Howard 2 blocks and turn left to go south on 6th. In 2 blocks, you'll come to Waterford, and you'll turn right to follow it to the railroad crossing.
This entry is courtesy of Keith Schmidt, who has lots more Wisconsin railfan goodies on his site, which can be accessed here . Used with permission.
Monroe (September 29, 1998)
Monroe is on WI-11, about 60 miles east of Dubuque, Iowa.
Thirty years ago, in the late 60's, this was a busy IC and MILW junction town. Over the years, the railroad customer base has dwindled, to the point that today, there is what appears to be a weekly train serving a sand and gravel operation. However, even in such moribund circumstances there is interest: The sand and gravel is delivered in "used" ore jennies. I don't know about your area of the country, but in Frog Pond, we've never seen an ore jenny, used or otherwise. Also, Wisconsin Southern (WSOR) trains are supposed to be local operations -- since when were we expecting WSOR to run 70-90 trains per day thru anywhere, let alone Monroe? The point is simple: Get out and get your pix, because every place has its interest.
With Thanks to Tom Persoon, a fine person and academic soul living in Iowa.
Portage (November 23, 1999)
The site of a crew change point between Minneapolis and Chicago, Portage sees enough trains to keep you happy. Besides CP Rail (the line is ex-Soo), you'll also see Amtrak, BNSF coal trains, and who knows what else. There is good train viewing at the Amtrak station.Get there by taking WI-16 east from its exit at I-39 for a mile or so. Watch for the Amtrak station signs. WI-16 is Oneida Street. The crew change point is right at the station.Note that the station is on the south side of the tracks.
Portage is close to the junction of I-90/I-94 and I-39, in south central Wisconsin. With 9,000 residents, there are plenty of motel and restaurants available. It's also close to Wisconsin Dells and the beautiful Wisconsin River area.
Thanks to Russ Babington for this info.
Superior -- BNSF 17th Street Yard
BN's major engine facility in the Twin Harbors is located at the northern end of 17th Street, where it ends in Belknap. South of the 17th Street Yard and engine facility is the larger 28th Street Yard, but there is no engine facility in the latter. According to the map and common sense, it would appear that any pix here will be best taken in the afternoon, but I've not been there, so get there and scout it out. See Note 2, above.
Superior -- CN Pokegama Yard
CN, thru it's erstwhile subsidiary Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific, has a major presence in the Twin Harbors area. Their modern yard is located south of MN 105, on Pokegama Road. You will have to do some preliminary scouting here, as the Pokegama Road comes into the yard from the north, which means that photo angles may be pretty difficult. Besides CN units, Wisconsin Central's engines are serviced here. See Note 2, above.
Superior -- CP 21st Street Yard
BNSF grants CP trackage rights into Superior, and CP has enough business to operate two yards (arguably one real long one) west of Hill Avenue in Superior. The engine facility is at the south end of the northern part of the yard, at 21st Street. See Note 2, above.
Superior -- Saunders Junction
Probably the best area to catch trains from all of Twin Harbors' rail inhabitants, this area is reached by heading down Tower Avenue (WI-35) from Superior. Unfortunately, the area is pretty spread out, and trains can come and go on a variety of tracks and routes. While I don't have (or particularly like) a scanner, this area looks like one where such a device would be quite helpful. For a map and other info, see Note 2, above.
Waukesha -- WC Station (April 1997) TD
On page 68 of the April 1997 TRAINS Magazine*, is a photo of the ex-Soo Line depot in Waukesha. It is obvious that this is a good place to take off-property photos of the up-to-one-train per hour action on the Wisconsin Central. Using a MapQuest (www.mapquest.com) city map, it is possible to get directions to this site: From the intersection of Main Street & Broadway by the river downtown, go east on Broadway to the crossing of the ex-Soo tracks and the station.
*[Note: This material was adapted from info provided by TRAINS Magazine in March of 1997. If you don't subscribe to TRAINS, well, you should. It's an excellent publication. Get on its web site here. ]