| Looking south, southwest along the recently removed CN, former GB&W, rails at S. Bridge St./Hwy. 22/Hwy. N at Manawa, WI on 30 Nov. '15. The building on the right was once National Condensed Milk Co. and it used to receive rail service. A photograph from 1908: http://www.mainstreet-marketplace.com/images/wismanawa.jpg; and from 1974: http://www.flickr.com/photos/77797698@N04/6859911396/. The tracks used to continue to the left, cross Bridge St., and end at Sturm Foods (currently a subsidiary of TreeHouse Foods), which received rail service until a couple of years ago. The residents of Manawa, WI have had their complaints of rough grade crossings addressed. Unfortunately the solution does not seem to bode well for the future of rail service there in the near term. On the drive toward Manawa, I was thrilled to see the red flag at Northport had been removed, but my elation suddenly turned to disappointment as I pulled into Manawa on this day. The tracks have been removed from all of the grade crossings in town, the passing siding has been removed, and the tracks leading from the mainline to this spot have been removed. Maybe the fact that the entire line has not been torn up still offers a glimmer of hope for a return of rail service, maybe I am naïve. You can find a similar view of this scene in my Northeast WI, Summer 2013 album at http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=96037. |