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formed the
Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission (WRRTC) in March 1980 in the interest of preserving rail service on these lines. Two shortline operators, the Wisconsin Western Railroad (WIWR) and the affiliated Central Wisconsin Railroad (CWRC), were contracted to operate on the Prairie du
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These two operators filed for bankruptcy in
December 1984, leaving WRRTC to find another operator. The Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad (WICT) was formed on January 1, 1985. WICT would eventually operate all of the above mentioned rail lines, as well as lines from Janesville to
542:. Others, including the F-units, were privately owned by an individual named Glen Monhart. WICT followed the (by then relatively unusual) practice of naming their locomotives. Several WICT locomotives were named after the counties the railroad served such as
378:. In 1989, the first Wisconsin and Calumet trains ran from Janesville to Fox Lake on the route known during the Milwaukee Road era as the "J-Line". Shortly thereafter, WICT reopened the line between Janesville and Madison, bringing rail service back to
459:, is embargoed and placed out of service by WICT due to unsafe conditions. Despite initial plans to restore rail service to the line, it sat abandoned and was eventually removed to make way for a bike trail in 1999.
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1997: WICT is officially merged into the
Wisconsin and Southern Railroad and ceases to exist as an employer, as ruled by the United States
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and
Northern Wisconsin as their #600. Several other ex-WICT F-units are stored on ELS property in
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Most of the rail lines operated by the
Wisconsin and Calumet remain in service today under the
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Madison WMTV Channel 15 news video of WICT's first run on the
Janesville–Fox Lake line in 1989
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1995 Status Report on
Railroad Operations in Dane County, includes information about the WICT
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337:(Milwaukee Road) to abandon much of its trackage in Southern Wisconsin, including lines from
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The
Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad's motive power primarily consisted of early generation
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Photo gallery of WICT predecessors WIWR and CWRC locomotives in
Madison in the 1980s
561:#96A was later repainted and renumbered to WSOR #71A and currently operates on the
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1998 letter from WisDOT regarding decision to remove the
Madison–Freeport line
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In the late 1970s and early 1980s, financial difficulties forced the
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1989: Wisconsin and Calumet begins operating the rail lines from
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WICT employer status determination by the USRRB, December 1997
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1992: The Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad is acquired by the
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The Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad was purchased by the
538:. Many of these locomotives originally belonged to the
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History of the Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission
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1985: The Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad is formed.
405:until it was officially merged into WSOR in 1997.
335:Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
221:Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
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429:, restoring the entire railroad connection from
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50:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
401:in 1992, but it continued to operate as a
366:Chien–Madison and Madison–Freeport lines.
295:with an excursion train in September 1991.
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317:that operated in the southern portion of
114:Learn how and when to remove this message
682:Railway companies disestablished in 1997
487:, shortly before the rails were removed.
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138:A Wisconsin and Calumet dinner train in
687:American companies established in 1985
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479:The portal of the Stewart Tunnel near
363:Wisconsin Department of Transportation
677:Railway companies established in 1985
511:from Fitchburg to downtown Madison.
48:adding citations to reliable sources
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615:List of defunct Wisconsin railroads
563:Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad
357:abandoned its line from Madison to
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287:, approaches the W Washington Ave
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63:"Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad"
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493:Wisconsin and Southern Railroad
442:Wisconsin and Southern Railroad
399:Wisconsin and Southern Railroad
231:Wisconsin and Southern Railroad
355:Illinois Central Gulf Railroad
301:Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad
127:Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad
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583:Mid-Continent Railway Museum
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672:Defunct Wisconsin railroads
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524:Diesel-electric locomotives
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204:; 27 years ago
192:; 39 years ago
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667:Defunct Illinois railroads
515:Equipment and preservation
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464:Railroad Retirement Board
449:Illinois Central Railroad
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353:. At the same time, the
321:and northern portion of
509:Southwest Commuter Path
485:Green County, Wisconsin
437:via Southern Wisconsin.
581:) can be found at the
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325:from 1985 until 1997.
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349:, and Janesville to
44:improve this article
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497:Badger State Trail
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457:Freeport, Illinois
453:Madison, Wisconsin
425:and Janesville to
374:and Janesville to
359:Freeport, Illinois
351:Fox Lake, Illinois
315:shortline railroad
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187:Dates of operation
156:Madison, Wisconsin
140:Fox Lake, Illinois
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447:1993: The former
435:Mississippi River
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181:Northern Illinois
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59:Find sources:
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29:This article
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152:Headquarters
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42:Please help
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548:Rock County
544:Dane County
243:Track gauge
217:Predecessor
202:–1997
661:Categories
481:Monticello
451:line from
419:Janesville
403:subsidiary
347:Janesville
104:March 2019
74:newspapers
577:#529 (ex-
505:Fitchburg
392:McFarland
388:Stoughton
319:Wisconsin
312:Class III
237:Technical
227:Successor
177:Wisconsin
175:Southern
31:does not
593:See also
579:Santa Fe
567:Michigan
507:and the
499:between
423:Fox Lake
409:Timeline
384:Edgerton
372:Waukesha
323:Illinois
310:) was a
262: in
147:Overview
575:caboose
573:. WICT
559:EMD FP7
554:, etc.
433:to the
431:Chicago
427:Madison
343:Madison
329:History
293:Madison
285:EMD FP7
257:⁄
207: (
195: (
88:scholar
52:removed
37:sources
534:, and
521:GM-EMD
501:Monroe
390:, and
380:Milton
376:Monroe
361:. The
172:Locale
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557:WICT
455:, to
95:JSTOR
81:books
503:and
308:WICT
299:The
209:1997
197:1985
190:1985
179:and
167:WICT
67:news
35:any
33:cite
585:in
565:in
532:GP9
528:GP7
483:in
421:to
341:to
291:in
46:by
663::
589:.
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536:F7
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92:·
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