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From 6 years ago, here is an aerial view of the south side of the 3M shingle granule processing plant in Wausau. Incoming rock is hauled from a hillside pit that is 4 miles north of here. Squint and see the white semi-tractor and white belly dump hopper trailer on the right side of the complex, near the 4-story brick building. (and if you would want to turn this into an interesting model railroad, use rail instead of a highway to bring in the rock. . Real railroad tracks once extended north of Wausau, to within two miles of the pit)
The clear 'field' on this side is where a mill work wood working plant once stood, not related to 3M, |
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Below, is the north side. The switch engine comes in from this side. I think empty hoppers are put on the south / other end, and the wheel loaders push them this way to the loading 'elevators'. Chemical colors might come in the tank cars, to make those pretty colors of those granite rocks after they are crushed to make roofing granules. 50 years ago, I don't remember so many of those tank cars, and some were very short (low volume compared to modern cars). Also, back then, a few boxcars might come along with the hoppers, using these same tracks to get past 3M to go to that mill work factory. But I recently read, some boxcars went to 3M to get loaded with bags of granules, 50 years ago. |
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This could be a busy switching type of model railroad if you include the industry that isn't there anymore:
such as the millwork factory, and a sawmill that used to exist to the distant left, and a company called Morely Murphy.
There are 4 pages in this series:
3M Railroading
Aerial view of the Wausau granule factory
3M Rail Spur on the west side of Wausau
Railroad flag men
to My Main Index Page on the TrainWeb site.
This page was wrote in February, 2021; and shows old pictures.
