Enginehouse proposed for Wausau 3M

Thomas B reported that the 3M shingle granule plant in Wausau might add some rails south of their plant.
But don't get too excited yet, that was an old plan from a year ago, that involved the CN and not the current owner of the railroad, WATCO
and it would have to get approvals and meet city codes near a residential area.

In 2020, 3M proposed an enginehouse for south of their plant, south of Thomas Street.

I don't have many pictures of that area, because not much has happened there, rail wise.
But just to keep my set of 3M area pictures 'complete', I made this page to go with the other 5 pages that I recently made.
For some great old Sanborn maps of the area, see the facebook 3M page that I mention below.
50 years ago, I barely remember some boxcar delivered to some company there.

Here is looking south of Thomas Street, over 5 years ago. I think the 'main' once went straight, further south through that gap, and the curve seen here was once a spur that switched off from it. Notice the square sign between the rails at the curve, is was red flagged in 2014.

I don't have a thorough current aerial view of the area, but this does show Thomas Street.
The proposed enginehouse would be further south of here, below the edge of the picture.

I hear there is now a trackmobile working the plant.
I haven't been near there in 2020; I am used to seeing endloaders / wheel loaders moving cars.
I remember one wheel loader having a coupler, but here it seems that a push on a poling pocket on the corner will do.
Actually, I haven't really examined a hopper lately. Do they still have poling pockets like 50 years ago?

See more information and the 2020 drawings on the facebook group:
3M and Surrounding Areas In Wausau, Wisconsin
It is a public group and can easily be viewed. The group has 6 members.
The enginehouse was planned to be one long track in one narrow building that could hold 3 locomotives.
If one super SD-35 used to lug the loaded cars up out of the plant in the Wisconsin Central days, then maybe 2 little Gp's could do that work now?
Wouldn't that be interesting to model? I could even imagine one unit leading and one pushing just to get the loads over the crest, then they could go their separate ways?
Some things are happening for Wausau.
CN has sold a lot of 'minor' track in Wisconsin. In June or July 2021, WATCO will be coming to operate the rails from Wausau north, and that will include serving this plant, too.
And if 3M gets 'real' locomotives, they would have the power to get cars up the hill at First Street and really move them away from the plant. Something that they could never do before. I am just speculating.

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to My Main Index Page on the TrainWeb site, where you can see my other 5 pages about trains at 3M over the last 50 years.