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The Wood Yard is Empty at Wisconsin Rapids

The Wood Yard is Empty at Wisconsin Rapids

I have some pictures comparing the big Rapids paper mill from 2016 and 2021.
This page just shows the pulp wood yard.

In 2016:


This is a north entrance, little used. An office and some (Liebehr brand) pulp loading excavators are on the right / west.

In the 'old days', the Milwaukee Road mainline from Wausau to New Lisbon followed the left side of the road.
That track was rerouted years ago and curved west / right to turn away from this area and hooked up with the CNW and Soo Line and then Wisconsin Central yard.

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In 2021, this is looking west at the same area.
When the mill closed, they shipped out the remaining pulp wood to other plants.

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It's just an empty field, and empty bulkhead flat cars. These would be 'mill cars', not over the road cars.

These pictures were taken from the river in 2021. Just beyond the mill property.
I have a pole camera in a boat, but it doesn't have a 'tree filter' .

Back in 2009, there was plenty of wood.
That's GMTX 200 locomotive, leased.

That's GMTX 226 in 2018, at sunset.

I am fairly sure the leaser is gone from the property,
I saw it go east last year on the Waupaca Depot webcam last year.
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Many pulp wood suppliers would like to see the mill running again.
And the 900 former employees.
But that may be a while. This mill was set up to make fine glossy paper for documents and advertising,
but that business went away two years ago.
Even as big as it was, it still went backrupt twice already.

The pulpwood suppliers want to buy the mill and get it running again, but that's pushing from the input end, and not pulling from the paper and cardboard marketing end.

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This page was wrote in November, 2021 and upudated in March 2022 after hearing from an employee