| CN through freight heads south at the north end of the former SOO yard at Neenah, WI on 8 Oct. '17. Train had four locomotives, CN 3119 and CN 3086 up front, as well as CN 2805 and CN 2923 mid-train. This view would have been prevented by the dominating silhouette of the original Neenah Foundry facility, later known as Plant 1, which stood here for over ¾’s of a century. Established in 1872 as Aylward Plow Works (a.k.a. Aylward & Sons) at 120 N. Lake St., they erected a new foundry at 500 W. Winneconne Ave. in 1918 “in a rural area of southwestern Neenah.” The name of Neenah Foundry was adopted in 1922. Expanded numerous times over the years, it became Plant 1 in 1960 when Plant 2 was constructed in the then rural area at the intersection of Byrd Ave. and the aptly named Aylward St. (followed by Plant 3 in 1967). Plant 1 was closed in 1994, it stood abandoned for a while and was eventually demolished. Part of the fence on this side of the tracks has been temporarily removed, they were preparing to replace some of the turnouts on this end of the yard. |