Riverside and Great Northern Railway facts for kids
The Riverside and Great Northern Railway (R&GN) is a special 15 in (381 mm) gauge miniature railway in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It's also a heritage railroad, meaning it helps keep old train history alive. The railway is run by the Riverside and Great Northern Preservation Society. It includes the old workshops of the Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works, where a father and son, Elmer and Norman Sandley, used to build miniature trains.
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The Railway's Beginning
The railway first started in Janesville, Wisconsin. It was built to show off the miniature trains and cars made by the Sandley family. In 1952, the Sandleys moved their business to Wisconsin Dells. They built their railway on an old train path that was no longer used by the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad. This old path was chosen because it was flatter than another route nearby.
The Sandleys built their workshops and a smaller copy of a train station there. They also built the railway tracks to show how their trains worked. Many visitors from all over the world came to see their work. The Sandleys built about 15 miniature locomotives and over 30 train cars. Some of their trains ran at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago and the Knoxville Zoo. They also built the entire railway that is still used today at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
Saving the Railway
In the early 1980s, fewer people were ordering new trains from Norman Sandley. This meant his business ran out of money. The year 1980 was the last time trains ran on the R&GN under Sandley's ownership.
In the late 1980s, a group of train fans decided to buy the railway property. They formed the R&GN Preservation Society. Members started fixing the tracks and repairing the buildings. But they still needed a train! One member had built a diesel locomotive. They traded this diesel train to the Milwaukee County Zoo for a steam locomotive, number 82. This steam train had not been used at the zoo because it wasn't strong enough for their longer trains.
Later, the society got another steam locomotive, number 98. This train came from the Old Wakarusa Railroad in Indiana. Both of these steam locomotives were built at the Wisconsin Dells workshops in the late 1950s. Locomotive number 98 used to power the Hoot-Toot & Whistle Railway near Elgin, Illinois.
Today, the railway has a working building where train cars are fixed and kept in good shape. There's also a picnic area and a gift shop for visitors.
Track Problems: Washouts
Sometimes, heavy rain can cause problems for train tracks. This is called a "washout," when water washes away the ground under the tracks.
The 2004 Washout
On June 11, 2004, a washout broke the railway's main track. Trains could not go all the way to the end of the line. They had to stop near the edge of a canyon so passengers could see the washout. Since then, the washout has been fixed. A very large bridge for 15-inch gauge trains was built there. Now, trains can travel the full length of the track again.
The 2018 Washouts
In August 2018, more heavy rainstorms caused new washouts. These happened just past a spot called "Camp Siding." The railway is working to fix these new washouts as people donate money to help. Until these repairs are done, the trains can only run about halfway along the route, to a place called "Shelf." This is where the first big washout happened.
