Okay, so by now this is old news, but on July 20, 2009, the UP ran the first ballast train to the Quarry in Rock Springs, WI, in almost two years. The UP didn't load any trains in 2008 at the quarry, and finally in 2009 a new operator was hired and quarrying restarted. To date the rock trains have not returned with their usual frequency however: only a handful of trains have run in the last few months. Here UP 1993 leads about 35 loaded ballast cars as the crew prepares to depart Rock Springs for Janesville. A few more photos of this train can be found in the UP Rock Train Album in the photos section. Photo by Noah J. Hofrichter, 7/20/2009.
Welcome to Badger Rails! My name is Noah Hofrichter, and you've stumbled across my little corner of the web. I'm a railfan and model railroader from southern Wisconsin, and at this site you'll find some of my photos of both railroad and non-railroad subjects that I've taken around the area. Also to be found here are photos and information on my model railroad. I hope you enjoy your look around the site, and be sure to check back often for updates!
