Welcome to the
Duplainville Homepage
"Where the Old Soo crossed the New Soo,"
Duplainville, Wisconsin
Serving Proudly Since 1886
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Check the locations and progress of Amtrak Trains
Photographer Unknown
Both are history now!
Photo by "The Lake Country Reporter" - Hartland, WI
Lake Country Reporter newspaper is "gone" too.
Russ Porter Photo circa 1971 Cover of Passenger Train Journal July 1993
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The Great Duplainville Passenger Train Crash May 7, 1956
What it is like getting hit by a Train Click Here
Duplainville History
Duplainville, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community within the City of Pewaukee, is located about 15 miles west of Milwaukee at Milepost 102.2 on the CP main or Milepost 102.6 on the WC. It is between Waukesha and Sussex, Wisconsin. In about 1855, the Milwaukee Road built its track west from Brookfield Junction toward Portage and Minneapolis for a faster route than what had been over the Prairie du Chien Line to the Mississippi river or the Northern Lines thru North Milwaukee, Rugby Jct, Hartford, Horicon and Beaver Dam. In 1885-86, the Wisconsin Central Railroad built south from Rugby Jct to Chicago. Hence their tracks crossed in Duplainville.
A tower was erected in the northwest quadrant of the diamond in 1890. William Alvord was the chief operator for many years. He lived a short distance from the crossing. With heavy winter snow, additional help was hired to keep the tracks and switches clear. Although there were signals and gates at the Duplainville Road highway crossing, there were numerous accidents and some lives were lost. The tower burned down on January 1, 1929. A new brick building was then built. It was finally torn down in 1987 after a much needed connection track to the old Soo was built and CTC was installed. The diamond was then controlled from Milwaukee. During 1962, the Wisconsin Central, DSS&A and Soo Line combined to what is now known as the Soo Line. After the SOO Line purchased the Milwaukee Road in 1985, the Old SOO ( former Wisconsin Central ) crossed the New SOO (former Milwaukee Rd. ) at Duplainville.
As life goes, things are always in a state of change. In 2001, the Canadian National RR purchased the "Old Soo", from the then operating Wisconsin Central Ltd railroad which purchased the "Lake States" subsidiary of the "new" Soo in 1987. The "new" Soo was folded into the Canadian Pacific Railroad as it is today.
Today, Duplainville is the only place in Wisconsin where the CP crosses the CN.
More Duplainville Area History
Trains
Today, there are numerous trains that cross the diamond at Duplainville. The Canadian National Railroad runs about 28 trains per day. There are also moves by the WSOR between Slinger and Waukesha. The CP runs about 25 trains per day in addition to Amtrak 7 & 8.
Radio Channels
CN/WC 161.295 mc/s
CP/SOO 161.370 mc/s
UNION PACIFIC 160.890 mc/s
WSOR 160.575 mc/s
FRED 452.9375/457.9375 mc/s
How to Get Here
Getting here is rather simple. Take Interstate I-94 west from Milwaukee to State Highway F ( AKA Redford Blvd ) at Waukesha . Exit and go north on Hwy F to the 3rd stop and go lights ( just north of a Ready Mix plant). Bear right on Duplainville Road and go north about 3/4 mile to the CP tracks. For now, parking on the south side of Marjean Lane has been restricted. You can park just south of the tracks on Duplainville Road,
To get to the CN/WC tracks, continue north on Duplainville Road across the CP double main to Green Road. Then right ( east ) to the tracks. Do not park down by the diamond. Its a good way to get a citation from CP Police. To get to North Duplainville on the CN/WC, just continue north on Duplainville Rd about 1 1/2 miles to Lisbon Rd ( Hwy K ).
WARNING: Please watch your speed when in the area. The Waukesha Sheriff Dept. run RADAR and LASER, especially on Hwy F/Redford Blvd. They are also on Duplainville Rd occasionally.
Cross Crossings Cautiously!
For more information about Duplainville or any other questions/comments, I can be contacted by E-mail on the World Wide Web.
Email: amueller at execpc dot com
Site Update 6-14-23
Note: The Duplainville Homepages are Copy written© material in 1997 - 2023 by Andrew Mueller. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.