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34th Street Corridor Photos |
The 34th Street CorridorMilwaukee's first railroad started from the heart of the Menomonee River Valley and built westward towards the Mississippi at Prairie du Chien. A second line was started a few blocks to the north near the Milwaukee River at Chestnut Street (now Juneau Avenue), and built northwest to the Mississippi at La Crosse. When these lines were merged, a connecting line was built from the Menomonee River Valley to North Milwaukee approximately along 34th Street. From here, the lines diverged heading to Portage via Horicon (Old Line), Green Bay and the UP (Champion Line) and back down to Chestnut Street (Beer Line). As the city grew, this section became lined with industries and the railroad prospered serving their transportation needs. In order to eliminate problems at grade crossings, the railroad depressed the track to run below street level. This also reduced a sharp grade along the line which, in the steam era, required helper service to lift trains out from the valley. On the Dredgby Division, the 34th Street Corridor is a hotspot for railfanning. Trains are frequent and a wide variety of branchline and high iron equipment is present. Because the action is below street level, the city of Milwaukee provides an interesting backdrop to photograph trains against. [
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