| A CN local crosses Washington St. as it prepares to service Chemtrade (formerly General Chemical Corp.), 388 Ahnaip St., via former C&NW rails on Doty Island at Menasha, WI on 4 Jul. '19. It is difficult to imagine that then Washington Ave. was also Hwy. 41, until that highway was relocated to what was then the rural outskirts of the Fox Cities in the 1940s. Train had one locomotive, IC 9568, with some unique, expedient hand-stenciling. The awesome, old building at left is currently home to Expert Driveline Truck & Auto Repair, 216 Washington St. Built in '35 for Verbrick's Service Co., Norbert F. Verbrick, proprietor; it operated as such until '84. Designed by Henry Auler in the Tudor Revival style, it and the adjacent building at 214 Washington St. (originally offices of Northwest Electrolyte and Engraving, also designed by Auler in the Tudor Revival style) were erected on what had long been a stave yard for the Menasha Wooden Ware Co. Wayne's Towing and Service occupied the near building for quite a while between the original and current occupants. Glass Nickel Pizza, 217 Washington St., can be seen at right. I'm not sure of the previous occupants of the building. There used to be a Clark station at that address. U.S. Paper Mills Corp., 69 Washington St., an active rail customer, is visible in the background. This mill began production in 1891 as the John Strange Paper Co. It was purchased by Menasha Corp. in 1969 and renamed John Strange Paperboard Div. It was sold to U.S. Papers Corp. in 1981. It was sold to Sonoco ca. 2002. |