History
WSOR began operations in 1980 when the state acquired several Milwaukee Road branch lines, and signed a 50-year agreement with the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad, organized by the FSC Corporation, which also owned the Upper Merion and Plymouth Railroad. In August 1992, WSOR gained control of the Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad, which had been created in 1985 to replace the Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad's operations on state-owned lines formerly part of the Milwaukee and Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. (The latter has since been abandoned except for a short stub at Madison.) WSOR thus gained access to Chicago (through trackage rights over Metra from Fox Lake), Janesville, Madison, and Prairie du Chien. Further expansion came with a lease from the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) of Madison-area ex-C&NW trackage in 1996, and of an ex-Milwaukee line between Madison and Watertown from the Soo Line Railroad in 1998 (sold outright in 2003). The most recent acquisition was north of Milwaukee in 2005, when the state purchased the ex-Milwaukee line between Saukville and Kiel, which Wisconsin Central Ltd. was going to abandon. Soon thereafter, WSOR leased in part and bought in part an ex-C&NW line to Sheboygan from the UP.
In 2005, WSOR celebrated its 25th anniversary by painting engine number 4025, an EMD SD40-2, in a special anniversary paint scheme, and holding "open house" parties in Janesville on July 9 and in Madison on July 23. In 2011, WSOR turned 30 years and in celebration of that, WSOR painted their 25th Anniversary unit, 4025, into 4030, in commemoration. Open House parties and such are scheduled for later this year.
WSOR was named the 2009 Regional Railroad of the Year by Railway Age Magazine.
On April 11, 2011, WSOR's president and chief executive officer, William Gardner, was charged with two felonies after he was accused of funneling more than $60,000 in illegal campaign contributions through WSOR employees during the 2010 gubernatorial election in Wisconsin. Gardner agreed to plead guilty to two felony counts. Under a deal, prosecutors agreed not to seek jail time but instead would seek two years of probation. In a statement, Gardner acknowledged his mistakes and said he took full responsibility. The vast majority of the contributions were to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
On November 29, 2011 it was announced that WSOR will be acquired by Watco Companies, with the deal to close on January 1, 2012.
Read more about this topic: Wisconsin And Southern Railroad
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