Military bases/RR's in the midwest

I've been poring over some new Delorme maps I picked up of Wisconsin, Illinois & Iowa, and have found a few military bases (preseumably) that I hadn't known about before. I'm wondering if anyone can shed any light on what these are/were called and if they're still in operation, and then anything else of interest.

First, there's one south of Baraboo, WI, that I practically drove through unknowningly last winter. Maybe it's an ammo dump or something... not sure... North of Sauk City, and I think located on a shortline - perhaps Wisconsin & Southern.

Second, north of Wilmington, Illinois. Buddy of mine used to live in Wilmington in the 80's and he remembers it being open then. Quite a maze of tracks on the Delorme map.

What's left of the Rock Island Arsenal in the Quad Cities?

And, there's something west of Burlington, IA on the old CB&Q according to the map as well.

I've explored the old Savanna Army Depot near Savanna, Illinois, as well as one outside of Hastings, Nebraska. Truly fascinating places when they are not in use.

Dave

Barbaroo, WI: Badger Ordnance Plant. Built by U.S. Government in 1942, operated by Hercules Powder Co. Retained by the government after WWII, but mostly inactive since. Present status unk.

North of Wilmington, IL: Probably Elwood Ordnance Plant. Built by U.S. Government in 1941. Name changed to Joliet Arsenal and then to Joliet Army Ammunition Plant. Operated for several years after WWII. Present status unk.

Rock Island Arsenal: Still in use. Tours available to the public.

East of Burlington, IA: ?

Information from the book WORLD WAR II SITES IN THE UNITED STATES by Richard E. Osborne, 2nd printing, 1998.

TB Diamond wrote:Barbaroo, WI: Badger Ordnance Plant. Built by U.S. Government in 1942, operated by Hercules Powder Co. Retained by the government after WWII, but mostly inactive since. Present status unk.

North of Wilmington, IL: Probably Elwood Ordnance Plant. Built by U.S. Government in 1941. Name changed to Joliet Arsenal and then to Joliet Army Ammunition Plant. Operated for several years after WWII. Present status unk.

Rock Island Arsenal: Still in use. Tours available to the public.

East of Burlington, IA: ?

Information from the book WORLD WAR II SITES IN THE UNITED STATES by Richard E. Osborne, 2nd printing, 1998.

To TB Diamond - This is off this particular topic, but similar: Does your book have a listing for a facility in West Carteret, NJ. It may have had a listing like "Raritan Arsenal, North". Possibly a staging yard for shipping/receiving military vehicles out to Europe and then back? Maps and historic aerial photos show several rail sidings into the relatively small "yard". We were speculating in a different thread a number of months ago. Much appreciated if you have any insight.

Badger Army Ammunition Plant (formerly Badger Ordnance Plant) is closed. USA 1256, an RS4TC, operated there, but it is now reported to be at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, WI.

Many former AAPs and Army depots have been converted to civilian use, and you may read about them here:

http://www.openterprise.com/new/

At the URL, click on the link titled "Newsletters."

Joliet AAP closed during the post-Cold War drawdown. USA 1659, a GE 80-ton, was used there, as was USA 8537, a GE 44-ton. Both are long gone. The former is at Hawthorne Army Depot, NV, and the latter is off the DOD roster entirely. Viewing the base in Google Earth, it appears that most or all of the old plant structures are gone and the track has been pulled up. A new BNSF yard has been built on the site. See this URL for further information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joliet_Arm ... tion_Plant

Rock Island Arsenal had a single GE 80-ton, USA 1653. I saw it around 1990 and a railway crane was there, too. Since then the post has closed its rail operation. The locomotive is now reported to be at Blue Grass Army Depot, KY.

I'm not sure what's east of Burlington, IA, but about 8 miles to the west is Iowa AAP, operated on contract with the East Camden & Highland Railroad over 102 miles of track. Connection is made with BNSF across Highway 34 immediately outside the plant. At last report, rail operations were conducted from Monday through Thursday, ten hours per day.

According to a Corps of Engineers document found online, Raritan Arsenal operated from 1917 to 1963 and "its primary missions were the transshipment and storage of ordnance, but the Arsenal also renovated and salvaged ordnance. In addition, it stored, modified and shipped military vehicles." It's now a business park with rail service provided by the Raritan Central Railroad, but old topo maps reveal the once-extensive rail network and the ammo storage areas that are now long gone.

More than Raritan Arsenal, I think it was Belle Mead Depot, NJ, that acted as a staging area for most WW II unit vehicles on their way to Europe. Reportedly any final repairs and maintenance were performed there before being shipped overseas. Camp Kilmer in Edison, NJ, was where troops staged before being shipped out. Many returning troops were discharged there and many a unit was inactivated at that location.

Belle Mead Depot has been leveled and the tracks into it have been pulled up. Camp Kilmer still has a small Army Reserve presence but most of the old base is now an industrial park, and nearly all of the tracks found on old maps are long gone.

The Ft Harrison supply depot in Terre Haute Ind was still operating when I was a kid. I don’t remember what kind of engine was used, but I think it was a center cab, maybe a 40-ton. The depot was closed in the early 60’s and I never see saw the engine after that. There were still MP’s posted until the late 60’s when private security was hired. The city took it over in the 70’s for an industrial park.
There are still a few of the old warehouses and tracks are still in use. Most the other building are gone now.
inch

RailVet wrote:According to a Corps of Engineers document found online, Raritan Arsenal operated from 1917 to 1963 and "its primary missions were the transshipment and storage of ordnance, but the Arsenal also renovated and salvaged ordnance. In addition, it stored, modified and shipped military vehicles." It's now a business park with rail service provided by the Raritan Central Railroad, but old topo maps reveal the once-extensive rail network and the ammo storage areas that are now long gone.

More than Raritan Arsenal, I think it was Belle Mead Depot, NJ, that acted as a staging area for most WW II unit vehicles on their way to Europe. Reportedly any final repairs and maintenance were performed there before being shipped overseas. Camp Kilmer in Edison, NJ, was where troops staged before being shipped out. Many returning troops were discharged there and many a unit was inactivated at that location.

Belle Mead Depot has been leveled and the tracks into it have been pulled up. Camp Kilmer still has a small Army Reserve presence but most of the old base is now an industrial park, and nearly all of the tracks found on old maps are long gone.

I apologize in that I didn't mean to hi-jack the current thread. I was hoping TB Diamond may have an entry in his book "WORLD WAR II SITES IN THE UNITED STATES by Richard E. Osborne, 2nd printing, 1998"

Raritan Arsenal is all you described and is located in Edison on the Raritan River (hence the name). Belle Meade was a GSA depot into the 1960's and is located about 20 miles west. I am inquiring about a rail accessed facility located that was in West Carteret, about 5-6 miles NE of Raritan Arsenal and a mile or so south of Bayway Refinery. Another forum member had identified on an old map and it was labelled as Raritan Arsenal North. The farea has been reduced to a automobile storage area. My family grew up in the general facility and never knew of its existence, hence the question.

CJPat: I'll research the site and look up some decades-old topo maps for more information and let you know in the coming week what I find on Raritan Arsenal North.

Thanks. Utilizing Historic Aerials.com, the site looks active into about 1954 (abandoned by 1957). Then it looks like the site became active with commercial traffic around 1966. The site is located in West Carteret, NJ on the southwest corner of the NJ Turnpike (built 1947)and the PRR/New Jersey Railroad (runs from PerthAmboy Jnctn to the CNJ chemical Coast (used to run all the way out to Carteret).

I found the site listed as "Raritan Arsenal" in this 1981 topo map:

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T ... arteret|nj|

I'll visit a site next week where older maps are stored and I'll see what I can turn up there. I'll also check with a buddy who is very familiar with WW II-era military base rail operations.

That's It

CJ:

The book referenced above states that Raritan Aresenal survived until 1964 when it was closed and the assets disposed of.

Belle Mead was deactivated in the early 1950s.

TB Diamond wrote:CJ:

The book referenced above states that Raritan Aresenal survived until 1964 when it was closed and the assets disposed of.

Belle Mead was deactivated in the early 1950s.

As previously stated, Raritan Arsenal (Main) is located in Edison, NJ along the banks of the Raritan River. Raritan Arsenal North (see map in previous answer from Rail Vet) is located several miles north in West Carteret, NJ. This is the facility in question.

Belle Meade Depot served as a supply depot and POW camp in WWII. After the military ended its use, the GSA took over and operated it until around 1991. This facility had an extensive rail operation of its own, as is typical for supply depots.

No mention of Raritan Arsenal North in the book referenced above.

TB Diamond wrote:No mention of Raritan Arsenal North in the book referenced above.

Thank You TB Diamond, for looking. We had a whole thread on this previously, but aside from the mention on a map, like Rail Vet found, no one seems to be able to locate any information or other acknowledgement on the site. If it wasn't for the HistoricAerials.com photos between 1947 and 1954 (nothing existed in 1940 - the previous photo to 1947), I would have accepted it as a map typo. My father grew up within a few miles of the location (served in Europe) and had no clue of its existence. It's location and rail access seems to indicate it was a vehicle staging area to/from the Ports around Newark, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Jersey City, & Staten Island.

And again, I extend my apology to dhaugh for hi-jacking the thread. I didn't want to miss the access to TB Diamond's book reference. It had great potential for solving this little mystery.