Wood County 

  1.) Wood County Railroad.

  This line was incorporated by Henry Sherry on June 21, 1883.  It began operating a 
line that ran northeast from Vesper to Sherry.  This line supposedly started out 
narrow guage. The first locomotive Sherry bought is listed as having been narrow 
guage as well. At first there was no connection to the outside railroad world.  
The first locomotive and six log cars were sledded in by oxen.  Later, in 1883, the 
Wisconsin Pittsville & Superior Railroad built a line that connected with the Wood 
County at Vesper.  The Wood County was standard guaged and all subsequent 
locomotives were also of standard guage.  The first narrow guage locomotive seems 
also to have been standardized as well.  All locomotives on the Wood County Railroad 
were Lima Shays, making it the first company in the state to aquire this form of 
motive power.  In 1884 the Wood County was extended northeast to a connection with 
the Wisconsin Central main about 2 miles north of Sherry.  Further expansion occured 
a year later when a line was built between Vesper and Arpin to the northwest.  
Sherry's railroad lasted until Oct. 1, 1893 when the Arpin to Vesper portion was 
deeded to the Milwaukee Road, and the remainder was abandoned.  The Milwaukee 
operated the Arpin to Vesper line until 1918.

  
  2.) John Edwards Manufacturing Co.

  From 1890 until 1896 this company operated a railroad called the Port Edwards 
Centralia & Northern.  Called the 'PECAN', it ran from Port Edwards 
northwest to Marshfield.  It included a 1 mile rail line that ran northeast from 
Arpin from 1892 until 1894 as well.  The 'PECAN was originally incorporated on 
Jan 20,1890.  Tracklaying began that year, with the road reaching Marshfield on 
Feb. 12,1891.  Common carrier service began on the line that April.  
  The company owned a Dunkirk Engineering Co geared locomotive which it purchased 
in 1892.  Trains of 15 to 20 cars of logs operated daily to Edward's mill.  In 
1892 the track was extended south from Port Edwards to Nekoosa to reach a large 
paper mill.  (Later to become Nekoosa-Edwards which still bears Edwards' name 
today.)The line was sold to the Marshfield & Southeastern Railroad on Feb. 6,1896 
due to Edward's financial difficulties.  The M&SE was owned by the Wisconsin 
Central but not officially merged into the WC until 1901.

  
  3.) Marshfield & Texas Railroad.

  This line was owned by the Upham Manufacturing Company of Marshfield and 
extended southeast from that city for about 10 miles.  The line was constructed in 
1887.  At the time the line was rumored to be extended south to the village of 
Pittsville, which was angling to become the Wood County Seat.  
  When the question of how far south the line would be extended was asked of owner
Wm Upham by the governor of Wisconsin, he offhandedly commented that it would be 
extended as far south as Texas.  That is supposedly how the odd name came about.  
3 miles of track were torn up in 1897 for use on other Upham Mfg logging lines, and 
the remainder in 1900.  The 1900 Wisconsin Railroad Commission report states that 
the line operated only a couple of months a year to haul logs decked alongside it 
during the winter months to the mill.



  The Milwaukee operated from 1896 to about 1899 a 2 mile spur extending 
west from Rudolph.  
Two Milwaukee predecessor railroads also merrit mention.  Both of them were 
constructed by 'King' George B. Hiles who's son (F.P. Hiles) later operated in 
Forest Co. (see Forest Co. page)
  First was the Wisconsin Pittsville & Superior Railroad.  In 1883 it 
constructed a line north from Babcock to Pittsville (opened in Oct.), and from 
Pittsville to Vesper and a connection with the Wood County Railroad later the 
same year.  The second was the Milwaukee Dexterville & Northern Railroad which 
in October of 1887 was constructed northwest from Dexterville to  Newtown a 
distance of 15 miles.  From here the MD&N constructed a 4 mile spur that ran east
to serve the logging interests of the  Neceedah Lumber Company.  In 1888 the line 
was extended a further 2.5 miles to Lindsey.  Another log spur was constructed here
which extended three miles to the south and served unknown logging interests.  
MD&N's final construction occured in 1890 when the line was pushed an additional 
4.95 miles to Lynn located in Clark Co.  Between the two lines, Hiles had 4 
locomotives, and several logging cars.  The MD&N was leased to and operated by the 
WP&S.  Both were operated as logging railroads.  On June 1, 1890 the Milwaukee took 
over both lines.  The Lynn branch was extended to Romadka in 1891.