July 30, 2003

Oak Leaf Trail, former Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee interurban line

Beginning Mileage:   1040.3
Ending Mileage:      1043.3
Total Miles Traveled:   3.0

	Apologies for the crudeness of the map! -MH

I was a little tired after work this morning, and I even got out early as a result of it, yet I still wanted to go for a ride.  So, after McBreakfast, I went down to the new section of Milwaukee County's Oak Leaf Trail that occupies the former right-of-way of the Chicago Milwaukee & North Shore Railroad.

I started out from County Line Road, at the trail's southernmost terminus, where there's even a nice little parking lot (1).  Since the last time I was on this section, several bad spots of asphalt had been patched up, and brand-spankin-new "Oak Leaf Trail" signs had been installed.  I found the placement of the signs to be unusual, however:  All of the southbound entrances to the trail had a sign, but the only northbound entrances with signs were County Line Road and Pennsylvania Avenue, the latter complete with a "Trail Ends 1/2 Mile" sign (4).

The entire segment that I rode is flat profile, having been a former high-speed railroad right-of-way.  (This would probably suit Alice better than hilly Brookfield!! -- see 7/29)  There are anti-vehicle gates at Elm Road (2) and Oakwood Road (3), as well as the south (east) side of Pennsylvania Avenue.  It was a very easy ride, except for navigating around the gates.

As an added bonus, a southbound Union Pacific (5) freight train came through after I passed Pennsylvania Avenue.  Two SD40-2's and a C40-8 led a train of (among other freight cars) Railboxes and Canadian grain cars.

It's unfortunate that the trail doesn't (yet?) connect with the segment north of Hwy 100.  Personally, I would suggest a route sharing the underpass with the Union Pacific tracks (6), but that may not be practical.  Nonetheless, as a railfan, it would be nice to take pictures from the bike trail!

-Mark