Amtrak has come to Rugby Junction! Well, not quite... this photo was taken about a block East of Rugby Junction on Hwy 41 and Pioneer Road. The bus is heading for the local Park 'n Ride lot, presumably from the Milwaukee Amtrak station.
Merry Christmas railfans!
Located about halfway between Slinger and Richfield, Wisconsin, the now "town in name-only" of Rugby Junction primarily exists only to the railroads. Rugby Junction originally served as a junction between the Wisconsin Central and the Milwaukee Road, allowing Wisconsin Central (Soo Line) passenger trains to access Milwaukee. The last Soo Line passenger train to Milwaukee in 1938.
Rugby Junction had a depot between the tracks, as well as an engine house and turn table which were necessary during the steam era of railroading when Rugby Junction existed. A small motel and restaurant also existed near the tracks to feed and house passengers that had layovers as they switched between trains. Today, the only evidence of the actual junction is a now dead-end siding from the ex-Soo main that no longer connects to the ex-Milwaukee Road line. The ex-Soo Line tracks are used heavily by the Canadian National Railroad and the Milwaukee Road tracks are part of the Wisconsin & Southern.