11/05/2024
Many people have been asking me about the status of my next book: THE C**N VALLEY LINE, the story of the La Crosse & Southeastern Railroad. After taking the summer "off" to pursue outdoor hobbies, I am back at the computer. The book is about 95% done, mostly editing and printing draft copies left. But I continue to add information and pictures as I find them. If you have anything to add to the book, please let me know. I have found so much information and so many pictures that the material will be published in two books. First book to be completed is the LC&SE which ran from La Crosse to Stoddard, Chaseburg, C**n Valley, Westby, and Viroqua. Then the second book, The Sparta Branch, will be finished. This branch line ran from Sparta to Leon, Melvina, Cashton, Newry, Westby, and Viroqua. Here is some interesting information that I just found last week in the Viroqua Censor newspaper:
September 18, 1918. The War train is touring this district in the interests of the Fourth Liberty Load arrived in Viroqua at 8 PM over the LCSE, leaving at 7 AM the following morning. Practically every kind of war material except tanks and heavy artillery were carried on the train. It was an exhibit of rare interest and educational worth. Veterans of the great war “over there” came with the train, giving lectures and guiding viewers through the cars. One of the features was the 30-piece band from the Great Lakes playing inspiring music.
So I did some research and found the following:
In September 1918, “War Trains” toured the country in the interests of the Fourth Liberty Loan under the auspices of the Ninth Federal Reserve executive committee to boost the sale of Liberty bonds. One of the trains arrived in Viroqua at 8 PM on September 18 over the LC&SE. It carried the flags of all nations allied with the United States, and on the sides of the first car were huge signs bearing the words “Buy Liberty Bonds.” Practically every kind of war material except tanks and heavy artillery were carried on the train, an exhibit of rare interest and educational worth. Veterans of the war came with the train, giving lectures and guiding viewers through the cars. One of the features was the 30-piece band from the Great Lakes Naval Station playing inspiring music. Included in the train was a camouflage box car, showing how the Yanks were getting supplies onto the battle lines with as little detection as possible. The train included three large flat cars, one tourist sleeper and a large automobile box car.
The war trophy exhibit train, or war relic train, was one of two such trains in Wisconsin and one of 24 touring the country made up after the close of the great war exposition in Chicago. The train was constantly guarded by a squad of 12 soldiers from Great Lakes Naval Training Station. Among the big guns displayed were anti-aircraft guns which were used by Pershing’s army to bring down Hun aircraft. Fourteen-inch siege guns and French seventy-fives were demonstrated which were used to stop the German advance at Marne, as well as those which battered away the fortifications of the Hindenburg line. Immense 10-inch shells, grenades, dirks, daggers, knives, sabers, helmets, bombs, mess kits, revolvers, rifles, machine guns, and torpedoes, mines, a wrecked German plane in which three Huns lost their lives, together with sections of barbed wire entanglements taken from the German defenses and found to be treated with poisons, helmets, and breast plates were demonstrated.
It was an exhibit of rare interest and educational worth. Veterans of the great war “over there” came with the train, giving lectures and guiding viewers through the cars. One of the features was the 30-piece band from the Great Lakes Naval Training Station playing inspiring music.
The train carried a crew of 22 people and it was estimated that 6,000 to 8,000 people viewed the exhibit in Viroqua.
I don't have a picture of this train in Viroqua, but I found a couple of Public Domain pictures of these trains which will be included in the book. Please send contributions to: Arlyn Colby, 427 Pine Street, Barron, WI 54812. email: [email protected], website: wisconsinrailroadbooks.com
