La Crosse Sub - Heileman Brewery

Note: This is a work in progress. Check back often for updates. Last updated on September 29th, 2024.

The Heileman Brewery is a large brewery in downtown La Crosse, WI. The brewery is served by the Burlington Norther and is the primary customer for the La Crosse Subdivision. The brewery receives raw materials such as grain, hops, and corn syrup, and ships out finished product such as beer and malt.

Operations

Operations at the Heileman Brewery are controlled by the switcher crew. The switcher crew is responsible for the movement of cars to and from the brewery, the spotting of cars at the brewery, and the switching of cars within the brewery.

Industries

• Norplex: Receives burlap in box cars, phenol and formaldehyde in tank cars and shipped Bakelite plastic.
• La Crosse Steel: Receives steel products for use in the construction of large buildings in La Crosse. Supplied all of the steel to build the grain towers at Heileman.
• Terminal Express: Receives LTL cargo in box cars for transfer to trucks.
• Heileman Brewery: Receives grain, hops, and corn syrup and ships out beer and malt.

The Heileman Brewery features a number of car spots, including:

• Grain Elevator: Receives grain and hops in covered hoppers.
• Processing Plant: Receives corn-syrup in tank cars.
• Brewery: Ships out beer in insulated box cars.

Model Changes

To be able to fit this into a 14 foot module I needed to make a few changes. I added a short run around track with a crossover at the mid point to allow the switch crew This module, along with a couple of small wings for switch engine movement, will make for an entertaining switching puzzle at train shows.

I do plan to model the slight grade to the Norplex building.