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UER Forum > US: Great Lakes > A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations (Viewed 3967 times)
chuck barkley 


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A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< on 5/18/2014 9:58 PM >
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I noticed this ramshackle old place below an overpass one time. So I started looking around on the map. I discovered that it is near some remote tracks making for easy undetected access. In scanning up and down the tracks I started noticing several promising images. It appears that the entire area on either side of the tracks has not done so well. When looking at the geography and nearby features, I can see why. This very large chunk of acreage is just so inaccessible in any context that it really has become quite forgotten. So I came up with a game plan to get to my first ramshackle destination and also had a great directional understanding of where other potential could be from there.

I easily made it to my first spot but not to the second idea I had. The reason being, on the way from the first one to the second one, I luckily noticed a dense spot through the trees. Out of the corner of my eye, I said "Oh, shit! There's a house right there". It was so well tucked in the woods that I barely even noticed it. I mean, I hadn't even seen it on the maps before I left. Immediately, it dawned on me that the lights were off. While ducking and peeking, I started to realize that the driveway had grass growing through it. Well, fuck! Let's go over there instead.

Overall it was a night of quantity and not necessarily high quality exploration. However, both locations were moderately interesting and I was very satisfied. I'm also fairly certain that this corridor also holds at least 3-5 more locations of different varieties. And there's definitely a lake that seems to be forgotten, completely inaccessible to the public. I'm not great with estimates but I'd say there has to be at least a couple thousand acres here (maybe more) of totally hidden land that once wasn't so hidden. Surrounding freeways, bridges, rivers, streams, and train tracks have completely enclosed this land from the outside world. And once you've gotten on the land, you really can't be seen from the outside world.

I apologize for it's a fairly large album but it was a fairly large exploration, for me anyway.

the first location was pretty much cashed. note the partial roof collapse. 1.


note the center of the photo. that wall was completely blown out... 2.


3.


a true classic, the legendary pitchfork graffiti. 4.


...and it was a reinforced wall. 5.


the lawn mower motor had been removed. 6.


7.


8.


9.


10.


damnit! I came out here to watch 'Roseanne' 11.


nothing but backboard. the metal rim was taken. 12.


a massive black dong with a cancerous left nut. 13.


these guys had the right idea for this spot. 14.


15.


note the hole in the wall to the right of the sponge bob(I think?) at first I didn't even see what was entombed in the concrete. I came back later and saw it. 16.


there was this odd fenced in area right outside the window. 17.


18.


not quite the secret garden. 19.


hole in the ceiling. 20.


21.


I almost thought I found my first body. 22.


23.


oh my god! i think van halen was here! 24.


25.


26.


27.


28.


taking it up a notch with the pitchfork/star of david combo. and we're only about 2,000 miles from los angeles. 29.


view of the collapse from the inside. overpass visible outside. 30.


there's something in there. 31.


let's get closer. 32.


I didn't go in due to the surrounding concrete failure. 33.


just stuck my camera in real quick. 34.


35.


to the left. 36.

to the right. 37.

backside view before leaving this place.

this house was so well hidden that cops couldn't pull up to it even if they wanted to. you'll see why at the end. 38.


39.


40.


41.


42.


43.


44.


45.


keep out spray painted on the front door. seemed to be done by the kids that had found this place. 46.


helmet was kind of out of place. 47.


the shoes seemed left behind recently. no weather damage to them and it was a harsh winter. my first thought that someone could have found shelter here through the recent cold. 48.


when I was a kid this would have been the kind of place we partied hard in. these kids just smashed the fuck out of it and left. 49.


apparently the dining room. with carpet? 50.


living room. 51.


no idea what they were trying to do in the corner of the living room here. at first I thought maybe a handicap shower. but there's no holes for the fixtures. 52.


this room was almost waist high with construction trash. 53.


the back wall of the bathroom was torn off letting me see in from the living room. 54.


55.


ma's clippings still on the cupboard door. 56.


57.


58.


59.


60.


61.


the bathroom was pretty bizarre. 62.


a nice Hawaiian motif though. 63.


it was the smallest bathroom I have ever seen. I couldn't get a good shot from the inside because it was so cramped. 64.


no fat chicks! literally, they wouldn't fit in here. 65.


and it was locked from the outside. I hope that was for the dog. 66.


the upstairs was rather difficult to get to. 67.


and they had this shit at the top. 68.


view from up there. 69.


70.


71.


looks like the most recent resident is gone at the moment. 72.


one of the more interesting parts of the night. upon leaving I was gonna take the driveway back to the road so I didn't have to walk the tracks again. that's when I discovered a fairly wide river between the house and the road. but the bridge had been demolished. it was baffling that they'd knock out the bridge but leave the house standing. the only way for a cop to pull up would be over a bridge a mile back down the road. then he'd have to drive an overgrown road through the woods. in that case, I'd see him coming long before he saw me. and there was no way to cross the river nearby. there must have been reflectors on the other side. I know it looks a little like headlights but, I assure you, there was no one over there. 73.


74.


heading back to the tracks, the insulation on the side of the house created an eerie glow. 75.






[last edit 5/18/2014 10:27 PM by chuck barkley - edited 3 times]

relik 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 1 on 5/18/2014 10:17 PM >
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Nice finds, dude! May not be the most interesting of spots, but it's better than nothing!




"When it rains, just find bigger drains."
chuck barkley 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 2 on 5/18/2014 10:47 PM >
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Posted by relik
Nice finds, dude! May not be the most interesting of spots, but it's better than nothing!


Thanks man. Yea these spots weren't highly incredible. What's most interesting to me though is the entire area that I described. I've got some pretty good ideas on what else might be hiding back there.




relik 


Location: 44.26126°,-88.41502° (Appleton, WI)
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There is no truth, Only a perspective.

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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 3 on 5/18/2014 11:27 PM >
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Posted by chuck_ingalls


Thanks man. Yea these spots weren't highly incredible. What's most interesting to me though is the entire area that I described. I've got some pretty good ideas on what else might be hiding back there.



Keep on diggin'. Never know what you'll find!




"When it rains, just find bigger drains."
rlx 


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forget regret.

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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 4 on 5/18/2014 11:51 PM >
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Thanks for sharing, wish you had a few more photos though, maybe you can go back!




forget regret.
chuck barkley 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 5 on 5/18/2014 11:57 PM >
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Posted by relux
Thanks for sharing, wish you had a few more photos though, maybe you can go back!


Ha! Like I said in the intro, I apologize for the large album. And I also captioned most of them to kind of tell the story how the evening went as well as what was going through my mind throughout the adventure.



[last edit 5/19/2014 12:03 AM by chuck barkley - edited 1 times]

DawnPatrol 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 6 on 5/19/2014 12:54 AM >
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I'm not so convinced those shoes were that of a vagrant. I think they'd be more worn if they were. It's not unusual for people to leave behind new things. Definitely not in the best condition, but how much you found is impressive. As long as you feel it was worth your time then it's a worthwhile explore. I've driven an hour to look at an abandoned farm house, but at the time it was one of the coolest places I'd been so it was totally worth it. Nice set! I'll be curious to see what else you find around there.




thetrainguru 


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im not crazy...wait...y es I am

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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 7 on 5/19/2014 4:58 PM >
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pic heavy! really cool finds




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yeya 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 8 on 5/19/2014 6:07 PM >
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Cool find, looking forward to what else you find out there.




Captain Stormy 


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SO TIGHT THAT IT CHAFED

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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 9 on 5/19/2014 10:29 PM >
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Cool to see more people digging around in that area. Sometimes it might be helpful to watch your flash at night, fyi. Probably didn't matter too much here, as it looked pretty isolated, just a tip.




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chuck barkley 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 10 on 5/19/2014 11:21 PM >
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Posted by DawnPatrol
I'm not so convinced those shoes were that of a vagrant. I think they'd be more worn if they were. It's not unusual for people to leave behind new things. Definitely not in the best condition, but how much you found is impressive. As long as you feel it was worth your time then it's a worthwhile explore. I've driven an hour to look at an abandoned farm house, but at the time it was one of the coolest places I'd been so it was totally worth it. Nice set! I'll be curious to see what else you find around there.


That's a very good point. I think you're probably right about the shoes. And, yes, it was definitely worth my time. It's always exciting for me to have an idea, research it, follow the leads, and then arrive and succeed. I'm really into the history more than the photography. Even though there wasn't much historical significance to interest me, it's the adventure that I seek most. This was definitely an adventure and I was very satisfied.

Posted by yeya
Cool find, looking forward to what else you find out there.


Me too!!

Posted by Captain Stormy
Cool to see more people digging around in that area. Sometimes it might be helpful to watch your flash at night, fyi. Probably didn't matter too much here, as it looked pretty isolated, just a tip.


"More people digging around in that area"????So are you saying you know the location that I described specifically or just my regional area in general? And yes, I learned about the flash danger (along with many other very helpful tips) from this handy website here. As with the last thread I created, I had a hunch someone was going to say something about that. In considering said danger (during my last 2 explorations), all vantages were accounted for and I was super cautious with it. I do feel that, in the last 2 threads I posted (both using a flash in the dark), the locations were okay to do so albeit a little risky. In my last thread, the place was in such a sketchy neighborhood that I don't think my flash would have been anyone's priority even if it had been spotted. And in this thread, there really wasn't anywhere for the flash to be seen from. But I really really do appreciate the advice and I will start showing more restraint with it especially if I am ever in a position to check out more sensitive areas.

Thanks for everyone's feedback.




Captain Stormy 


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SO TIGHT THAT IT CHAFED

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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 11 on 5/20/2014 4:58 PM >
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I meant SE Wisconsin generally.




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Skye_Ann 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 12 on 5/21/2014 2:43 AM >
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That Hawaiian Style Bathroom is so cute!! I kinda want that just for novelty.




My Blog; https://historyindecay.blogspot.com/
DawnPatrol 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 13 on 5/21/2014 2:52 AM >
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Posted by chuck_ingalls
That's a very good point. I think you're probably right about the shoes. And, yes, it was definitely worth my time. It's always exciting for me to have an idea, research it, follow the leads, and then arrive and succeed. I'm really into the history more than the photography. Even though there wasn't much historical significance to interest me, it's the adventure that I seek most. This was definitely an adventure and I was very satisfied.


Oh absolutely, finding a place and scouting it out is all part of the fun! It's cool when people let you know about fun locations, but a big part of the fun in exploring is actually exploring and finding stuff on your own and researching it. A little more sense of mystery in that.





cdevon 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 14 on 5/21/2014 5:15 AM >
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40-50(ish) "wide open floor plan"

and yeah, looks like a cool set of spots that need return trips.





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chuck barkley 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 15 on 5/22/2014 3:03 AM >
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Posted by Captain Stormy
I meant SE Wisconsin generally.


yea. that's what I figured. but a part of me did hope you'd say there's a secret mansion out there.




wolfdragon88 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 16 on 2/5/2015 4:14 PM >
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Pretty cool spot you found. There are a few good size houses that me and a friend came across that all it would take is a quick jump of a fence and a run in and snap a handful of cool photos but he's paranoid of people seeing us on their land and that gets me more paranoid.....someday. hopefully.




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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 17 on 2/5/2015 5:44 PM >
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I'm probably among the more easily amused on the site but this is exactly the kind of shit that I like running around in. Great set of pictures with your usual quality text tour. I hope further exploration in the area is fruitful for you! I'm going to be passing through WI again in six weeks or so enroute between concerts in MSP and Detroit but I'm not sure we'll have a lot of time to play One day, Wisconsin!

PS that house reminds me of Leo Johnson's house in Twin Peaks.




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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 18 on 2/5/2015 5:47 PM >
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Holy necro Batman!




climb_something 


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Re: A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations
< Reply # 19 on 2/5/2015 6:22 PM >
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Pic 52 -- that's not a shower, that's where a stove/fireplace used to be. The hole is for the chimney.




UER Forum > US: Great Lakes > A prime stretch of train tracks revealing multiple locations (Viewed 3967 times)


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