December in Wisconsin The skies are leaden and scenery umber, with many shades between, fading to the horizon. A skiff of snow over harvested fields brightens the scene, but chilly winds from the north ushering in more dampness lets you know it is December in Wisconsin. Just west of Waukesha, Chicago & North Western’s train No. 569, a freight between Butler Yard and Jefferson Junction, heads for Wales through the bleak countryside in December 1983. Four GP7s led by 4319 fill the winter air with the chant of EMD’s 567s… but not for long. This route is now the Glacial Drumin State Trail; C&NW abandoned the line from Waukesha to Jefferson Junction shortly after this photo.