Glenn A. Oestreich Collection – Center for Railroad Photography & Art

Biography

Glenn A. Oestreich (1952–2009) was an avid railroad photographer from Watertown, Wisconsin. Following his early and sudden death (read memorial), his parents, Del and Shirley Oestreich, donated part of his photography collection to the Center. The collection consists of approximately 2,000 black-and-white prints, mainly 5×7 and 8×10, as well as approximately 1,000 color slides. Coverage focuses on Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest, mainly in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Railroads include the Chicago & North Western, Milwaukee Road, Soo Line, Burlington Northern, and several regional and short lines in the area.

Oestreich was graduated in 1970 from Watertown High School and attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he took several photography classes. His B&W prints are generally of high technical quality and produce excellent scans. Please contact the Center for more information about this collection.

Glenn Oestreich self portrait in a Chicago & North Western caboose.

Oestreich Collection Overview

Gift of Del and Shirley Oestreich
2,000 B&W negatives
2,000 B&W prints
1,000 color slides
1970s to 1990s
Coverage focuses on the Upper Midwest and especially Wisconsin

Reproduction Requests

High resolution scans from the Oestreich Collection are available for print and electronic reproduction
To make requests, visit the collections page or send an email to info@railphoto-art.org

Highlights

Three varieties of Chicago & North Western Alco diesel locomotives at the engine terminal in Escabana, Michigan, on a May evening in 1984. At left is high-nose C628 no. 6720, in the middle is RS32 no. 4240, and C425 no. 4257 is at right. The photograph was taken during the C&NW Historical Society's annual meeting.

Eastbound Chicago & North Western loaded iron ore train crossing the Escanaba RIver Bridge at Escanaba, Michigan, in May 1984. Tracks of the Escabana & Lake Superior, which cross under the C&NW bridge, are visible in the foreground at right. Leading the train are three of the C&NW's big Alco C628 locomotives, which last operated just two years later in 1986.

Lake Superior & Ishpeming ore train unloading at the docks in Marquette, Michigan, in May 1984. Three LS&I Alco RSD12 locomotives lead the train (no. 1850 on the point), while the bulk carrier "American Mariner" awaits the train's cargo.

Illinois Central drawbridge over the Galena River in Galena, Illinois, in April 1978.

Green Bay & Western Alco C424 locomotives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in May 1984

Rock Island freight train with GP38-2 no. 4317 passing a tower in 1978.

Eastbound freight train on the Chicago & North Western approaching Rock Siding near Ashippun, Wisconsin, on April 26, 1986. Leading the train are two Missouri-Kansas-Texas SD40 locomotives. The train will meet a westbound waiting in the siding at Rock, just out of view to the right.

Eastbound Amtrak passenger train no. 8, the "Empire Builder," detouring on the Chicago & North Western near Lebanon, Wisconsin, on March 23, 1986. Normally the train ran on the nearby Soo Line (ex-Milwaukee Road) route.

Four Chicago & North Western GP7 locomotives leading westbound freight train no. 569 near Waukesha, Wisconsin, on January 2, 1983. The train ran between Madison and Butler Yard in Milwaukee.

Chicago & North Western semaphore signals show clear track in both directions at sunset on the Adams Line in Wisconsin April 1986.

Two SD45 locomotives leading Chicago & North Western freight train no. 471 past a farm at North Lowell, Wisconsin, on a bright February day in 1978. The train ran between Green Bay and the Twin Cities.

Four Chicago & North Western diesels circle the turntable at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, on a sunny June day in 1977. Baldwin AS-16 no. 1489 at left joins three GP7s.