Wauwatosa Webcam – Amtrak and CPKC Trains in Tosa Village

The Wauwatosa Webcam looks along the double main line of the CPKC Watertown Subdivision where it runs through the old village center of Wauwatosa, the suburb on the western edge of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Steel Highway Railcams runs the camera, hosted by the Wauwatosa Historical Society at its Little Red Store, and the view runs past a gray trackside equipment cabinet to a grade crossing and the dark steel bridge that carries the railroad over the Menomonee River. CPKC freight trains working between Milwaukee and Portage share these rails with Amtrak’s Empire Builder and Borealis, so a quiet scene of ballast and parked cars can suddenly fill with a passenger train or a long line of freight cars. The stream runs around the clock, and a banner across the top lists upcoming Amtrak departures from Milwaukee along with the local weather and time.

About Wauwatosa

Wauwatosa sits immediately west of Milwaukee, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from Milwaukee City Hall, at an elevation of 205 meters (673 feet). The city counted 48,387 residents at the 2020 census. Its name comes from the Potawatomi Chief Wauwataesie and the Potawatomi word for firefly. Euro-American settlers arrived in 1835, the village incorporated in 1892, and it was rechartered as the City of Wauwatosa on May 27, 1897.

The railroad came early. On November 20, 1850, a wood-burning locomotive with a huge funnel-shaped stack pulled two open cars of dignitaries over the first 8 kilometers (5 miles) of track from Milwaukee to Wauwatosa, the first train run in Wisconsin. A ticket cost 20 cents, and five months later the rails reached Waukesha. That line, later part of the Milwaukee Road, is the track in front of the camera at Milepost 90.6, and the historical society calls it the oldest railroad track in the state. By the 1890s, 22 trains a day were arriving at Wauwatosa station.

The Little Red Store at 7720 Harwood Avenue went up in 1854 at the meeting point of the Plank Road, the Menomonee River and the railroad. It served as the community’s first railroad depot and express office, and it remains the oldest standing post office building in Milwaukee County. It survived the 1895 fire that destroyed most of the buildings north of the river, which leaves it the oldest remaining commercial building in the city, and Wauwatosa named it a city landmark in 1978. The historical society and Steel Highway started streaming this Wauwatosa Webcam on March 26, 2025.

Weather and Climate in Wauwatosa

Winters are cold and snowy. Over 2015 to 2024, January afternoons in Wauwatosa averaged about -1 C (30 F) and nights about -8 C (17 F), and Milwaukee’s airport records around 124 centimeters (49 inches) of snow in a typical year, so snow can whiten the ballast and the parking lot in the frame. Spring warms slowly, with April averaging around 11 C (52 F) by day and 3 C (36 F) at night.

Summer is warm and green. July days average about 27 C (80 F) with nights near 18 C (64 F), and the trees around the crossing are in full leaf. Milwaukee’s airport collects about 878 millimeters (34.6 inches) of precipitation over a year. Autumn brings the most color to the camera: October averages about 16 C (60 F) by day and 8 C (46 F) at night, and by early October the trees beside the tracks are already turning yellow.

Things to Do Near Wauwatosa

The camera sits in the Village of Wauwatosa, the compact historic center with walkable streets, river views, shops and restaurant patios, so the Little Red Store fits easily into a stroll. The Wauwatosa Historical Society opens the store for historical programs from time to time. Charles Hart Park, less than 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) east, covers 7.9 hectares (19.5 acres) beside the Menomonee River with sports fields, tennis courts, a skate park, a splash pad and a nature trail. The Menomonee River Parkway adds paved paths along the river for walking and cycling.

Hoyt Park, about 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) northwest, spreads over more than 48 hectares (120 acres) and holds the Tosa Pool, with waterslides and concessions in summer. The Milwaukee County Zoo lies about 3 kilometers (2 miles) southwest in a straight line, with more than 2,200 animals of 348 species across 77 hectares (190 acres). History fans can add the Lowell Damon House museum, about 900 meters (0.6 miles) north, and the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, a Frank Lloyd Wright design.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more trains and more of Wisconsin, try these cameras.

• Waupaca Webcam
• Alma Webcam
• Milwaukee Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Wauwatosa Webcam located?

The camera is hosted at the Little Red Store on Harwood Avenue in the Village of Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. It watches Milepost 90.6 of the CPKC Watertown Subdivision, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) west of downtown Milwaukee.

What can you see on the Wauwatosa Webcam?

Two tracks run diagonally through the frame from the lower right, past a gray trackside equipment cabinet, to a grade crossing with a crossbuck and crossing signals. Beyond the crossing, the line heads onto its steel bridge over the Menomonee River. A parking lot full of cars, black double-globe street lamps and a few older houses on the left fill the rest of the view. A banner across the top shows the next scheduled Amtrak departures from Milwaukee, the local weather, the date and the time.

What trains pass through Wauwatosa?

According to Steel Highway, CPKC freight trains running between Portage and Milwaukee use the line, along with Amtrak’s Empire Builder and Borealis passenger trains. The site also monitors the railroad radio channels AAR 84 (161.370 MHz) and AAR 94 (161.520 MHz) with a scanner, so crew radio traffic can come through before a train appears.

What is the Little Red Store in Wauwatosa?

It is an 1854 building that served as Wauwatosa’s first railroad depot and express office, and it is the oldest standing post office building in Milwaukee County. The Wauwatosa Historical Society operates it, hosts the railcam there and holds historical programs in it from time to time.

When did the first train run to Wauwatosa?

On November 20, 1850, when a wood-burning locomotive pulled two open cars of dignitaries from Milwaukee to Wauwatosa on the first train run in Wisconsin. The fare was 20 cents, and by the 1890s Wauwatosa station saw 22 trains a day.

What is the weather like in Wauwatosa?

Wauwatosa has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. January averages about -1 C (30 F) by day and -8 C (17 F) at night, while July averages about 27 C (80 F) by day and 18 C (64 F) at night.

How far is Wauwatosa from Milwaukee?

Wauwatosa borders Milwaukee on its western side. The Little Red Store is about 8 kilometers (5 miles) west of Milwaukee City Hall in a straight line, and the Milwaukee County Zoo is about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the camera.

Source: Steel Highway Railcams