Any Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway fans left...

[Stourbridge Lion]

I'm sure there must be but nothing has been posted here since August 9, 2005...

:( :( :( :( :(

[BoxcabE50]

Surely there are some. Maybe when Gary gets unpacked from his move?

:D

Boxcab E50

[Stourbridge Lion]

Still no posts after all this time...

:( :( :( :( :(

[BoxcabE50]

I thought when Gary was re-settled, perhaps he'd chime in...

:(

Boxcab E50

[marty coil]

here ya go.........Soo 'short' caboose repainted from the duluth, southshore and Atlantic

http://www.railimages.com/albums/martycoil/ajr.sized.jpg

[Stourbridge Lion]

It's been a month since the last topic started in this forum. Are there no fans left to keep this forum going?

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

[Stourbridge Lion]

:( :( :( :( :(

Yet another month has passed...

[Gats]

It's the problem with specialised groups, Darren. They tend to congregate mostly in email lists. :(

Now saying that, I have located where I may have photos I took back in '95. A matter of extracting them and sorting. :)

[Todd M. Taylor]

It's the problem with specialised groups, Darren. They tend to congregate mostly in email lists. :(
This does seem to be the case. I tried putting a forum on my Soo Line Roster site and let the Soo email lists know about it but it remained a ghost town so I took it down. I personally don't understand why people prefer an email list over forums, but that seems to be how it is... at least with the Soo fans.

[Stourbridge Lion]

I know several hundred D&H Railfan and they seem to be stuck on email based forums also. Why would anyone do that when there are great modern forum like TrainBoard without the fear of SPAM & Virus attacks via email.

:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:

[bierbass]

Thought I'd share these with you guys. These were given to me about 15 years ago. They were in a box of negatives that belonged to my great aunt. As I was the family photo bug at the time they fell to me.These pictures I scanned from 5x7 negs. Judging from other pictures in the bunch, the relative ages of my relatives in the pictures, I'd say they were shot in the late 20's or early 30's, most likely in Manitowoc, WI. I'd love any insight you al might have from anything you see in the photos. Thanks.

http://www.railimages.com/albums/danielthompson/aby.sized.jpghttp://www.railimages.com/albums/danielthompson/abz.sized.jpghttp://www.railimages.com/albums/danielthompson/aca.sized.jpg

[Stourbridge Lion]

:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:

[JMPowell]

COunt me in as a SOO fan

[Stourbridge Lion]

Last post: Would SOO line ever be seen in Northeast US? (http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=78822)

[Wolfgang Dudler]

The Dolly Sisters have been seen again!
I've made progress with my new Westport and can run trains.

http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/995/P9023416_800.jpg

Wolfgang

[Gats]

Wolfgang, those babies really need to be seen with a F7B each... ;)

Layout's looking great! :)

[BoxcabE50]

Anyone have some good color photos of pre-1961 merger diesels? Depots? I'd like to see them!

:D

Boxcab E50

[TonyHammes]

I've got some SOO. In my world they took over all of MILW including out west.

http://www.railimages.com/albums/Motive-Power/aak.sized.jpg

[BOK]

Gentlemen:

I worked for the SOO from 1973 until 1987 in Operations Management/Training out of the general offices in Minneapolis. I don't have many pictures and I would have to dig what I have out, to scan but I do have vivid memories of the operations both pre and post Milwaukee periods and then the Wisconsin Central for the next ten years. If you have questions please ask them and I will try to reply promtly... although at this time I am a new position for a railroad in Kansas and quite busy.

Just to start the conversation :
The "Dolly Sisters" 415/416 were rarely split up in later years and stayed in the Twin Cities because of unreliability issues. The Gp-7's also stayed in the Twin Cities for the most part due to MU problems with other power I believe.

The 70's and 80's were a fascinating although uncomfortable period for US railroads. Lots of new colorful cars ie. ( new covered hoppers replacing 40' grain boxcars and flocks of new 50' high per diem boxcars) but also a trying time due to many derailments from operating new larger cars on worn out track.

Enough for now.

Happy Modeling

Barry

[BoxcabE50]

Barry-

If you've got something you'd care to share, please don't hesitate!

I've been contemplating the merits of scanning some of my paperwork. But don't know how many would be interested in memorabilia. I have some pre-1961 MSt.P&SSM train orders which could be a curiousity to a few folks?

:D

Boxcab E50

[mtaylor]

I am a closet Soo Line fan. Sadly, I did not know allot about the SOO Line or gathered interest until the CP Rail Takeover....sort of. I just learned this year that CP Rail owned I believe majority stock / interest of Soo Line?? Since moving to Saint Paul and railfanning Hoffman Yard mainly, I have gather allot of interest in Soo Line and CP Rail. Being that I am a foamer of the modernish era, most of my modeling focus is CP rail. I do plan to expand my Soo Line loco roster though in as progress on the layout moves forward.

I am also a history buff, what can you tell us of the operations before CP Rail in the Saint Paul area? Traffic, Customers (I live less than a block from the line to the now doomed Ford Plant.....I need to get out there and take some pictures).

Speaking of taking pictures of the doomed Highland branchline......How can one figure out the schedule of local runs. To me is seems sporadic at best.

[BOK]

Matt and others:

The soo was owned 59% since it's existence by the CP although it charted a fairly independent course when you consider one of it's main connections out of the Twin Ports was the Duluth Winnipeg and Pacific a CN cousin.
The operation out of St.Paul prior to the merger of the CGW into the CNW was fairly quiet with operations centered around a small, stub, ended yard at 7th St. with offices in a big, old, freight station ( which still stands ) minus the tracks in downtown St. Paul. There were a few down town industries warehouses along with a weird loop type interchange with the GN which came off the tail of a wye at West Minister Jct. and made a steep-down grade loop to the soo yard and some GN served industries. Even more strange is that to gain entrance into 7th St. from Cardigan Jct. to the north, the Soo Line had to operate through one of only two tunnels on the railroad ( the other to gain entrance to the former passenger depot in Duluth).It was double-tracked under West Minister Jct. to allow
an arriving train from the north to run around their train and then switch out it out and spot industries often with the power north of the tunnel and the train in and south of the tunnel.
As a result of the CGW/CNW merger, the Soo Line gained access to the large petro-chemical complex at Roseport south of the city and 7th St. yard became a real bottleneck with all the additional traffic
which just happened to use a reverse switchback movement to get on to the BN to head south on trackage rights to Roseport. As a side note : the power in use during the 70's was F-unit "covered wagons), GP-7s, and SW type switch engines all in the red and white color scheme along with new EV cabooses and old wood cabooses.
After the acquistion (no not merger ) of the Milwaukee Road, 7th St. yard was abandoned the tunnel filled/caved in and all operations moved to the Milwaukee St. Paul (not "Pigseye") yard . Later the Soo Line Shoreham yard was down graded to an intermodal yard and with the exception of Humboldt yard and what was left of the former MNS Golden Valley yard all Twin Cities opeations moved to the former Milwaukee St. Paul yard as is the case with now CP operations. Another oddity in the Soo Line St. Paul operation was a Rock Island interchange run form Rosemont on the RI to the then main Soo yard at Shoreham which ran with a Soo crew, Soo Caboose and any kind of Rock power including RI, UP and SP mixed power.
Another side note: most railroads in the 60s, 70s, and 80s kept their locomotives fairly clean and painted with little dirt. I think the heavy weathering seen on models of these eras is often over done.

All for now.

Barry

[mtaylor]

WOW thanks for the info!! I now have a mission to research this area more!! I always thought that the SOO had larger operations in Saint Paul, very interesting....agiain Thanks. I will post some more questions here later.