Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016

Publishers of the Minnesota Rail Calendar

#261 to Steam Again This Year #261 will Steam to Du- luth on June 4 2016 and return to Mpls on June 5 2016. Info at 261.com Photos: 2007: #261 on Kettle River Br in Sandstone and at Brook Park MN By R Tubbesing

Table of Contents Meeting Notice Meeting Notice Page 1 Next business meeting will be held on Officer Contact Directory Page 1, 2 Saturday April 16th 2016 6:30 pm, at Roseville Lutheran Church at 1215 Roselawn Avenue, midway between Lexington and Editors Column Page 2 Hamline Avenues in Roseville. See map on page 2. March 2016 Meeting MInutes Page 2,3 John Goodman Interview Page 3 Program after the meeting – St Paul Union Depot Days Update Page 3 Historic Railroad Slides by Greg Smith from his vast slide collection. Suit Against CP Page 4 Greg has worked on various railroads during his career. Many slides have been acquired and shot by Greg over the years. Greg has present- LSRM Dome cars Page 4, ed programs in the past and has been very well received by our mem- BNSF Restores Page 5 bers. MINN and WISC explore 2nd Train Page 6 Northshore Resumes Taconite Operation Page 6,7 There will be a pre-meeting get-together April 16, 2016 at the Keys RR Bridge to Return to Operation Page 7 Cafe and Bakery at the northeast corner of Lexington and Larpenteur starting about 4:45 pm. PLEASE CALL Bob Clarkson at 651-636- C&NW 1946 Passgenger Specs Page 8, 9 2323 and leave a message with your name and the number of persons Gary Rumler and Barney Olson Vintage Photos Page 10 coming with you. Barney Olson and John Cartwright Vintage Photos Page 11 UP Improvements on Hold Page 12

Last Cantilever Signal Br in MN Page 12 Twin Cities Rochester High Speed Rail Status Page 13 What is was like on Amtrak in the 1970’s Page 13,14 Railfan Events Page 14,15 DVD’s For Sale Page 16

Northstar Chapter Officers President Richard Tubbesing [email protected] 763-757-1304 Vice President Dan Meyer [email protected] 763-784-8835 Past President H Martin Swan [email protected] 612-961-1684 National Director Jim McLean [email protected] 612-747-8541 Treasurer Russ Isbrandt [email protected] 651-426-1156 Secretary Dave Norman [email protected] 612-729-2428 Trustee Gary Rumler [email protected] 651-385-8752

Page 1 Northstar News April 2016 Volume 47 #3 Northstar Railway Historical Society March 2016 Staff Program Chairman John Goodman [email protected] 612-839-0905 Newsletter Editor Committee: Richard [email protected] 763-757-1304 Tubbesing, Dawn [email protected] 763-784-8835 Holmberg

Newsletter Distribution Richard Tubbesing [email protected] 763-757-1304 Calendar Committee John Goodman [email protected] 612-839-0905 Dawn Holmberg [email protected] 763-784-8835 Russ Isbrandt

Trip Director John Goodman [email protected] 612-839-0905 Chapter Librarian/ John Cartwright [email protected] 651-481-8479 Historian Web Master Dan Meyer [email protected] 763-784-8835 Chapter Mailbox Northstar Chapter NRHS PO Box 120832 St Paul MN 55112 Library Data Base Ad- Russ Isbrandt [email protected] 651-426-1156 ministrator Meeting Location: From the east or west take MN 36 to Lexington From the Publisher: Avenue. Drive south on Lexington Avenue to Roselawn Avenue and 2016 Dues are OverDue! IF you have not renewed your local turn right. The large lighted parking lot is on your right as you travel chapter dues, You are dropped from newsletter list. Membership west on Roselawn. Use the lower entrance to the church and turn left for 2016 is $18 for NRHS membership (+NRHS membership through the commons area. We’ll be in room 40, The Diamond dues of $50, billed separately) and $21 for subscriber. NRHS Room. dues for 2016 can be paid online by credit card. If you are a current member of the NRHS and the NRHS has your email address, you should have gotten an email from ‘Amelia.com’ to renew your NRHS dues via secure payment by credit card. If the NRHS does not have your email address, you should have by now received a letter in the mail to renew your dues. If you have received notification by either method, please renew your NRHS dues promptly. The NRHS is now in the Black due to great Leadership which has turned around this or- ganization from debt ridden status.

Thanks to John Kennedy for his Slide Presentation. His slides mainly from his duties as operator at the Hoffman Interlocking Tower in St Paul brought back many memories and awes from the meeting at- tendees His slides from the tower of St Paul railroading in the early 1970’s was fantastic. We look for more presentations from him in the near future!

: Northstar Chapter NRHS Meeting Minutes March 19 2016.

The meeting was called to order by chapter president Richard Tubbesing at 6:32 pm at the Roseville Luthearn Church with 24 members present. Those present were asked to introduce themselves. Treasurer Russ Isbrandt gave the treasurers report. We have money in the treasury. Russ had sent out invoices to those in the chapter that had not paid their dues. Dan Meyer reported that he had arranged for a donation to the chapter from Ericson Company, his employer. Dawn Holmberg reported on the calendar project, we have totally sold out. John Goodman reported on planned programs, John Kennedy this month, Greg Smith next month, and Minnesota Railroad promotional films from the 1950’s in May do- nated by the Minnesota Streetcar Museum. John reported that June 18 is our Metro transit trip and July 9th is our picnic at Maiden Rock WI, and our August trip will be a bus trip to ride behind the Steam engine #28 at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum (if running by that time). John reported on the NRHS Convention July 19th to July 24 in Denver. Many activities at the convention are filling up. In addition to the Convention BOD meeting, a fall BOD meeting is scheduled for Portland OR. Richard Tubbesing sends out about 40 newsletters in the mail, and about the same number electronically and is planned for publication the first Wednesday of the month. Participation in the spring flea markets are still to be decided by the BOD. Most likely, we will only do the Fair Grounds train show, and do two or three more in the fall when our calendar is available. Dan Meyer reported on the Chapter web site. Continued on next page.

Page 2 Northstar News March 2016 Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016 Continued from previous page. Cheer Committee, we sent a card to Marty Swan who has been ailing, but was returned due to an invalid Address. We will make an effort to get Marty the card. The St Paul Union Depot 50th Anniversary celebration will be April 30 and May 1 and for a nominal fee, one can attended RR slide shows by many prominent photographers. A night photo session is planned. Otherwise the Event is free. John Goodman announced that we have a lot of slides at the library, mostly commercial. Announcements: None Presi- dent Tubbesing motioned for approval of meeting minutes of the last two months in the March newsletter. Members approved. President Tubbesing stated that in the next two meetings, we need to create a search committee for nominating officers for the 2017 year. Marty Swan stated that 3 members are required and only one can be a current BOD officer. Meeting was adjourned at 6:57PM , Seconded by John Goodman. Respectfully submitted: Dave Norman Secretary.

John Goodman Interview 2016 March This editor interviewed John Goodman about his duties at Westminster Tower in St Paul. Here is the interview. “I always worked Westminster in the afternoon. I came in at 2:30 pm and left at 11:30 pm. I sat in front of what was a small CTC-Board and you controlled the line which is now under I35E which went into the Toni Plant (Gillette).I don’t believe the Toni Plant exists anymore and that is where the new St Paul Saints Ballpark is. Whenever they came up with a passenger train to wye, before they put it in the Mississippi Street coach yard for the Great Northern, you had to align the switches form mechanically on your board so they could wye it. The tracks in front of the tower, there were four of them, the first two tracks next to the tower were the passenger main, the furthest two were freight mains, they stayed that way to St Anthony where they Crossed over, the passenger mains 1 and 2 crossed over track 3 and 4 to go into the passenger station. The freight mains crossed over to go into Union Yard. We always had contact with the E St Paul yard master of the Northwestern because we controlled the entrance from their line coming out of East St Paul down to what they called Buckley, to enter the Great Northern. You crossed them over to tracks 3 and 4 and CNW trains went to St Anthony where they crossed over to East Minneapolis yard. You had trains coming at you that would call you on the radio and once and awhile the dispatcher would call you for a ‘19’ order but not very often. I was there after Amtrak Started but they had not taken over the Minneapolis depot yet, and we would get just one Amtrak train a day each way, and then the Northcoast got put on we got two trains a day.” Editor, “what were the years you worked at Westminster?” “It was 1970, 1971”. Editor: “so you worked the transition from Great Northern to the Burlington Northern?”. “Yes that is correct”. More interviews to come in the future.

Pictures: TRAINS BY WESTMINSTER: L-R #261 WB in 1995, R Tubbesing . C&NW Passenger at Buckley (date unknown, probably 1960’s), Northstar RR Hist Society Collection. BN in 1971, Ross Hammond Collection. BN Freight EB by the tower in 1975, John Cartwright.

St Paul Union Depot Train Days Update from Steve Glischinski I've been working with the Union Depot to put together Train Days next month and thought I would give you the latest on what we have planned on April 30 and May 1: On track level we will have the Amtrak Exhibit Train, which has never been to Minnesota before. No. 261 will be steamed up for cab tours, and the Lake Superior Railroad Museum is bringing Soo Line FP7 2500-A down from Duluth. The Minnesota Transportation Museum is bring- ing Great Northern SDP40 325 and Post Office/Baggage/Coach 1102. Twin Cities & Western will be there as well. Near the tracks food trucks will be set up so people can eat during the event. .Inside, there will be vendors, booths, a locomotive simulator and several model railroads. On the morning of April 30, we will have three “clinics.” Gary Nelson will talk about his experiences working for the Great Northern Railway on passenger trains out of the Union Depot in the 1960. Charles McCreary will show photos and talk about his experiences photographing trains (including steam trains) at the depot in the 1940s and 1950s. Byron Olsen will make a presentation on visiting and shooting trains during its last years in the 1960s and 1970s. All this is free! We have more details on “Laker Rail” on April 30 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. (you do not have to stay for the entire time of course). This will be multi-media exhi- bition of railroad photos and video set to music, featuring the work of railfan photographers. Programs are 15-20 minutes long, and will start on the hour and half hour. A two-hour break for dinner (not included) will be from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Programs are: Steve Glischinski – St. Paul Union Depot Eric Hendrickson – Railroads of the South Dan Kwarciany - Railroading Under A Big Sky Scott Lothes – Railroads Along the Upper Mississippi River Dave Oroszi – My First 40 Years Dave Schauer – Where Rail Meets Sail Steve Smedley – Spencer – A Railfans Woodstock Craig Williams - Thru the Winter Marshall Beecher – Chicago Inside and out Other presentations will be by William Beecher, Nick Benson, Chase Gunnoe, and Chris Guss. There is a $27 admission charge for this event with the money going to the Friends of the 261 to help pay for bringing the engine to the Union Depot for the weekend. We just added a night photo session with 261 and Soo Line 2500-A Friday April 29; you can buy just a ticket to that ($20) and/or Laker Rail, or save money by buying the combo of the two events ($40). To buy tickets you can go to lakerrail.com. That’s the line up so far. Page 3 Northstar News April 2016 Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016 CP Rail Sued by ADM for Service Disruptions, Allegedly Resulting from ‘imprudent cost-cutting’ Nick Carey and Tom Polansek, The Canadian Press | March 23, 2016 |

CHICAGO — Archer Daniels Midland Co has filed a lawsuit against Canadian Pacific over service disruptions in 2013 and 2014 at crop-processing plants in North Dakota and Minnesota, alleging they stemmed in part from cost-cutting and the Canadian railroad’s pursuit of merger partners.

Chicago-based ADM, one of the world’s largest grain traders and processors, filed suit against CP in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois on March 18, seeking damages “resulting from one of the worst and most persistent railroad service failures experienced by ADM in many years.” The U.S. rail system has long served as the lone, dependable way to move grain thousands of miles in the northern U.S. Plains, where there are no commercially navigable rivers.

In early 2014, farmers in the Upper Midwest held the largest grain stocks in years after months of worsening delays that crippled the U.S. farm transportation system. News from the North Shore Scenic Railroad and the Lake Superior Rail- road Museum –provided by John Goodman

Time to forget about the winter woes and start planning for summer with railroading fun at the North Shore Scenic Railroad and Lake Superior Railroad Museum. This month we welcome a new Dome Car to the operation. This is the big announcement, and you heard it here first: the Northern Pacific Dome Car, "Homestake Pass" will be in Duluth all this summer, offering First Class service on all Duluth Zephyr train excur- sions. This is very exciting for our railroad. The dome car is privately owned, but will be on a lease over the summer as part of a fundraiser to contribute funds to the North Shore Scenic Railroad owned dome car renovation project for the "Silver Club" (more info below). All proceeds from First Class ticket sales will go directly to the other Dome Car's renovation. Meanwhile, you now have a "golden ticket" opportunity to experience the thrill of "riding in the clouds" on the top floor seat in the Dome Car. Tickets are on sale now for the Duluth Zephyr, including First Class Dome Car seats... and look for additional excursions with the Dome Car in upcoming editions of Trackside. A spectacular First Class view will be yours on top of the Silver Club Dome Car. The view is like flying at tree-top level, with an expansive panorama of beautiful scenery roll- ing by the train. Life is better in a dome car! The Silver Club Dome Car was donated for use on the North Shore Scenic Rail- road and is currently undergoing a complete renovation to bring back its full glory. That will require both time and money. With your help, this car will very soon be doing what her builders ha envisioned: giving passengers the best view ever from the rails. Donating has its perks too, with several levels of gifts with your support of this exciting project: $25: Get one free first-class ticket on a daytime Duluth Zephyr Excursion. $75: Get four free first-class tickets on a daytime Duluth Zephyr Excursion. $100: Get four free first-class tickets on a daytime Duluth Zephyr Excursion and your name on the supporter dedication plaque. Page 4 Northstar News April 2016 Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016

From the TRAINS Newswire: BNSF Restores Dome-observation Car to Business Fleet Service. By Steve Glischinski | March 10, 2016

BNSF Railway recently restored former Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy lounge-buffet-dome-observation car Silver Veranda as the Canyon View for its business car fleet. Canyon View was once the observation car for the Denver Zephyr.

TOPEKA, Kan. — BNSF Railway’s business fleet now features a newly restored dome observation car. BNSF No. 35, Canyon View was released from the Topeka Shops in January and made its first trip on BNSF’s Super Bowl Special operating from Tope- ka to the San Francisco area in early February.

The Budd Co. built the car in 1956 for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy as the Silver Veranda, one of two blunt-end parlor-buffet -lounge-observation cars for the Chicago-Denver/Colorado Springs Denver Zephyr. The lounge under the dome was known as the “Colorado Room” which had booths for two and four and seating on a curved banquette. It had linoleum carvings by Pierre Bourdelle and a mural of the Rockies Front Range by Russell Paterson. Paterson also did murals in the parlor portion of the car in front of the dome, and the observation portion behind the dome.

The new Denver Zephyr entered service in October 1956 and was the last complete streamlined train to be built for a private rail- road in the United States. Silver Veranda and its twin, Silver Chateau, remained in service on the Zephyr until Amtrak took over the train’s operation in May 1971. Amtrak acquired both cars, but the Silver Chateau was wrecked in 1977 and eventually scrapped, leaving the Silver Veranda as the sole surviving Denver Zephyr observation car.

Amtrak sold the car in 1993. By then, much of the interior had been gutted. Burlington Northern purchased the car and stored it for future rebuilding. That rebuild didn’t come until BN successor BNSF moved the car into the Topeka Shops and began work in February 2015.

According to Amy Casas, BNSF Director of Corporate Communications, the Business Car team in Topeka stripped the car down to its stainless steel shell and support structure before rebuilding began. Workers replaced everything but the shell and the main structural components. The Canyon View now has seating for 45 and features a meeting room with a small kitchenette, lounge ar- ea, dining area, and the dome. Casas says with the addition of the Canyon View, BNSF has the flexibility to have four separate usable areas in one car for private customer or community events.

It’s the details that make the car special. It has recessed original Adlake-style window sashes rather than rubber “zip strip” window moldings used by other passenger car owners today. BNSF used original-style green tint glass in the dome, and installed LED lights in the dome that can change colors. The stainless steel side fluting looks like the day the car rolled out of the Budd shops. The railroad tastefully applied “BNSF” lettering on the exterior of the blunt-end observation where the Burlington Route emblem and Denver Zephyr name once were. The car is now available as part of BNSF’s private fleet of about 40 passenger cars that travel its system for various customer and community events.

BNSF has two other dome cars in its business car fleet: BNSF No. 30 Glacier View, an ex-Great Northern full-length dome built by Budd in 1955, and No. 31 Bay View, another full-length dome built by Budd in 1954 for Santa Fe.

Page 5 Northstar News April 2016 Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016 Minnesota, Wisconsin Talking About a St. Paul 'Hiawatha'. From the TRAINS Newswire: By Steve Glischinski | March 16, 2016 Provided by Rick Krenske ST. PAUL, Minn. — Government agencies in Minnesota and Wisconsin say they’ll fund studies aimed at getting a second Chicago to Twin Cities passenger train. As proposed, a new train would complement the existing Amtrak on the route. More than 100,000 passengers per year already ride the Empire Builder be- tween Chicago and St. Paul, and a second daily round trip could draw an additional 155,000 passengers according to a 2015 Amtrak study. That study said a train St. Paul and This abbreviated Empire Builder resembles what a Chicago- Chicago would consist of a locomotive, two bi-level Su- Milwaukee-St. Paul Hiawatha consist might be. Steve Glischinski perliner type coaches, a bi-level snack coach, and a cab car coach accommodating as many as 270 passengers. In February, the Ramsey County (Minn.) Regional Railroad Authority approved spending $300,000 as part of the first phase of a $600,000 study. The state of Wisconsin will fund the other half, and the Minnesota High Speed Rail Commission is putting up con- tingency money. Ramsey County authority director Tim Mayasich says the previous Amtrak study was “favorable” for the service and the authority wanted to move ahead with the next phase. Mayasich says the Minnesota Department of Transportation would be the technical lead for the effort, cooperating with Wisconsin. The Minnesota authority owns and operates St. Paul Union Depot in downtown St. Paul. Dan Krom, director of the Minnesota transportation department’s passenger rail office, says adding the second train is a first step to getting train service up to 125 mph speeds as part of the Midwest Rail Initiative. But Krom and Wisconsin transportation department passenger rail implementation Manager Arun Rao says Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has made it clear that he wants to focus on ex- isting, rather than new services. Krom says Wisconsin and Illinois are working on adding three new train slots to the existing Chica- go-Milwaukee Hiawatha Service, and one of these trains could be extend to the Twin Cities. Given that Walker killed a proposed Milwaukee-Madison extension of the Hiawatha service shortly after he took office in 2011, pas- senger rail supporters might be skeptical that he would support another train. But Krom said he’s “encouraged they [Wisconsin offi- cials] are at the table with us, are an equal partner and are moving forward.” Rao says the study would take 18 to 24 months. Also to be worked out is how operating support will be divided between the states. Rao says a good model is his state and Illinois, where Wisconsin provides 75 percent of the operating funds and Illinois 25 percent for the Hiawatha Service. Krom, Mayasich, and Rao all say that under the most optimistic scenario, a second train could be running in about three to four years. But much depends on whether the project can get federal funding to cover the majority of the capital costs. “There’s a lot of different tentacles to adding a second train,” says Krom, citing bureaucracies and tight regulations, among other things, as challeng- es. It is an open question whether officials between the two states can tackle those challenges. North Shore Restarts Taconite Mining in May March 16, 2016 Provided by Rick Krenske SILVER BAY, Minn. — Cliffs Natural Resources will restart iron ore pellet production at its Northshore Mining operation in Minnesota by May 15. Northshore mines taconite near Babbitt, Minn., and hauls it over the 47-mile former Reserve Mining railroad to its processing plant at Silver Bay on Lake Superior’s North Shore. The company idled the plant in November 2015. The operation employs approximately 540 people. Continued on next page. Caption: North Shore Mining loads arrive at Silver Bay, Minn., in February 2014. Steve Glischinski

Page 6 Northstar News April 2016 Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016

Continued from Previous page: CIT EMD SD9043MACs Nos. 130 and 133 are on lease to Northshore for two years and will haul Northshore taconite trains when it restarts operations. They are used to pull 156-car raw ore trains on the railroad between Babbitt and Silver Bay. Cliffs also operates the Hibbing Taconite mine in Minnesota, as well as the Tilden and Empire mines in Michigan. BNSF Rail- way serves Hibbing; Empire is served by Canadian National and Lake Superior & Ishpeming; and Tilden by LS&I exclusively. Two other Minnesota taconite plant remain idled: Cliff’s United Taconite Plant at Forbes, Minn., served by Canadian National, and U.S. Steel’s Keetac at Keewatin, Minn. served by BNSF

Dan Patch Bridge Over Will Be Swinging Again This Spring. By John Reinan Star Tribune February 29 2016 -Provided by Rick Krenske

The city of Savage wants a new Minnesota River crossing on the site of the Dan Patch swing bridge. The Dan Patch Line bridge across the Minnesota River will swing shut to carry rail traffic this spring for the first time in nearly a decade, officials said last week, and it’s being set in motion by an unlikely source: the Panama Canal. A long-awaited project to widen the canal is scheduled to be completed in May, allowing larger ships to pass through the historic link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “That means bigger ships will be calling at New Orleans,” said Mark Wegner, president of the Twin Cities & Western Railroad Co., which owns the bridge. “That means New Orleans will be more competitive. And that means the [Mississippi] river will be more competitive.” Wegner said he believes barge traffic from the Minnesota River port of Savage will be on the rise this year. The port is being affect- ed by far-flung economic forces, he explained. A worldwide glut of iron ore has lowered prices and idled ore fleets, and Wegner expects those ships to stay busy by hauling grain. There’s a lot of grain to haul. Low prices last fall persuaded many farmers to keep their corn, wheat and soybeans in storage. “Probably 70 percent of last year’s harvest is sitting in a country elevator or on the farms,” Wegner said. Rail traffic on the bridge won’t be high, probably about one train a day, Wegner said. But they will be the first trains on the bridge since 2007. And the Twin Cities & Western has been taking pains to let communities along the track know that its trains will be hauling grain. “I want to make sure the residents know that we are not shipping crude oil,” Wegner said. Minor repair work on the bridge started after Thanksgiving and will be completed in time for the expected opening of service. The bridge once carried cars as well as trains, but that ended more than 30 years ago. A recent proposal by Scott County to reopen the bridge to auto traffic has been vigorously opposed by the city of Bloomington. In the last decade, legislators shot down the idea of using the Dan Patch corridor for a commuter train from Northfield to Minneap- olis, although some cities along the route still hold out hope for train service someday.

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Chicago & Northwestern 1946 Café-coach Passenger Car Specs -from the Archives of Gary Rumler Please use the zoom function of the Adobe Reader to view greater detail

Cover Page, Table of Contents -(emblem provided by editor)

Look at Typical C&NW Cafe-coach passenger cars –Gary Rumler Collection

Intro Letter, Pages 1 and 2

Page 8 Northstar News April 2016 Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016

Continued from previous page: Chicago & Northwestern 1946 Café-coach Passenger Car Specs

Pages 3, 4 and 5

Pages 6, 7 and 8

Pages 9,10, and 11

Page 9 Northstar News April 2016 Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016

Amtrak Vintage Photos from the Gary Rumler Collection

Amtrak #7 August 1997 in Red Wing Amtrak #8 F40’s 1995 August Red Wing MN (17 cars!)

Chicago & Northwestern Vintage Photos from the Gary Rumler Collection

C&NW Engine #4707 New Prague MN ALCOS Between Eyota and Dover MN 1974 July –photo by Dave Hepper

Vintage C&NW Photos by Barney Olson from the Barney Olson Collection

C&NW TC 400 on the Stone Arch Bridge 1961 June (Published by Steve Glischinski) C&NW TC 400 just off the Stone Arch Br October 1961 Page 10 Northstar News April 2016 Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016

Vintage CRI&P Photos by Barney Olson from the Barney Olson Collection

Rare in the Twin Cities, BL2 1962 in Minneapolis Rare ALCO DL109 in Minneapolis in 1964

Rock Island Zephyr Rocket in Minneapolis coming and going, in 1964 in Nov , then in October (note the Switch tender tower))

Vintage Photos by John Cartwright

Amtrak E-unit Engineer getting Hooped up Orders 1974 Milw GP20 (ex GP9) crew sets switches to enter North Star Steel 1975 June

Page 11 Northstar News April 2016 Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016

South St. Paul Union Pacific Rail Yard Improvement Project at Standstill By Beatrice Dupuy Star Tribune -From Rick Krenske

The city of South St. Paul is moving forward with plans to move a sewer line while Union Pacific temporarily puts plans on hold for a multimil- lion dollar improvement project to its rail yard. Photo by Beatrice Dupuy Union Pacific is lagging on construction of its $40 million improvement project to its South St. Paul yard while the city is moving ahead with construction plans of its own.

The city of South St. Paul is pushing forward with a $3.5 million construction project that would relocate an underground sanitary sewer that runs through the rail yard anyway.

Union Pacific wants to bring the 80-year-old sewer system up to modern standards for safety and operational benefits. Currently, the city has to interrupt rail road operations to fix problems with the sewer. The city will select a contractor by Monday and award the contract by April 4 for the sewer realignment. Union Pacific will split the cost with the city on the sewer project, said John Sachi, city engineer. The design of the rail yard project is nearly complete, but Union Pacific officials are unsure about moving forward in 2017.

Last NP Cantilever Signal in Minnesota Removed from Service. By Steve Glischinski | March 11, 2016 From the TRAINS Newswire: STAPLES, Minn. – The last remaining Northern Pacific cantilever style signal bridge in Minnesota was taken out of service this month as BNSF Railway continues to upgrade the signal system on its Staples Subdivision. The signal bridge controlled the movement of trains from double to single track at Philbrook, about 10 miles southeast of Staples on the railroad’s Minneapolis to Fargo, N.D., main line. The replacement tri-light signals The distinctive NP cantilevers have been dropping out of service at a rapid rate, as newer are seen ready for service in Au- steel bridges or simple lineside signals replace them. The Philbrook bridge held searchlight gust 2015 at Philbrook. signals that themselves are being replaced across the U.S. by new LED lights. The search- Steve Glischinski lights had in turn had replaced earlier NP semaphore signals. NP cantilevers can still be found along Montana Rail Link lines and on BNSF’s ex-Northern Pacific routes in North Dakota and Washington, but they are rapidly becoming an endan- gered species.

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Minneapolis-Rochester High Speed Rail Decision Expected by July. Business Martin Moylan · Mar 2, 2016 The firm that wants to build an elevated high-speed rail line between Rochester and the Twin Cities will decide by summer if the project goes forward, a company executive said Wednesday. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has given a go-ahead to Bloomington-based North American High Speed Rail Group to study building the line. Work is underway on a business plan and funding for the privately-financed project, Wendy Meadley the firm's chief strategy officer, told a business group. "We'll make what we consider an unofficial go or no-go by July 1, could be sooner," she added. Meadley said there will be two town hall meetings at which the public can discuss the planned rail line. She said station locations are still undetermined. The project's final price tag also remains undetermined but Meadley said the former estimate of $4.2 billion is being revised, likely downward.

What Riding Amtrak was Like in the 1970s March 30, 2016 12:50 AM, "Gene Poon –provided by John Goodman US Today Travel Website

Northbound Silver Star, 1977. This image shows the Silver Star passing Amtrak E8 Locomotive No. 284, mid-1970s. The streamlined E8s were orig- through Norlina, N.C., as a lone figure looks on. In 1986 the route of the inally manufactured by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between Silver Star (New York-Tampa-Miami) shifted eastward through Rocky 1949 and 1954. In this photo, the E8 wears patriotic Amtrak Phase II livery Mount when the rail line through Norlina was abandoned. The depot in the photograph was subsequently torn down. The Silver Star is led by SDP40F and pulls new stainless steel single-level equipment. The Amfleet locomotive No. 631, wearing the Amtrak Phase I paint scheme introduced in cars, which first entered service in 1975, are still used across the national 1972. Doug Riddell system, especially on trains east of the Mississippi River. Amtrak

There is a rarity among all those Amtrak-supplied photos: an E8,the AMTK 284, pulling Amfleet.

Amfleet was (and is) heated, cooled, lighted, and its toilets flushed by electricity. Most E8s did not have the Head-End Power electric generators needed, but this one, AMTK 284, was among the five that were so retrofitted.

The spotting feature that identifies it as a real HEP-E8 and not a phony posed for a publicity photo is the EMD cooling fan on the roof at the center of the engine. Converted E8s had a pair of such fans mounted two-abreast there to provide air for the radiator that cooled the small diesel engine powering the HEP generator. The converted units only kept their numbers for a very short time; the AMTK 284 (formerly PRR 5706A and PC 4276) was quickly renumbered to AMTK 495. Retired by Amtrak, the engine was leased briefly in 1984 to Metro-North; then it was sold to Blue Mountain and Reading 5706A and was repainted in its original PRR Tuscan Red; it was sold for scrap in 1988. Continued on next page:

Page 13 Northstar News April 2016 Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016 Continued from previous page:

Metroclub interior, 1970s. Passenger service representative Tricia Saunders Lunch counter-diner/dorm car, 1970s. In 1973, Amtrak refurbished this car, speaks with customers in a Metroliner Club car - known as Metroclub. It which had been built for the Santa Fe Railway in 1950. It included a crew featured roomy, individually reclining swivel parlor chairs; there was also a room at one end, a small dining area with two tables (seen through the glass phone booth available to passengers. In her role, Saunders assisted custom- ers on the train and listened to their complaints and compliments regarding partitions at the back), a 13-seat lunch counter, and a pantry and kitchen. The Amtrak service. She wears a mini skirt and red jacket, which incorporates vibrant red and purple color scheme was installed as part of Amtrak's efforts to the first Amtrak service mark in white along the collar and button modernize car interiors, and can be seen in other cars from the period. A close band. Amtrak look at the price board reveals that coffee cost just $0.10 l Amtrak

North Coast Hiawatha led by SDP40F Locomotive No. 536, 1970s. Here the eastbound North Coast Hiawatha (Seattle-Billings-Chicago) approaches the Bozeman Tunnel located in the Bozeman Pass between Bozeman and Living- ston, Mont. The pass between the Bridger and Gallatin mountain ranges is named for John Bozeman, a pioneer who opened a trail linking Laramie, Wyo., and Virginia City, Mont., in 1863. The train includes at least four dome cars Amtrak had purchased from predecessor railroads. Today the only remaining dome car in Amtrak service is a Great Dome car built in 1955 for the Great Northern Railway. During autumn, it can be found on trains, such as the Adi- rondack, which run through areas known for spectacular foliage. Amtrak

Railfan Events in Our Area -by Rick Krenske We railfans in this area have a great opportunity this year to attend National Railroad Historical Society Conventions. The Mil- waukee Road and Soo Line associations will be meeting in Duluth, the Chicago and North Western in Minneapolis, and the CB&Q (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy) association in La Crosse. Information about the convention is each group's website and will be updated as final details are made. You do not have to be a member of the association to attend!! If you have not attended one of these conventions, here's your chance! You will meet many railfans like yourself who share a passion for trains.

C&NW: May 12-15 in Minneapolis Website: http://cnwhs.org/

Milwaukee Road: June 23-26 in Duluth Website: https://www.mrha.com/

Soo Line: September 22-15 in Duluth Website: http://www.sooline.org/

CB&Q: October 27-30 in La Crosse Website: http://www.burlingtonroute.com/mtgs.htm Page 14 Northstar News March 2016 Volume 47 #4 Northstar Railway Historical Society April 2016

Railfan Events (Thanks to Rick Krenske, Cy Svobodny, Russ Isbrandt)

2016 C&NWHS Annual Meet May 12-15, 2016 Ramada Plaza Minneapolis C&NW Historical Society 1330 Industrial Blvd NE - Minneapolis, MN Members have special Hotel 55413 rates and registration fees

Granite City Train Show April 9 2015 National Guard Armory, $6 10AM—3PM 1710 Veteran's Drive, St Cloud, Minnesota

St Paul Union Depot 50th April 30, May 1 2016 St Paul Union Depot $27 for Admission Anniversay St Paul Minnesota Laker Rail $24.95 night pho- to Session, Admission to Depot –free

Newport Model RR Club Train April 16, 2016 9 am—3 PM Woodbury High School, 2665 Woodlane $5 Show & Sale Drive, Woodbury, Minnesota

Great Minnesota Train Expo April 23 and 24 2016 Eagan Civic Arena $6 Great River Valley System 9 AM - 5PM 3870 Pilot Knob Road Eagan MN N Gauge Club Twin City Model Railroad Muse- Saturday May 7th 2016 Education Building $7 um 9 AM - 4 PM Minnesota State Fairgrounds St Paul MN Model Railroad and Toy Train Spring Hobby Sale

______Northstar News 1515 Creek Meadow Dr NW Coon Rapids MN 55433 3768 Address Correction Requested

Page 15 Northstar News April 2016 GN NP & SPS trains from the 1960’s to 1970 , and CB&Q trains from the 1960’s thru Early BN in 1970 and 1971 are now available. $20 Each, 3 for $50. You can order by mail to RR DVD sales, 1515 Creek Meadow Dr NW Coon Rapids MN 55433. Please specify which DVD’s wanted. Also add a $3.95 shipping charge to each order and make checks payable to ’Northstar Railway Historical Society’.

These are 1960’s and 1970’s historic 8mm films from the Wm. Cordes and H. Martin Swan collections converted and ed- ited to DVD. [email protected] For more info. Preview of DVD’s on Youtube (link —>. https://youtu.be/4ErQ2iQcAB0 Promo video will be updated soon. More New DVD’s are planned from Wm Cordes Film collection of the Northstar Railway Historical Society Archives, and some Modern Railroad Video from the 2000’s.

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