Trains in the Twin Cities in September 2003

I took these pictures in St. Paul, Minnesota, on the morning of September 6, 2003, while traveling on Amtrak’s eastbound Empire Builder. St. Paul was a highlight for me, as the Minnesota Commercial and Soo Line equipment visible from the train seemed exotic to an Oregonian like me.

Switching at Amtrak’s Midway Station in St. Paul during the Empire Builder’s service stop, Minnesota Commercial #83 is an 1,800-horsepower RS18u that was built by Montreal Locomotive Works in April 1958 as Canadian Pacific RS18 #8785. In 1987 it was rebuilt as RS18u #1837. On July 16, 1998, it was sold to Minnesota Commercial as #83.

Bringing up the rear of the Empire Builder, Amtrak Superliner I Sleeping Car #32009 was completed by Pullman-Standard on May 22, 1981. It was the last Superliner I and the last passenger car built by Pullman-Standard. As a result, it was named George M. Pullman in honor of Pullman-Standard’s founder in a ceremony at its completion, before being delivered to Amtrak in July 1981. It is one of only two Superliner I cars to have a name applied.

Parked at Midway Station, Amtrak (AMTZ) #462113 is a 53' Duraplate-van RoadRailer trailer built by the Wabash National Corporation. It is the 10,000th RoadRailer trailer built. RoadRailer trailers could be operated on rails without the use of flatcars, supported by a specialized railcar truck between trailers. Amtrak began purchasing RoadRailer trailers in May 1998 to carry mail and express shipments.

Minnesota Commercial #35 is a 2,000-horsepower M420W that was built by Montreal Locomotive Works in December 1976 as Canadian National #2574. It was renumbered to #3574 in 1986-1987. 

After being retired on February 5, 1998, it was sold to National Railway Equipment in Illinois in June 1998 and subsequently resold to Minnesota Commercial as #35.

Minnesota Commercial #35 is seen here alongside the Empire Builder's motive power.

Leading the Empire Builder, Amtrak P42DC #80 is a 4,250-horsepower P42DC that was built by General Electric in April 1997.

The Empire Builder's second unit, Amtrak P42DC #206 is a 4,250-horsepower P42DC that was built by General Electric in October 2001.

Also part of the Empire Builder's consist, Amtrak Superliner II Sightseer Lounge #33034 was built by Bombardier in 1994. It was involved in an accident in Nodaway, Iowa, in March 2001 and returned to service on August 27, 2003, as one of the first Superliner cars to wear Amtrak’s new paint scheme, with the new logo and red sill stripe.

Amtrak’s Empire Builder passes Minnesota Commercial’s nearby roundhouse in Minneapolis. Minnesota Commercial #68 is a 2,250-horsepower B23-7 that was built by General Electric in March 1979 as Conrail #1972. It was retired in 1999 and sold to the Quincy Bay Terminal, where it became #22. It was resold to the Minnesota Commercial Railway, where it became #68.

Minnesota Commercial #316 is a 2,400-horsepower RS-27 that was built by Alco Products in March 1962 as Chicago & North Western Railway #903. Only 27 examples of the RS-27 were produced; the Chicago & North Western owned four, which were returned to Alco in 1966 in trade for C-424s. Alco leased them to various railroads in 1967 and 1968. This unit was sold to the Green Bay & Western in 1968 and became #316. It was later joined by two of the others. On August 27, 1993, the Green Bay & Western was merged with the Fox River Valley Railroad to form the Fox River & Western, a subsidiary of the Wisconsin Central, and this locomotive was sold to the Minnesota Commercial Railroad.

Conrail #1998 is a 2,250-horsepower B23-7 that was built by General Electric in July 1979. It was retired by Conrail in 1999 and was sold to the Minnesota Commercial Railroad, but has yet to be placed in service and still wears full Conrail paint and lettering.

Conrail #2002 is another 2,250-horsepower B23-7 that was built by General Electric in August 1979. It was retired by Conrail in 1999 and was sold to the Minnesota Commercial Railroad, but has yet to be placed in service and still wears full Conrail paint and lettering.

Minnesota Commercial #80 is a 1,000-horsepower RS23 that was built by Montreal Locomotive Works in September 1959 as Canadian Pacific #8031. It was retired in March 1999 and ended up with the Minnesota Commercial as #80.

Northern States Power Company (NSPX) #501 is a 1,200-horsepower SW1200RS that was built by General Motors Diesel Limited in February 1956 as Canadian National #1576 and was renumbered by the end of the year to #1205. It was retired in 1991. It was acquired by the Northern States Power Company and was used at the High Bridge Generating Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota, where is it pictured here. This coal-fired power plant at 501 Shepard Road was completed in 1941.

Canadian Pacific #4611 is a 3,000-horsepower GP40 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1966 as Milwaukee Road #180. In 1968 it was renumbered to Milwaukee Road #2025. The Soo Line purchased the bankrupt Milwaukee Road in February 1985, and this locomotive became Soo Line #2025. The Soo Line was consolidated into owner CP Rail in 1991, and in October 1997 it was rebuilt by Canadian Pacific and became Canadian Pacific #4611.

Trains in the Twin Cities in September 2002

I took these pictures in St. Paul, Minnesota, on the morning of September 8, 2002, while traveling on Amtrak’s eastbound Empire Builder. St. Paul was a highlight for me, as the Minnesota Commercial and Soo Line equipment visible from the train seemed exotic to an Oregonian like me.

Switching at Amtrak’s Midway Station in St. Paul during the Empire Builder’s service stop, Minnesota Commercial #316 is a 2,400-horsepower RS-27 that was built by Alco Products in March 1962 as Chicago & North Western Railway #903.  Only 27 examples of the RS-27 were produced; the Chicago & North Western owned four, which were returned to Alco in 1966 in trade for C-424s. Alco leased them to various railroads in 1967 and 1968. This unit was sold to the Green Bay & Western in 1968 and became #316. It was later joined by two of the others. On August 27, 1993, the Green Bay & Western was merged with the Fox River Valley Railroad to form the Fox River & Western, a subsidiary of the Wisconsin Central, and this locomotive was sold to the Minnesota Commercial Railroad.

Parked on a track at Midway Station were three privately-owned passenger cars, the Caritas, the Sierra Hotel, and the Puget Sound.

The Caritas was built in 1948 by Pullman as a 4-Bedroom, 14-Roomette Sleeping Car for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, or Frisco for short. The car was originally named Pierre Laclede after the founder of St. Louis. The car was originally assigned to the Texas Special, which ran between St. Louis, Missouri, and San Antonio, Texas, over the Frisco and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas. The Frisco discontinued its portion of the Texas Special (the northern portion) in 1959. In 1964, this car was sold to the Canadian National and named Churchill Falls. High Iron Travel bought the car in 1983 and rebuilt it to its current configuration, with 3 double bedrooms and a master room, dining area, galley, wine cellar, and lounge. I had seen the Caritas here before in 1999 wearing a red and white paint scheme; it had since been repainted in the same pattern but using Milwaukee Road colors, as shown here.

Sierra Hotel was built by the Budd Company in October 1948 as Chicago, Burlington & Quincy #251 Silver Lounge for use on the California Zephyr between Chicago and Oakland. This mid-train Dome-Dormitory-Buffet-Lounge car originally included dormitory space for 15 crew members, a lounge under the dome that was remodeled into the “Cable Car Lounge” in 1964, and a buffet with seating for 19 passengers. After the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy was merged into the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, it became Burlington Northern #251. The California Zephyr made its last run on March 24, 1970, and when Amtrak took over passenger service on May 1, 1971 it was sold to become Amtrak #9811. It was used on Amtrak trains including the North Coast Hiawatha and the Texas Chief before being retired in October 1981 and being sold into charter service as Vandalia Railroad #9811. In 1989 the car was rebuilt by Midwest Railcar as open-end observation car Sierra Hotel. The open observation deck was built into what was originally the front of the car, so it now typically operates in the opposite direction of what was intended when it was built.

Puget Sound was built by the Budd Company in June 1955 as Great Northern #1323 for use on the Empire Builder between Chicago and Seattle. It was originally built as a Great Dome coach with 46 revenue leg-rest seats plus seating for 24 people in the dome. After the Great Northern was merged into the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, it was assigned Burlington Northern #4603, but it did not receive this number before Amtrak took over passenger service on May 1, 1971 and it was sold to become Amtrak #9463. It was retired in 1985 and sold into private ownership and stored in Fargo, North Dakota, and Sault Ste Marie, Wisconsin, until being converted into sleeping car Puget Sound by Avalon Railcar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2000. As part of the rebuilding, its original smooth side panels were replaced with fluted panels to match Sierra Hotel.

Amtrak’s Empire Builder passes Minnesota Commercial’s nearby roundhouse in Minneapolis. Minnesota Commercial #1978 is a 2,250-horsepower B23-7 that was built by General Electric in April 1979 as Conrail #1978. It was retired in 1999 and sold to the Minnesota Commercial Railway, where it retained its original number.

Conrail #2002 is a 2,250-horsepower B23-7 that was built by General Electric in August 1979. It was retired by Conrail in 1999 and was sold to the Minnesota Commercial Railroad, but has yet to be placed in service and still wears full Conrail paint and lettering.

Minnesota Commercial #1B is a 1,600-horsepower RS3 that was built by the American Locomotive Company in September 1950 as Lake Superior & Ishpeming #1504 and was soon renumbered to #1604. It was retired in September 1989 and was sold to Clint Jones. It was sold to the Minnesota Commercial Railway in 1998 and was rebuilt as 1B in 1999.

Soo Line #4002 is a Fuel Tender that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1958 as Milwaukee Road #2371, a 1,750-horsepower GP9. Milwaukee Road renumbered it to #263 before rebuilding it into “GP20” #949 in the 1970s. The Soo Line purchased the bankrupt Milwaukee Road in February 1985. The locomotive was rebuilt into Fuel Tender #4002 in November 1987. Coupled to it is a CP Rail 40-foot boxcar, which was rare to see in the 21^st century. It is painted in the “Multimark” paint scheme, which was applied from 1968 to about 1987.

Soo Line Flatcar #954541 is a flatcar with an Operation Lifesaver display of crossing signals and an automobile involved in a grade crossing accident. Also pictured here are former Soo Line #1400 & #1401, 1,500-horsepower SW1500s that were built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1966 as Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern #36 & #37. The Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern was merged into the Soo Line on January 1, 1986. These were the only SW1500s on the Soo Line. They had been recently retired with their road numbers stricken out. Also pictured here is a Soo Line extended vision caboose. The road number is unclear but appears to be either #60 or #80. In either case, it was built by the International Car Company in 1973.

Soo Line MP15AC #1548 is a 1500-horsepower MP15AC that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in September 1975 as Milwaukee Road #482. The Soo Line purchased the bankrupt Milwaukee Road in February 1985, and this locomotive became Soo Line #1548. It was never repainted into Soo Line colors and remains in its Milwaukee Road paint with its former road name and number painted out with black paint. Patched former Milwaukee Road locomotives on the Soo Line were known as “bandits.” In the background is one of four former North Louisiana & Gulf MP15DCs #42-45, built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1975, that has been acquired by CP Rail in 1996 and became CP Rail #1434-1437. The North Louisiana & Gulf was purchased by the MidSouth Rail Corporation on September 8, 1987, which operated it as the MidLouisiana Rail Corporation. On January 11, 1994, MidSouth was taken over by Kansas City Southern. Also (barely) visible is a Soo Line extended vision caboose in the later brown paint scheme.

Soo Line MP15AC #1538 is another 1500-horsepower MP15AC that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in September 1975 as Milwaukee Road #472. This MP15 was paired with CP Rail #776, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1974 as Soo Line #776, for hump yard service at Pig’s Eye Yard in St. Paul. The Soo Line was consolidated into owner CP Rail in 1991, and in March 1993 SD40-2 #776 received the new CP Rail System paint scheme combining the American and Canadian flags, symbolizing CP Rail’s operations in both the United States and Canada.

Riding the Westbound Empire Builder through Minnesota & North Dakota

On July 31, 1999, I was riding Amtrak's westbound Empire Builder from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Vancouver, Washington. This train was running very late, (we were actually taken from Milwaukee to Midway Station in St. Paul by bus) but it did allow me to see some scenes that the train normally passed in darkness, such as Burlington Northern Santa Fe's yard in Dilworth, Minnesota, just east of Fargo, North Dakota. Parked here with some passenger cars was Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #119, a 3,800-horsepower GP60M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in June 1990.

Burlington Northern #1532 was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1956 as Great Northern 684, a 1,750-horsepower GP9. After the Great Northern was merged into the Burlington Northern, it became Burlington Northern #1836 It was retired on June 15, 1992, and was sent to Morrison-Knudsen in Boise, Idaho, on September 25, 1992, to be rebuilt as an 1,800-horsepower GP28M, with its 567C prime mover fitted with a 645C upgrade kit, a new control stand, dynamic brakes, a Dash 2 electrical system, an AR10E1 alternator, a centralized air filtration system, and a GP38-2-style carbody with a GP50 cab. It was completed on January 10, 1993, as Burlington Northern #1532.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2278 is a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1973 as St. Louis-San Francisco (also known as the Frisco) #423. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern in 1980, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #2278. It retained its number through the September 22, 1995 merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, being repainted into Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme on June 22, 1998. In addition to being repainted, it has also had its headlight moved into the nose following Santa Fe practice.

The westbound Empire Builder was scheduled to make its station stop in Fargo, North Dakota, at 3:44 AM, but it was well after sunrise when I photographed Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4877, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in September 1998, from the train as it passed through Fargo.

Pictured in Minot, North Dakota, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #1067 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in November 1996. The westbound Empire Builder was normally scheduled to pass through Minot in daylight, making a service stop there in the morning from 8:36 to 8:56, but the sun was high in the sky by the time this train got there.

Burlington Northern #6227 is a 1,750-horsepower SD9 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1959 as Colorado & Southern #832, The Colorado & Southern was a subsidiary of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and after the CB&Q was merged into the Burlington Northern in March 1970, Colorado & Southern locomotives retained their numbers and reporting marks. These locomotives began to be renumbered into Burlington Northern's main numbering system in December 1978, and this locomotive became Colorado & Southern #6227 and finally Burlington Northern #6227. It was still in service in Minot after the Burlington Northern Santa Fe merger.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4993 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in December 1998. It is pictured here at the engine terminal in Minot, North Dakota.

Just west of Minot, the Empire Builder crosses one of the largest trestles on its route. The Gassman Coulee Trestle is a steel girder trestle that was built in 1899, replacing a wooden trestle that was blown down by a tornado. It is 1,792 feet long and 117 feet high. This is a view from the trestle.

The Gassman Coulee Trestle crosses over County Road 12W near the intersection with 62nd Street SW, as seen here in another view from the trestle.

Here is another view from the Gassman Coulee Trestle. This low area is aptly named Trestle Valley.

Here is another view of the scenery west of Minot.

The westbound Empire Builder was scheduled to stop at Williston, North Dakota, at 11:03 AM, but the evening light was already starting to fade when I photographed Great Northern O-1 Class 2-8-2 #3059 from the train during the Williston station stop. The Great Northern had a total of 145 O-1 Class 2-8-2 Mikados built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in four groups between August 1911 and February 1919, and the last of them were retired in April 1958. Built in February 1913, #3059 was one of the last 15 in operation when it was retired in December 1957, and is the only survivor. It was donated to the City of Williston and placed on display in Railroad Park on August 2, 1958.

Eastbound Empire Builder at Midway Station

On July 25, 1999, I was riding Amtrak's eastbound Empire Builder to Milwaukee. That morning the train made its scheduled service stop at Midway Station, serving the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Parked on one of the tracks was the private car Caritas. The Caritas was built in 1948 by Pullman as a 4-Bedroom, 14-Roomette Sleeping Car for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, or Frisco for short. The car was originally named Pierre Laclede after the founder of St. Louis. The car was originally assigned to the Texas Special, which ran between St. Louis, Missouri, and San Antonio, Texas. over the Frisco and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas. The Frisco discontinued its portion of the Texas Special (the northern portion) in 1959. In 1964, this car was sold to the Canadian National and named Churchill Falls. High Iron Travel bought the car in 1983 and rebuilt it to its current configuration, with 3 double bedrooms and a master room, dining area, galley, wine cellar, and lounge.

Part of this eastbound Empire Builder's Superliner consist included a Smoking Coach in the Seattle section. In 1996 and 1997, Amtrak converted 34 of its 48 Superliner I Coach Baggage cars into Smoking Coaches by converting the baggage room on the lower level to a smoking room. This was to give coach passengers a place on the train to smoke without disturbing non-smoking passengers. The Smoking Coaches were converted back to Coach Baggage cars in 2004.

Here are the Empire Builder's locomotives at Midway. Amtrak #817 & #800 are 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40BPs that were built by General Electric in July & April 1993.

The Empire Builder featured a Heritage Fleet Baggage Car for passenger baggage (except the Portland section, which had Superliner Coach Baggage). On this run was Amtrak #1208, still wearing its Phase III stripes. It was originally built by Budd in 1953 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #3521. After the formation of Amtrak in 1971 it became Amtrak #1037, and in June 1978 it was converted for Head-End Power and renumbered to #1208.

The Empire Builder carries significantly more coach passengers between the Twin Cities and Chicago than it does on the rest of its route, so an additional coach is often added to the eastbound train at Midway, and removed here on the westbound run. On this run, Superliner I Coach Baggage #31007 was added to the end of the train, behind the sleeping car from Portland. It was built by Pullman-Standard in 1980.