Chicago and Northwestern FP7A 218 St. Paul MN 8-5-1973

Here's a shot of CNW FP7A 218 and SD9 6608 leading a train into the Belt Yard in St. Paul MN August 1973. The 218 was built in December 1950 as CGW 116C and came to the CNW through merger in July 1968. The CNW kept the 116C number until 1971 when it was renumbered to CNW 218. The 218 was retired in December 1975 and traded in to EMD. The 6608 was built in May 1954 as CNW 1708 and was rebuilt with a chopped nose in 1971, also when it was renumbered to CNW 6608. The 6608 was retired in July 1986 and traded in to EMD. The yard here at St. Paul was know as the "Belt Yard" from former operator St. Paul Belt and Terminal of which the CGW was part owner. Today on the UP this yard is known as Hoffman Ave Yard. The heritage of CNW yards in the Twin Cities in kind of convoluted. Technically all the CNW yards were of either CGW, M&STL or CMStP&O(Omaha Road) properties with CNW gaining ownership in 1960(M&STL), 1968(CGW) and 1971(Omaha Road) although the Omaha had been leased since 1957. Some say that the only proper CNW yard in the Twin Cities was at E. Minneapolis but this was an Omaha facility too so the debate could go on and on. This area of St. Paul had three major yards crammed together in a small area south of Daytons Bluff. The CNW/CGW had the Belt Yard then to the east across the street is the Milwaukee Road Pigs Eye Yard and Diesel house, now operated by Canadian Pacific. The CB&Q's Daytons Bluff yard is just east of the CP yard, now operated by BNSF mostly as an autorack transload facility. St. Paul, MN August 5, 1973. Vincent Porreca Kodachrome from my Collection.

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