Switching Midway
The Minnesota Commercial Railway (MNNR) has long been a fan favorite due to its roster of older GE and Alco locomotives dressed in a plain red scheme and adorned with their logo adopted from the old UP Streamliners.
Looksling north off the Transfer Road overpass we see MNRR GE B23-7s 43 and 44 (blt. Apr. 1979 as Santa Fe 6374 and 6370 respectively) going about their chores switching in the road's big Midway Yard.
The MNNR dates from 1987 when it took over for the century old Minnesota Transfer Railway which had been owned by all the area Class 1s but was then only owned by the Soo, BN, and CNW as a result of decades of mergers and consolidations. Running generally north south from a junction with the former Milwaukee Road in Merriam Park across the CNW, GN, NP, and Soo routes to reach the Stockyards in New Brighton. With 13 mainline route miles and over 100 track miles it switched thousands of cars daily on behalf of its owners and effected interchange between them along with serving countless customers and LCL warehouses.
In addition to the old Terminal property including its roundhouse and large Midway Yard, the MNNR leased several former class 1 branchlines continuous to its original route including former Northern Pacific and Milwaukee Road routes.
To learn more about this road pick up a copy of the October 2021 issue of Railfan and Railroad.
railfan.com/minnesota-commercial/
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saturday May 6, 2023
Switching Midway
The Minnesota Commercial Railway (MNNR) has long been a fan favorite due to its roster of older GE and Alco locomotives dressed in a plain red scheme and adorned with their logo adopted from the old UP Streamliners.
Looksling north off the Transfer Road overpass we see MNRR GE B23-7s 43 and 44 (blt. Apr. 1979 as Santa Fe 6374 and 6370 respectively) going about their chores switching in the road's big Midway Yard.
The MNNR dates from 1987 when it took over for the century old Minnesota Transfer Railway which had been owned by all the area Class 1s but was then only owned by the Soo, BN, and CNW as a result of decades of mergers and consolidations. Running generally north south from a junction with the former Milwaukee Road in Merriam Park across the CNW, GN, NP, and Soo routes to reach the Stockyards in New Brighton. With 13 mainline route miles and over 100 track miles it switched thousands of cars daily on behalf of its owners and effected interchange between them along with serving countless customers and LCL warehouses.
In addition to the old Terminal property including its roundhouse and large Midway Yard, the MNNR leased several former class 1 branchlines continuous to its original route including former Northern Pacific and Milwaukee Road routes.
To learn more about this road pick up a copy of the October 2021 issue of Railfan and Railroad.
railfan.com/minnesota-commercial/
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saturday May 6, 2023