One could imagine this video relating to many other short line railroads decades ago. The weeds and other degraded conditions make this video even better
I always enjoy watching the switch engines at work,it's more exciting than watching the road trains because of some of the tight spaces they get into .
Very interesting video. I rode the COER when it was still a tourist line in the late 70s. On one visit with a friend, we got into a conversation with a MoPac crew waiting for a load from the COER, we were invited on board, and I got a chance to run the diesel locomotive through a part of town from north of Hwy 13 (by the cemetery) down to the crossover between the MoPac and the COER. Good times!
Thanks for the view and the like you are there in person watching.. Interesting... I think some of the slower responding flash rail-road lights might be using LEDs instead of light bulbs, the LEDs react slower.
Great video of this short line railroad that still runs! Big fan of the switcher and its certainly kept in great shape! Wish I lived near there bcuz I'd clean up a lot of the weeds in between the rails as well as on the outside. Definitely a great little operation if only run as needed. Thanks for sharing this video with us along with your PRICELESS time and effort! Cheers from Delmar, Delaware.
Hope through you showcasing this More. TRANSLOADS FACILITIES GRANTS CUSTOMERS WILL COME ..ITS SAD THE CITY DOESN'T GO AND GET TOURIST GRANTS AND BRINGS BACK THE STATION AND START TOURIST TRAINS...
Is it just a ladder or a little platform? To bad you can't get an old caboose and use it for that push back. And the conductor checking the switch before and after good safety
They need to convert an old caboose to a shoving platform so the conductor doesn't have to hang off the side of the leading car. It would be safer and much more comfortable.
This section of track is all that's left, of what was once a line between Carbondale and Paducah Ky. Opened in 1889, and reduced travel time between Paducah and St. Louis to 9 hours, which was a big deal at the time. Passenger service ended in 1941, and the track was pulled up in sections between 1949 and 1956.
Absolutely excellent and thankyou For your effort....I particularly enjoyed the scenes of the countryside and picking its way through the overgrown track....more please...have subscribed.
I worked on a railroad, in snow, rain and sleet plus thunderstorms and we referred to it as "liquid sunshine". Not fun, but tolerated. They were fun shoves and switching.
I can remember the days of trains used to come through here all the time in bonifay Florida they're just recently started back more you talk about mystic during covid but now I'm glad to see him back ago and in any state y'all have a blessed day
Great video! The railroad crossings of the CO&E have always been interesting to me. It's not just the wig wag that's rare, but also the other crossings with rare mechanical bells, beacons, and lights too!
It’s sad to see all of these railroad companies bought out and never being able to see the trains you used to.I’ve loved trains all of my life and to see the Southern Railroad bought out was a end to and era.
I usually don’t comment before I watch the whole video, but as I look at the description this video looks like it has a lot to offer. I like all the information and the trains whereabouts and timestamps. I’m gonna kick back and watch this video and for sure hit the like button!
Reminds me of my days as a teenager chasing some switcher down an industry lead on a bicycle. I'm 30 now and most of those old switchers have been scrapped or work at some grain elevator now.
I was working on the CB&Q that's a railroad , A fireman on the locomotive then one day I saw a little baby crawling along the track a baby mind you. And I grabbed that baby and I flung it into a nice pile of soft leaves. Me well I didn't make out so good. Fractured my leg. The baby was all right. Today that baby is president of Vons supermarket you think he ever took the trouble to thank me no sir! Rich folks got short memories.
Speaking of old MN&S paint, the landscape/ROW scenes starting at around 13:41 to 20:26, could very easily be located along the old MN&S mainline heading south from Lakeville,MN on into Northfield. Nice video, just found it. Even though that SW1200, is not original MN&S 33, still looks and sounds really nice! The real MN&S SW1200 33, is currently owned and operated by the Tulsa Sapulpa Union RR, complete with original MN&S spec’d Flexicoil trucks as their #108. The current COER 33, was originally built for the Cotton Belt(SSW).
The thing that tickles me about all this, is that I work for the School Bus Company you see at the 4th street sections. I am happy to work there as it holds an old name to it. The company is called Illinois Central School Bus Company. It just tickles me to know I work for a place that holds a name of a once was prominent rail company for the state.
Really great video - nice shots of the train and the countryside. I like videos about shortlines like this. There's a CZcamsr named Sawtooth that sometimes videos the Cincinnati Eastern Terminal RR. He's from neaby Kentucky. I look forward to more videos from you - maybe poke around the Herrin RR? From the comments it does seem to still exist, although I did see the one comment that it is not in business - either way, that would also be interersting.
Excellent video. In 2019 when I was visiting a friend in Herrin, I wanted to railfan the CO & E RR but was told they had ceased operations. Looked all over and went as far as Marion, no luck. I did hear Progressive bought it so Thanks for this video, I plan to try again in 2023. Do you know if the Herrin line is back in operation. The rails seem in good shape but lots of brush & weeds.
Thanks for watching! The CO&E around Marion is still in operation, but only operates as needed. The Herrin Railroad, to my knowledge, is no longer in operation.
You need to think about the seemingly miserable state of the track shown in the video. The long lens of the camera compresses the shape of the rails so they look so bad you’d think they couldn’t possibly hold up a train. This is a visual trick that fools the eye and is not indicative of the true state of the track. Walk along that railroad track and you’d say “that doesn’t look so bad.” Small railroads make money through the wise use of maintenance dollars. I saw one post here that said they shouldn’t even be allowed to operate. If that were the case 99% of our rail system would be gone because there are maintenance “holes” in every railroad’s track structure. A railroad provides the level of service that customers want at a rate that creates profit for the railroad. A railroad will do only enough maintenance to create that profitability. It makes no business sense to expensively maintain a 40 mph railroad when 10 mph will do nicely to fulfill the customer’s expectations at the rate they’re willing to pay. A lot of customers don’t need fast service but they do need dependable service and small railroads are great at that. If a train creeps along at 10 mph they’re making money. That’s as fast as the customer needs delivery it and doesn’t pound the track structure into oblivion thus keeping maintenance costs low. Finally, ask yourself this: if the railroad isn’t making an acceptable rate of return at the current cost levels and the customer isn’t making money at the transportation cost levels they’re paying do you think there would even be a customer?
I’ve done a great job on filming. The best that ,i have seen anywhere and I’ve watched a lot of train videos .Keep up the great job you’re number one.Terry,TN.
@@SouthernIllinoisRailfan I love the old trains and miss very much.Your great at filming and you need to teach these older guys how to film.Have a good one
Saw steam there back in the '70s. Didn't even know they were still in operation, thanks! BTW, colors remind me of the old Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern.
The paint scheme is from the old MN&S, however, that SW1200 in the video is not original MonkeyNut$ #33. Original MN&S SW1200 33, is currently owned and operated by the Tulsa-Sapulpa Union Railway(their #108), complete with its original Flexicoil trucks. PGR has only recently acquired this SW1200 for use on the COER, but they do not have any of the original 6 MN&S SW1200s. They do have both of the MN&S’s original SW1500 models, 36 & 37. #36, regularly runs behind my house here in Bloomington,MN, on the old MN&S High Line, currently teamed with an ex-SOU SW1500 #r 34, which has an Hancock 4700 air whistle on it and they use it all the time. Which I love, growing with those whistles on the MonkeyNUTS. The 37 runs in Lakeville, MN. Original MN&S SD39, is running between Northfield and Lakeville,MN. #41 was unfortunately scrapped by HELM. I grew up in St.Louis Park back in the 70s, with the MN&S running right behind my house, so I’m always kind of keeping an eye on the old fleet. The 33 in this video, does look nice. I’m trying to pin down it’s history.
Looks like they ran the full length of that line. I followed it on Google air views and I could see where they picked up cars most likely from the Rail car repair facility and dropped them on a siding for the main line to pick up, then dropped the last car, again where a n-s main line could pick it up. Its fun to follow what I see in video on the map. Lots and lots of old lines in Illinois. thanks for the video.
it's speed and weight restricted track, you won't see any trains on it. I would imagine no more than 5mph, 4 axle units only. there's nothing wrong with it. I've switched and serviced industries on some pretty bad back tracks, the only thing you really need to worry about is double checking switch points and watching for derails if you don't know the territory very well.
I went through the comments and didn’t see any explanation of the Progressive paint scheme so I’ll do a little history here. In the western suburbs of Minneapolis there was a little railroad called the Minneapolis Northfield and Southern Railway (MNS) which was originally organized in 1906 as an electric interburban railway. After years of enlarging and shrinking, MNS became a belt railway and provided interchange services between the major railroads around Minneapolis (SOO, GN, NP, MILW, CNW, M&STL, RI). One by one those bigger railroads decided to do their own interchange which left MNS serving just local customers. When Rock Island went belly-up there was one long piece of Rock trackage south to Kansas City called the “spine line” that CNW and SOO both coveted. SOO was looking for a line to get to KC and In 1982 bought the MNS to get to the spine line. CNW was looking to eliminate a competing railroad’s potential line by purchasing and abandoning the MNS. CNW won the race. SOO was stuck with a small railroad it didn’t need. Canadian Pacific (CP) had been Soo Line’s majority stockholder since its inception in 1960 and now they exercised full control. As a corporation, MNS passed out of existence completely. CP sold the less-desirable ex-MNS lines to the south of Minneapolis to a new startup called Progressive Rail. They took over the MNS remnants and have been operating on them ever since. In a nod to the old MNS railroad’s heritage, they paint their locomotives in a close-copy of the old MNS paint scheme which is what you see today. The red diamond on the cabs is the same diamond that was the MN&S’s logo with the words changed to Progressive Rail. At the end of its existence, MNS’s fleet was composed of EMD “round-roof” switchers and two EMD SD39’s. Every MNS engine had multiple unit control so they could quickly make up a power block sized just for the train weight needed. The switchers were ideal locomotives for this purpose. The switchers all had EMD’s “flexicoil” switcher trucks and if you see a Progressive switcher with them you know it’s an original MNS switcher. Unfortunately, the one MNS locomotive feature you won’t hear is the Hancock air-chimes they used. They had a quasi-steam locomotive sound. Soo Line replaced them with their standard 3-bell air horns when they took them over. Progressive has turned the former MNS marginal property into a solid performer with superior customer service. They run any time a customer needs service, any day of the week. Progressive has lots of experience running small railroads and they will run an efficient operation with COER.
The locomotive and paint job pay homage to the Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern, the property in Minnesota where Progressive got its start. They are a first-class outfit that is big on customer service. They will improve and maintain the line to support the level of service the customers want but not much more than that. They will keep that locomotive looking spiffy too; their image is important to them. I can’t steer you to another channel but you can see more Progressive trains in Minnesota doing a simple search.
Much quieter. The railroad mainly focuses on serving local industries and sending cars to their Class I interchanges with BNSF & UP. Thanks for watching!
The line is very short, it is cut just before the highway close to Carterville at the west, and finishes at the east of Marion in a little factory, I saw it on Google Earth. Jacques, from France.
One could imagine this video relating to many other short line railroads decades ago. The weeds and other degraded conditions make this video even better
I'm loving the debris all over the railroad tracks
I always enjoy watching the switch engines at work,it's more exciting than watching the road trains because of some of the tight spaces they get into .
A well filmed video with wonderful photography. I never tire from watching short line trains doing their job.
Quintessential shortline operation, my favourite kind of railroading, nice job of catching it !
No matter how old your locomotive is, if its got fresh paint it might as well be new 😁
HISTORY should be preserved !! 😊 🎉
That locomotive is sharp!
I rode an excursion pulled by #17 in 1975. I was 6,but something I’ll never forget.
She is a beautiful reliable industrial engineering achievement.
The locomotive is a real beauty. 👍
Awesome shots! A very atmospheric railway! Greetings from Poland
Some great shots of the cars disappearing into the woods.
I've always enjoyed watching trains in operation. Just didn't know that many other people did too. Thanks for the video.
@@SouthernIllinoisRailfan 👍
Those rails and ties deserve an award.
Just goes to show people that no matter what the rail looks like the rail road can still use it!! If the rail crosses the road, it's still useful!!
Very interesting video. I rode the COER when it was still a tourist line in the late 70s. On one visit with a friend, we got into a conversation with a MoPac crew waiting for a load from the COER, we were invited on board, and I got a chance to run the diesel locomotive through a part of town from north of Hwy 13 (by the cemetery) down to the crossover between the MoPac and the COER. Good times!
I like the sound of those locomotives throttling up...
Thanks for the view and the like you are there in person watching.. Interesting... I think some of the slower responding flash rail-road lights might be using LEDs instead of light bulbs, the LEDs react slower.
Great video. I love these small shortline operations, with weedy track and forest tunnels. These small operations are so much fun too observe.
Great video of this short line railroad that still runs! Big fan of the switcher and its certainly kept in great shape! Wish I lived near there bcuz I'd clean up a lot of the weeds in between the rails as well as on the outside. Definitely a great little operation if only run as needed. Thanks for sharing this video with us along with your PRICELESS time and effort! Cheers from Delmar, Delaware.
That's such a clean looking locomotive. My autistic neighbor, Toby, would absolutely love it!
Strasburg, in Pennsylvania, still uses their steam locomotives to move freight for customers on their line.
Fantastic production. Satisfied my "disused track, local" itch!
Really well shot video. Gotta love the plants growing between the rails -- it adds character to operations. Thanks for sharing.
Hope through you showcasing this More. TRANSLOADS FACILITIES GRANTS CUSTOMERS WILL COME ..ITS SAD THE CITY DOESN'T GO AND GET TOURIST GRANTS AND BRINGS BACK THE STATION AND START TOURIST TRAINS...
What a fantastic video and an amazing little railroad. Love the little switcher,thanks for posting.
Nice to see that nice shade of Jenks blue still being used. Thanks for the videos.
Man that is a long ways to be hanging on for a push back. It would have been nice to see them as they picked up the cars. Glad they have the work
Is it just a ladder or a little platform? To bad you can't get an old caboose and use it for that push back. And the conductor checking the switch before and after good safety
Hi, I really enjoyed watching your video, especially seeing the Train in its surroundings like this. Thanks for posting.
Since the first time I heard about this railroad, I thought it was the neatest railroad! The name is just so neat sounding!
They need to convert an old caboose to a shoving platform so the conductor doesn't have to hang off the side of the leading car. It would be safer and much more comfortable.
I remember watching a TM Video about this railroad years ago. They also had a nice Lionel layout.
As with most of these little short lines, the best track is on road crossings. Good video, thank you
Wandering through some pretty country.
This section of track is all that's left, of what was once a line between Carbondale and Paducah Ky. Opened in 1889, and reduced travel time between Paducah and St. Louis to 9 hours, which was a big deal at the time. Passenger service ended in 1941, and the track was pulled up in sections between 1949 and 1956.
Nicely done. Looks like you had a nice day for it, too. That’s a well-maintained locomotive by the looks of it. Looking forward to more videos.
Wow nice Showcasing this line for us and future rail Customers, MANY GODS PRAYERS 😊😅😮😢🎉😂❤❤❤❤❤
Glad to see the CO & E is still going. I have the magic of Lionel cd collection n the gentleman who worked there was my favorite section to watch
Absolutely excellent and thankyou For your effort....I particularly enjoyed the scenes of the countryside and picking its way through the overgrown track....more please...have subscribed.
That shoving move must really be fun in the pouring rain or heavy snow.
I worked on a railroad, in snow, rain and sleet plus thunderstorms and we referred to it as "liquid sunshine". Not fun, but tolerated. They were fun shoves and switching.
I can remember the days of trains used to come through here all the time in bonifay Florida they're just recently started back more you talk about mystic during covid but now I'm glad to see him back ago and in any state y'all have a blessed day
Awesome video!!! I can watch this over and over
That 1200 looks to be well cared for. Great for short line work.
Great video! The railroad crossings of the CO&E have always been interesting to me. It's not just the wig wag that's rare, but also the other crossings with rare mechanical bells, beacons, and lights too!
Love this little railroad!
And I wish you a Happy New Year!
It’s sad to see all of these railroad companies bought out and never being able to see the trains you used to.I’ve loved trains all of my life and to see the Southern Railroad bought out was a end to and era.
Great documentation of a small short line operation.
Just love the sound of that idle!!!
I usually don’t comment before I watch the whole video, but as I look at the description this video looks like it has a lot to offer. I like all the information and the trains whereabouts and timestamps. I’m gonna kick back and watch this video and for sure hit the like button!
Reminds me of my days as a teenager chasing some switcher down an industry lead on a bicycle. I'm 30 now and most of those old switchers have been scrapped or work at some grain elevator now.
I was working on the CB&Q that's a railroad , A fireman on the locomotive then one day I saw a little baby crawling along the track a baby mind you. And I grabbed that baby and I flung it into a nice pile of soft leaves. Me well I didn't make out so good. Fractured my leg. The baby was all right. Today that baby is president of Vons supermarket you think he ever took the trouble to thank me no sir! Rich folks got short memories.
That sounds like a story that Lucky from King of the Hill would tell. ;)
@@rael5469 No its a true story
@@mistervacation23 I didn't say it's not true. Just thought it sounded a little like a story Lucky would tell.
@@rael5469 ok thanks
I love that paint job on that switcher. Great video.
Reminds me of the old MOPAC
What a cool little operation.
Great video, Logan. I really like the scenic shots and talking to you while you were filming was fun.
I like that old WRRS Wig Wag!
Used to be two of those wigwags at an abandoned crossing in Argenta Illinois until about 10 or 12 years ago.
Speaking of old MN&S paint, the landscape/ROW scenes starting at around 13:41 to 20:26, could very easily be located along the old MN&S mainline heading south from Lakeville,MN on into Northfield.
Nice video, just found it. Even though that SW1200, is not original MN&S 33, still looks and sounds really nice! The real MN&S SW1200 33, is currently owned and operated by the Tulsa Sapulpa Union RR, complete with original MN&S spec’d Flexicoil trucks as their #108. The current COER 33, was originally built for the Cotton Belt(SSW).
I used to live in Carbondale and always wondered if the old railroad in Marion was still active. Now I know! Very cool
The thing that tickles me about all this, is that I work for the School Bus Company you see at the 4th street sections. I am happy to work there as it holds an old name to it. The company is called Illinois Central School Bus Company. It just tickles me to know I work for a place that holds a name of a once was prominent rail company for the state.
Wish we could had seen where the PU's and CUTS happened. Love this scenery.
Unfortunately, most of the businesses along this railroad are located on private property. Thanks for watching!
Nice to see different shortlines in acttion thanks for sharing
Really great video - nice shots of the train and the countryside. I like videos about shortlines like this. There's a CZcamsr named Sawtooth that sometimes videos the Cincinnati Eastern Terminal RR. He's from neaby Kentucky. I look forward to more videos from you - maybe poke around the Herrin RR? From the comments it does seem to still exist, although I did see the one comment that it is not in business - either way, that would also be interersting.
Friendly correction: it's Jawtooth.
Excellent Pics! Clear and precise!
Incredible video!! I love that type of scenery on a short line railroad. Good stuff!
Excellent video. In 2019 when I was visiting a friend in Herrin, I wanted to railfan the CO & E RR but was told they had ceased operations. Looked all over and went as far as Marion, no luck. I did hear Progressive bought it so Thanks for this video, I plan to try again in 2023. Do you know if the Herrin line is back in operation. The rails seem in good shape but lots of brush & weeds.
Thanks for watching! The CO&E around Marion is still in operation, but only operates as needed. The Herrin Railroad, to my knowledge, is no longer in operation.
I've rewired so many switchers like that
That's a helluva skill.
Like something out of a Rowland Emmett story, love it !
Very nice work. Glad this short line is able to stay afloat. Reminds me of the VRR
You need to think about the seemingly miserable state of the track shown in the video. The long lens of the camera compresses the shape of the rails so they look so bad you’d think they couldn’t possibly hold up a train. This is a visual trick that fools the eye and is not indicative of the true state of the track. Walk along that railroad track and you’d say “that doesn’t look so bad.” Small railroads make money through the wise use of maintenance dollars. I saw one post here that said they shouldn’t even be allowed to operate. If that were the case 99% of our rail system would be gone because there are maintenance “holes” in every railroad’s track structure. A railroad provides the level of service that customers want at a rate that creates profit for the railroad. A railroad will do only enough maintenance to create that profitability. It makes no business sense to expensively maintain a 40 mph railroad when 10 mph will do nicely to fulfill the customer’s expectations at the rate they’re willing to pay. A lot of customers don’t need fast service but they do need dependable service and small railroads are great at that. If a train creeps along at 10 mph they’re making money. That’s as fast as the customer needs delivery it and doesn’t pound the track structure into oblivion thus keeping maintenance costs low. Finally, ask yourself this: if the railroad isn’t making an acceptable rate of return at the current cost levels and the customer isn’t making money at the transportation cost levels they’re paying do you think there would even be a customer?
I had no idea this line was still in operation. Nice looking SW.
@@SouthernIllinoisRailfan I remember seeing it was once part of the Illinois Central.
Hi, i enjoyed this very much! The shots were beautiful. ❤😊
That switch stand is an oldie.
Great video! It tells a simple story/operation. Good job!
Great video. Thanks for making and sharing.
Beautiful engine!
Great video. I only photographed them once and that was with the steam engine in snow 40 some years. Certainly ran on a tight budget
I’ve done a great job on filming. The best that ,i have seen anywhere and I’ve watched a lot of train videos .Keep up the great job you’re number one.Terry,TN.
Thanks for watching, Terry! I’m glad you enjoy watching my videos.
@@SouthernIllinoisRailfan I love the old trains and miss very much.Your great at filming and you need to teach these older guys how to film.Have a good one
I truly appreciate it. You have a good one as well!
Amazing video. Right-of-way is a little weedy, but the cars don't rock too much. Thanks, subbed.
That’s one old school lookin railroad!
Great catch! Very unique short line!
Saw steam there back in the '70s. Didn't even know they were still in operation, thanks! BTW, colors remind me of the old Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern.
That explains it!
The paint scheme is from the old MN&S, however, that SW1200 in the video is not original MonkeyNut$ #33. Original MN&S SW1200 33, is currently owned and operated by the Tulsa-Sapulpa Union Railway(their #108), complete with its original Flexicoil trucks. PGR has only recently acquired this SW1200 for use on the COER, but they do not have any of the original 6 MN&S SW1200s. They do have both of the MN&S’s original SW1500 models, 36 & 37. #36, regularly runs behind my house here in Bloomington,MN, on the old MN&S High Line, currently teamed with an ex-SOU SW1500 #r 34, which has an Hancock 4700 air whistle on it and they use it all the time. Which I love, growing with those whistles on the MonkeyNUTS. The 37 runs in Lakeville, MN. Original MN&S SD39, is running between Northfield and Lakeville,MN. #41 was unfortunately scrapped by HELM. I grew up in St.Louis Park back in the 70s, with the MN&S running right behind my house, so I’m always kind of keeping an eye on the old fleet. The 33 in this video, does look nice. I’m trying to pin down it’s history.
I love how it appears like monster coming out of the dark cave 😘
Still pretty quiet!!!😁😁😁 Nice video!!!
GREAT JOB ! Logan .
This is one of the best shortline vids I have seen! Nice work!
That’s a huge compliment. Thank you so much!
Dissapointed that the wig doesnt wag anymore. Thanks for sharing!
Looks like they ran the full length of that line. I followed it on Google air views and I could see where they picked up cars most likely from the Rail car repair facility and dropped them on a siding for the main line to pick up, then dropped the last car, again where a n-s main line could pick it up. Its fun to follow what I see in video on the map. Lots and lots of old lines in Illinois. thanks for the video.
very interesting. I really like this small railroads.
Great content! Thank you!
"Progressive Rail" and then this retro garage: 26:01 Nice video.
What was this video recorded on the quality is amazing!! 🙌
Thanks for watching! This was recorded with an iPhone 13 Pro Max.
3:50 what is that intermittent, repetitive hissing/ticking sound? Air compressor system? Air lines purging? Great video!
Yes, it's the spitter valves that purge condensed water from the air lines.
Southern Illinois is nick named Little Egypt because the fertile land is like the Nile Delta. The name began as early as 1912, according to Wikipedia.
good information , thumbs up for u sir
Nothing should be run on this railroad without a complete rebuild of the track and roadbed.
Ohio swamp tracks at Pioneer sugar lines are worst and still have traffic LOL
Thanks for you expert advice there Ken.
it's speed and weight restricted track, you won't see any trains on it. I would imagine no more than 5mph, 4 axle units only. there's nothing wrong with it. I've switched and serviced industries on some pretty bad back tracks, the only thing you really need to worry about is double checking switch points and watching for derails if you don't know the territory very well.
I went through the comments and didn’t see any explanation of the Progressive paint scheme so I’ll do a little history here. In the western suburbs of Minneapolis there was a little railroad called the Minneapolis Northfield and Southern Railway (MNS) which was originally organized in 1906 as an electric interburban railway. After years of enlarging and shrinking, MNS became a belt railway and provided interchange services between the major railroads around Minneapolis (SOO, GN, NP, MILW, CNW, M&STL, RI). One by one those bigger railroads decided to do their own interchange which left MNS serving just local customers. When Rock Island went belly-up there was one long piece of Rock trackage south to Kansas City called the “spine line” that CNW and SOO both coveted. SOO was looking for a line to get to KC and In 1982 bought the MNS to get to the spine line. CNW was looking to eliminate a competing railroad’s potential line by purchasing and abandoning the MNS. CNW won the race. SOO was stuck with a small railroad it didn’t need. Canadian Pacific (CP) had been Soo Line’s majority stockholder since its inception in 1960 and now they exercised full control. As a corporation, MNS passed out of existence completely. CP sold the less-desirable ex-MNS lines to the south of Minneapolis to a new startup called Progressive Rail. They took over the MNS remnants and have been operating on them ever since. In a nod to the old MNS railroad’s heritage, they paint their locomotives in a close-copy of the old MNS paint scheme which is what you see today. The red diamond on the cabs is the same diamond that was the MN&S’s logo with the words changed to Progressive Rail. At the end of its existence, MNS’s fleet was composed of EMD “round-roof” switchers and two EMD SD39’s. Every MNS engine had multiple unit control so they could quickly make up a power block sized just for the train weight needed. The switchers were ideal locomotives for this purpose. The switchers all had EMD’s “flexicoil” switcher trucks and if you see a Progressive switcher with them you know it’s an original MNS switcher. Unfortunately, the one MNS locomotive feature you won’t hear is the Hancock air-chimes they used. They had a quasi-steam locomotive sound. Soo Line replaced them with their standard 3-bell air horns when they took them over. Progressive has turned the former MNS marginal property into a solid performer with superior customer service. They run any time a customer needs service, any day of the week. Progressive has lots of experience running small railroads and they will run an efficient operation with COER.
The locomotive and paint job pay homage to the Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern, the property in Minnesota where Progressive got its start. They are a first-class outfit that is big on customer service. They will improve and maintain the line to support the level of service the customers want but not much more than that. They will keep that locomotive looking spiffy too; their image is important to them. I can’t steer you to another channel but you can see more Progressive trains in Minnesota doing a simple search.
Good to see an update. I remember they use to haul coal and piggyback trailers. It seems a quieter operation than I recall ?
Much quieter. The railroad mainly focuses on serving local industries and sending cars to their Class I interchanges with BNSF & UP. Thanks for watching!
Im love railway traveling
The line is very short, it is cut just before the highway close to Carterville at the west, and finishes at the east of Marion in a little factory, I saw it on Google Earth. Jacques, from France.