Minnesota Commercial Railway - 70 Year Old Locomotives Smoking Like Chimneys!
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- čas přidán 23. 02. 2023
- In this video, C. Vision Productions takes you on a tour of the Minnesota Commercial Railway. Operating over 150 route miles, the Minnesota Commercial serves customers on an extensive network of rail lines in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
The railroad operates on lines formerly owned by the Minnesota Transfer Railway Company, in addition to trackage leased from BNSF and Canadian Pacific. Prior to the PTC mandate, the railroad utilized trackage rights over Union Pacific rails to reach Bayport, Minnesota. C. Vision’s cameras follow five local switch jobs, along with some yard switching and transfer runs at the MNNR’s Midway Yard. First we’ll follow the Hugo Job, operating on former Minnesota Transfer and Northern Pacific trackage. Next, we’ll catch the Belt Job as it performs its duties with the railroad’s only B36-7 in charge. You’ll see the Hiawatha Job operating on former Milwaukee Road rails, with a cab ride on B23-7 1982 also included. The Hiawatha Milling District was documented on this run, with footage from in the cab, as well as trackside. After that, we’ll head east to capture the Bayport Job operating over trackage rights on the Union Pacific’s Altoona Subdivision and Stillwater Industrial Lead. Minnesota Commercial’s CF7 484 is right at home on this job, as it carries the name “City of Bayport”. Finally, we check out some switching operations in and around Midway Yard.
The Minnesota Commercial is truly unique as it operates with second generation Dash 7 General Electric locomotives, including models C30-7, B23-7, B30-7, and B36-7. A former Santa Fe SF30C is also seen in service. If you are an Alco fan, this railroad has a treat for you! You will see one of the last two Alco RS27 locomotives in existence, MNNR 316, as the unit smokes it up on the Hennepin Job. We were also fortunate to capture MNNR 313, an Alco C424, teamed up with a slug working the Commercial’s afternoon top end job in Midway Yard. Other interesting locomotives that appear in this video include a former Canadian National M420, and a former Santa Fe CF7.
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My father worked for Minnesota commercial until the mid 80's
Very cool! Working for the Minnesota Transfer and Minnesota Commercial in that era would have been quite the experience. Thank you for the comment.
Class 3 railroads always give great service to their customers. Serving them is their main job.
Absolutely agree. They know how to take care of their customers. Thanks for watching!
I really enjoyed watching the RS-27 smoke it up like an ALCo diesel should.
It’s a sight that never gets old. Classic ALCO performance!!
Red ALCO diesels 316, and x-314, representing the good, old, X-G.B.&W.!!!!! HI FROM GREEN BAY!!!!! GO PACKERS GO!!!!! I watched, and listened, and smelled ALL these ALCOS' from 1975 to 1977 during lunch break from West High school on Shawano Street, and also riding my bike in summer over to watch the switching in Norwood yard on 12th Avenue. But sadly after the WCL took control in 1993 nearly all the mainline tracks were ripped off for bike paths. Leaving only the West side industrial Park for switching by Packerland Drive. Or the Eastern section cut back to Luxemburg for the large feed store, but 3 years ago in 2020 the new Canadian National Ry installed thousands of new wood ties, to carry 100 ton cars and even large G.E. AC4400CW engines sometimes with 30 to 50 cars, but still not too fast, because the rails have casting marks from 1920!! Yet some of the really old wood ties were nothing but rotted splinters. Hopefully, someday, it would be cool if the old GBW 315 ALCO C430 here at the NRRM since 1987 should be rebuilt for excursions over the Luxemburg Sub and also rebuild all the way East to Kewaunee, but maybe someday.....ALL it takes is time..... Fri., March 3, 2023 A.D.
Hi Steven. Thank you so much for sharing your information with us! The GBW was a classic railroad with the best locomotives. A lot has changed since then and it is amazing how much is still around and how much is gone. I hope you continue to enjoy our channel and thanks again for your detailed comments!!!
They’re trying to be steam engines because the people love them. LOL
Those RS27s do a great steam engine impression! They’ve been practicing for decades…
wow they use a slug unit, nice and they have alcos im all in
Right on!!! Thank you!!!
Nice to see the old H fixture on the west side of the Mississippi still standing strong.
Thank you for the comment, Wayne. You have C. Vision’s curiosity piqued. What exactly is an “H fixture”?
This video is excellent! Thanks for making it available on CZcams. Charlie Murphy
Thank you so much! And you’re very welcome. We appreciate you watching.
New Sub here. What a great video!!! I grew up by the Soo Line/Humboldt yards, and worked years behind the yards on 49th ave N. MPLS. Maybe someday you can put something together about history of those yards. Thanks again for the wonderful video. BTW,,,, @ 10:00 mark, the "Rolling Disconnect"👍👍👍Old School, gotta love it.
Thank you so much, Bob! We’re glad that you enjoyed the video. There may be more Soo Line content appearing in the future. Stay tuned!
There is a very calming characteristic to this entire video. Especially the part where they were loading the steel coils onto the flat bed truck lol
We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed the video. Thank you very much for the nice comment.
This video blew my mind. To be able to ride along, and transfer to truck shipping.
They got it dialed in. Love those engines too. Great job C Vision. 😮
Thank you very much, Patrick! We appreciate you watching.
I am a first time viewer of this video, i am glad to see a video about MN trains and just the east coast trains.
Welcome aboard! Thank you for your comment and I hope you continue to enjoy our videos.
Very impressive railroad.
It sure is! Thanks for watching!!!
Really neat, that the bigger RR's get rid of power that they deem as old, and shortlines get them and run them far longer than a big RR would ever consider to use them.
That’s absolutely right. In some cases, these locomotives have spent double the time (or more) working for shortlines versus class ones. It shows just how resourceful shortlines can be. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Cool video! Seems like 2007 was just last year lol
Thank you! It really does. And yet some things haven’t changed at the Commercial since then.
@@CVisionProductions1 just finished watching the whole thing. Holy man! That bridge over the MS looked freaky as heck! I can remember riding the train and going over the Soo Line Camden bridge back in the day. That one is a little scary if you are afraid of heights…
Pretty neat, huh? That Short Line bridge over the Mississippi is way up there… And did you notice the gates to control entry? They had some issues with trespassing and vandalism, so extra security became necessary. And yes, that Camden bridge is another awesome structure! It’s great that you got to ride over it.
Scary how time flies. ⏲️
Publicly-funded roads always followed privately-financed railroads because that's where the traffic was.
Very true. The railroads were the foundation of our roadways in many ways.
@@CVisionProductions1look at I-80 and the UP
Those things were smoking like freight trains!!!!😂💯
They really put on a great show! ALCO’s at their finest!!!!
@@CVisionProductions1 yes sir!!!💯
Air pollution at its finest.
@@arnoldanderson1160Nothing worse than what comes out of the mouths of politicians these days................
Great video. Really enjoyed it. Lots of diverse industries you showcased that are served by this railroad.
Thank you very much Gary! That is the one thing with this railroad is the amount of customers it serves and in some historic industrial areas.
Outstanding video; what an impressive smoke from the RS27 at 1:26:00, I really enjoyed it.
Thank you! That locomotive never fails to entertain around here.
Great video of this shortline!
Many thanks!
Quality content as always.
Thank you!!!
fascinating footage & coming from the UK , quite amazing to see the variety of traffics & number of feeder (trip) workings with multiple cut-outs & shunts , these operations have pretty much disappeared here with block trains being king & wagonload freight being uneconomic by rail, certainly economies of scale on the trunk hauls due to the longer distances & the UK's smaller manufacturing base hold a clue , do the shippers pay a "through" rate & the feeder railroad gets a "cut" from the class A railroad , they certainly give great service & incredible to see locos of this vintage still being rostered ! We have a few of a similar vintage hanging on , working "special" workings , thanks for posting a video of this quality & duration for all to enjoy !
Thank you so much for your comments. Greeting from across the pond! It is very unique how these short lines differ from the class 1’s. Their customer service is exceptional. I’m not sure exactly how the pricing is divided out, but I think the smaller carriers charge their rate on top of the Class 1 rates. Hopefully someone with more knowledge can give us more details. Thank you for asking and watching our channel!
I really enjoyed watching this video. Great job!!
Thank you so much Gary!
1980 my office at 666 transfer Rd,2 blocks no.of main office & roundhouse,at 1x it was an all- alco road...been chasing since 1950 from St Paul❗thanks...👍👍
You had a front row seat to the action. Neat! Thanks for watching, and glad to hear that you are continuing to enjoy our videos.
@@CVisionProductions1 enjoy every frame❗❗thank you for your efforts👍
You’re very welcome!
Would rail traffic improve if class ones were broken up and turned to class 2-3? It seems like shortlines actually take care and serve the customers they sign on for. Meanwhile if your not a 500 car or more a day unit industry class ones barely even will decide to pick up a string.
Well, in some cases yes, in others, no. Having larger railroads has reduced the need to interchange cars multiple times throughout their journey, thus streamlining the routings for many shipments. However, larger railroads are less hands on with the finer details of their operation. There are some exceptions, but smaller railroads are generally more attentive to a customer’s needs.
yay! another train video
Hope you enjoyed it!
Scally line 🤟
Class 1 Railway can learn from this too...Its cool to see the huge rail to truck Transloads Facilities...Do they Store Railway Cars...
I agree Bradford. They are a great customer service company. As for rail car storage, I’m not completely certain, but I don’t think so.
1971 thats me i was born 1971 sweeeeeeeeet
Very cool! Thanks for watching.
Exc. video!
Thank you Henrik!!!
I wonder how many people wish that that locomotive was still a F - unit. Not the crew though.
Good question. I know I’d like to have seen it that way!!
Does the Minnesota Commercial Railroad still have the former CP Rail #4711, renumbered as #71, the MLW M636CAT with the Caterpillar diesel engine prime mover in it? I recall one other video showing it, with two other engines, in action. I saved it for my collections. It is 2.5 minutes in length.
They do. Unfortunately, that unit is in long-term storage. Thank you for your inquiry, William.
As of 2024, it was bought by SARTIGAN RY, in Quebec-- an all Alco Shortline.
I've have not seen the video yet but they seem like the green bay and western because I used to railfan in Green Bay.
Actually, some of their ALCO’s came from the GB&W.
Thanx . Love seeing ALCOs and old GEs. Is loco 184 an EMD?? Sounds like it.
Thanks Paul! I assume you are referring to number 484. Yes, that is an ex Santa Fe EMD CF7. The MNNR has since retired that locomotive.
@@CVisionProductions1 Thanx. Yes typo.
Have Pics of 1983, 2002
Very cool! Those two were great working units.
ROLLIN COAl
Yes, sir!
Excellent as always but I feel I must correct some inaccuracies in the section at the transload facility.
46:35 This is clearly toilet paper, not a "heavy steel coil". The six-inch-tall men who are loading it are truly remarkable.
47:45 Switching moves are actually done during the day, as your footage clearly shows. The engineer just _thinks_ it's night because his coworkers pranked him by covering all the cab windows.
Ha! Thank you for brightening our day. We appreciate you watching, as well as your comment.
Do u have any more video of the St croix valley RR?
We sure do! They are covered in two of our DVD/Blu-ray releases:
Minnesota’s Railroads, Volume 2
Minnesota’s Railroads, Volume 7
I wonder if they checked the wheel bearings?
I’m sure they do. Many of these short lines take safety seriously.
Didn't they save one of the rs27s recently ot one of there other locos ?
Not that we’ve heard, but hopefully there is something in the works. They’ve got some classic (and very rare) equipment. Thanks for watching.
Is that a solar or tracking panel atop the local engine?
If you’re referring to the 484, that would be a stand for the radio antennas. They were mounted on top of that stand.
I thought DM&E was next video?
Soon. We decided this one should be next as it had been on deck for quite a while.
Ok! Also will What's the Update For The Orange RCPE do u guys have any Scenes In Downtown Rapid City
Need a video on the BVRR.
That would be the Boise Valley Railroad, correct? If so, it does look interesting! Thank you for the suggestion.
@@CVisionProductions1 correct! Hopefully one day!
I didn't see any smoke from the CF-7. Ok, one puff.
Yep! 484 was a little more “well behaved” compared to its Alco and GE companions.
C vision productions send me a twin Cities railfanning
Hi Chris. We will surely have more from around the Twin Cities in the future. Stay tuned.
No ditch lights on Alco engine 316?
I think it is because it doesn’t travel on Class 1 rails that makes it exempt from ditch lights. But I could be wrong. Maybe someone with more knowledge can fill us in. Thank you for watching and asking.
Ditch lights aren't required on trains not going faster than 20 mph
The Minnesota Commercial must get their older locomotives, such as Alcos, to meet with the low emission regulations under the rebuilding process to avoid pollution.
Our understanding is that Minnesota Commercial’s older Alco locomotives do not need to comply with any emission standards due to their age (built before 1973).
@@CVisionProductions1 thanks again for the great information.
You’re welcome. We appreciate you watching our videos.
What year is the footage from?
Hi there, Alex. All of this footage was captured in the mid-2000s. This program was originally released on DVD back in 2007. Thank you for watching.
Why does the 316 smoke so much? Is that normal for Alcos?
It seems like those RS27s smoke more than the others. It is fairly normal for Alcos to do that, but not all of them do.
Absolutely! The older they are, the more it belches black smoke! The suet atop those locos are hard encased diesel markings...like tar!
Baby boomers are people born when the steam era ended.
That is correct! Some of the locomotives seen in this video are also within that age range.
The peoples rail ....Minnesota Communist Railway.....The whole place looks third world
Not quite a class one! Thanks for watching.