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 Soo Line 700 in Two Harbors, Minnesota in 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Soo Line 700 is a restored EMD GP30 diesel locomotive originally owned by the Soo Line Railroad. It was built in 1963 as a part of the "second generation" diesel power that replaced older locomotives. [1] It is now owned by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum for use on their North Shore Scenic Railroad. [2] [3] [4] [5]
Soo Line 700 was built towards the end of the GP30's short production life between 1961 and 1963. It was one of 948 built by Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors in La Grange, Illinois. GP (General Purpose) was the beginning of the "second generation" of diesel locomotive power to replace older diesels that led to the demise of steam power. GP30s are recognizable with their higher cab roofs, sometimes called "hump roofs".
Soo Line ordered 22 GP30s in 1963, for the cost of $4 million, but were willing to make the investment to replace 33 older locomotives. [6] As part of the deal, the Soo Line traded in 21 of its 22-strong fleet of Alco FA-1 locomotives; it would have traded in 20 of them, but decided to rebuild GP9 2411, rather than trade it in. [6] So it was that a passenger EMD F7b unit (the 500C), which had been written-off after a collision at White Bear, Minnesota in November 1961 was used a trade-in credit against the 700 (The 500C was the first diesel to be retired; the other engine in the consist (GP9 550) was repaired and become the first locomotive to wear the new red and gray color scheme). [7] [8] In order to save money the Alco's trucks with their General Electric traction motors were re-used; in order to maintain conformity, another pair of trucks was obtained from a Chicago scrapyard. This decision would come back to haunt the railroad's conservative management, as it would become a maintenance headache, especially in winter months. [6]
GP30s were highly utilized until higher horsepower locomotives replaced their mainline status in the 1980s. Then, many Soo Line GP30s were used for secondary or local service. In 1987, seventeen of their remaining nineteen GP30s, including 700, were sold to Wisconsin Central. [9] When Wisconsin Central was acquired by the Canadian National Railway in 2001, 700 was donated the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. [10] In 2005, it was restored and repainted and began service on the North Shore Scenic Railroad. [11]
As an early example of "second generation" diesel locomotives, it was the lead locomotive of the second order for new locomotives placed by the railroad after the 3-way merger of 1961; the third new locomotive, and the forth to carry the red and gray scheme. Neither of the ALCO RS-27s that preceded it have been preserved.
Soo Line 700 is one of four Soo Line locomotives in the Lake Superior Railroad Museum's collection, [12] the others being Soo 320 (SW1, the first diesel purchased by the Soo Line), Soo Line 2500 and Soo Line 2719.
700 occasionally sees freight service, sometimes pulling empty coal hoppers stored during the winter. Often, it pulls short excursions [13] but occasionally travels the full distance of the North Shore Scenic Railroad. Once in a while from 2007–2013, it was a helper locomotive for Soo Line 2719 on steam excursions.
Traction motor issues have led to reduced use of 700 in the last few years, and it is occasionally displayed inside the Lake Superior Railroad Museum.
Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), the Western Maryland Railway (WM), and Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal (B&OCT). Trains operated under the Chessie name from 1973 to 1987.
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway, one of seven U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (MStP&SSM), which was commonly known as the Soo Line after the phonetic spelling of Sault, it was formed in 1961 by the consolidation of that company with two other CP subsidiaries: The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway, and the Wisconsin Central Railway. It is also the successor to other Class I railroads, including the Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway and the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. On the other hand, a large amount of mileage was spun off in 1987 to Wisconsin Central Ltd., now part of the Canadian National Railway. The Soo Line Railroad and the Delaware and Hudson Railway, CP's other major subsidiary, presently do business as the Canadian Pacific Railway. Most equipment has been repainted into the CP scheme, but the U.S. Surface Transportation Board groups all of CP's U.S. subsidiaries under the Soo Line name for reporting purposes. The Minneapolis headquarters are located in the Canadian Pacific Plaza building, having moved from the nearby Soo Line Building.
The EMD GP30 is a 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between July 1961 and November 1963. A total of 948 units were built for railroads in the United States and Canada, including 40 cabless B units for the Union Pacific Railroad.
The EMD NW5 was a 1,000 hp (750 kW) road switcher diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between December 1946 and February 1947.
The EMD GP35 is a 4-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between July 1963 and December 1965 and by General Motors Diesel between May 1964 and January 1966. 1251 examples were built for American railroads, 26 were built for Canadian railroads and 57 were built for Mexican railroads. Power was provided by an EMD 567D3A 16-cylinder engine which generated 2,500 horsepower (1,860 kW).
The EMD SD18 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between April 1960 and March 1963. Power was provided by an EMD 567D1 16-cylinder engine which generated 1,800 hp (1.3 MW).
The ALCO RS-1 was a 4-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by Alco-GE between 1941 and 1953 and the American Locomotive Company from 1953 to 1960. ALCO subsidiary Montreal Locomotive Works built an additional three RS-1s in 1954. This model has the distinction of having the longest production run of any diesel locomotive for the North American market. The RS-1 was in production for 19 years from the first unit Rock Island #748 in March 1941 to the last unit National of Mexico #5663 in March 1960.
The Indiana Railway Museum is a railroad museum located in French Lick, Indiana, United States, dedicated to preserving and displaying artifacts related to the history of railroads in Indiana.
The Lake Superior Railroad Museum is a railroad museum in Duluth, Minnesota, United States.
The North Shore Scenic Railroad is a heritage railroad that operates between Duluth and Two Harbors, Minnesota, United States, along 28 miles (45 km) of the Lakefront Line, once part of the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railroad.
Soo Line 2719 is a 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for use on passenger trains operated by the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway. No. 2719 was used to haul the Soo Line's last steam-powered train, a June 21, 1959 round-trip excursion between Minneapolis, Minnesota and Ladysmith, Wisconsin. It was then displayed in Eau Claire, Wisconsin until 1996. It was restored and operated in excursion service from 1998 until 2013 when its boiler certificate expired. Today, the locomotive remains on display in Duluth, Minnesota.
Included in this list of Soo Line locomotives are those of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, as well as those of the Wisconsin Central Railway, which it inherited on its lease in 1909. The M.St.P.&S.Ste.M. finally merged the WC and the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway on December 30, 1961 to form the Soo Line Railroad. The Soo Line later acquired the Milwaukee Road and became part of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (MStP&SSM) was a Class I railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Midwestern United States. Commonly known since its opening in 1884 as the Soo Line after the phonetic spelling of Sault, it was merged with several other major CP subsidiaries on January 1, 1961 to form the Soo Line Railroad.
The Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad is a Class III shortline railroad that operates 347 miles (558 km) of track in Northeastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Its main line runs 208 miles (335 km) from Rockland, Michigan, to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and it also owns various branch lines and out-of-service track. In 1897, the Escanaba River Company built a seven-mile (11 km) railroad from Wells, Michigan to tap a large hardwood timber stand at LaFave’s Hill. In 1898, the company name was changed to the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railway (E&LS).
Duluth & Northeastern 28 is a preserved 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built in 1906 by the Pittsburgh Works of American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was restored to operating condition by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum from 2011-2017 and now operates in excursion service on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.
Soo Line 2500 is a restored EMD FP7 diesel locomotive originally owned by the Soo Line Railroad. It was built in 1949 as an Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) demonstrator locomotive, numbered 7001. Soo Line bought 7001 and the other demonstrator locomotives 7002 and 7003 for its subsidiary Wisconsin Central Railway. Number 7001 was renumbered 2500A, and 7002 and 7003 were renumbered 2500B and 2501B respectively. It is now owned by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum for use on their North Shore Scenic Railroad.
Erie Mining Company 4211 is a restored F9A diesel locomotive originally owned by the private rail company Erie Mining.
Northern Pacific 3617 is a restored SD45 diesel locomotive originally owned by the Northern Pacific. It was built in 1967 to replace older locomotives that were "trade-ins" for new units in the 1960s. Since 2007, NP 3617 has resided at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, and was restored to operational condition in March 2021.
Great Northern 400, nicknamed Hustle Muscle, is a restored SD45 diesel locomotive originally owned by the Great Northern (GN). It was built in 1966 as the first production SD45 by Electro-Motive Division.
Duluth and Northern Minnesota No. 14 is a preserved MK class 2-8-2 light "Mikado" built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Duluth and Northern Minnesota Railroad in 1913. In 1919, the D&NM declared bankrupt, and the locomotive was sold to the Michigan-based Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad, to operate there as No. 22. It was renumbered back to 14 in 1923. In 1959, No. 14 was sold to the Inland Stone Division of Inland Steel Company, another Michigan-based corporation, and it operated there until 1966. In 1974, it was transferred to the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway, and then it was donated to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in 1981. The locomotive was restored to operation for use on the museum's North Shore Scenic Railroad between 1992 and 1998. As of 2022, No. 14 remains on static display inside the museum in Duluth, Minnesota.