Three days ago I flew from Buffalo, New York to Minneapolis, Minnesota to visit Compellent in Eden Prairie. Some folks from work and I spent two days testing their disk storage array. Everyone else flew back home but I had made arrangements to stay for the Memorial Day long weekend.
This morning I departed the Fairfield Inn in Eden Prairie in my rented Dodge Caliber. The weather started out overcast but I was looking forward to the skies clearing up later on. The first stage of my trip was to follow the Twin Cities & Western toward Appleton, Minnesota. The first town to present a photo opportunity was Glencoe.
While searching town further I noticed a pair of slugs at Seneca Foods.
I continued following the Twin Cities & Western west. I checked out the towns along the way but didn't find any interesting railway subjects until Montevideo, Minnesota where I espied the Milwaukee Road Historical Park.
- 1057 CDT Montevideo, MN - Milwaukee Road Historical Park - MILW X19-MILW 991960 (photo 1, photo 2)
- 1059 CDT Montevideo, MN - Milwaukee Road Historical Park - NSP X-5 (79 in number boards) (photo)
I followed the rails all the way to Appleton, Minnesota but did not see anything else on the Twin Cities & Western. My next target was the Sisseton-Milbank Railroad. While en route I heard a Burlington Northern Santa Fe westbound report clear of mile 600. I looked for the nearest mile board on the BNSF track next to me and read mile 590. The train was a mere ten miles ahead of me. I kept moving and caught up to it just before Milbank, South Dakota. I was able to get ahead of the train on the west side of town for a photograph.
- 1238 CDT Milbank, SD - BNSF westbound - BNSF 4390-BNSF 4980
I went back to Milbank and found the Sisseton-Milbank. The west leg of the wye was full of covered hoppers and the mainline was full of empty coal hoppers. I couldn't find any locomotives though so I followed their tracks to Sisseton. I found plenty of cars parked along the way but no power so I continued to the Canadian Pacific in Hankinson, North Dakota. Once again there were many parked cars but nothing of interest. Next I drove to the Red River Valley & Western's home base of Breckenridge, Minnesota where I hit pay dirt.
- 1512 CDT Breckenridge, MN - Red River Valley & Western power - RRVW 2001-RRVW 2002-ILSX 179-ILSX 180 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4, photo 5)
- 1517 CDT Breckenridge, MN - Red River Valley & Western power - RRVW 2005-RRVW 1276-RRVW 2051-RRVW 309 (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4)
- 1521 CDT Breckenridge, MN - Red River Valley & Western power - RRVW 303 (photo)
- 1536 CDT Breckenridge, MN - Red River Valley & Western power - RRVW 404 (photo)
- 1542 CDT Breckenridge, MN - Red River Valley & Western equipment - RRVW 113 (photo)
Wow, that was rewarding! Then I grabbed a bite to eat from the local Kentucky Fried Chicken and ate in front of the old station where a Great Northern caboose was on display.
- 1601 CDT Breckenridge, MN - preserved caboose - GN X111 (photo)
My next railway was the nearby Otter Tail Valley in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Soon after arrival I could hear them switching somewhere in town. I searched but couldn't find them. After the third time by their engine shed I got extremely lucky. They were just about to park three of the four locomotives inside.
- 1700 CDT Fergus Falls, MN - Otter Tail Valley power - MNN 1484-MNN 1463-OTVR 192
The MNN 1484 cut off the trailing two engines before taking off westward. The previously set off OTVR 3900 then joined the two geeps inside the shed.
- 1708 CDT Fergus Falls, MN - Otter Tail Valley power - MNN 1484
- 1710 CDT Fergus Falls, MN - Otter Tail Valley power - OTVR 3900
After some photographs in nice light I followed the Otter Tail Valley Railroad northwestward to Dilworth, Minnesota where I checked out the BNSF yard. There were dozens of engines but nothing photographable.
I decided that Grand Forks, North Dakota would be my final destination for the day. During the drive there I ran across an elevator switcher at the Alton Grain Terminal.
- 1917 CDT south of Hillsboro, ND - Alton Grain Terminal switcher - DLSX 2307 (photo)
When I got to Grand Forks I immediately drove to the old roundhouse which I knew from my previous visit in 2001 would be my only chance for decent light.
- 2006 CDT Grand Forks, ND - BNSF power - BNSF 3404 (photo)
That was it for the day's photography. I found a room at the America's Best Value Inn, filled the car with petrol and me with a sub before calling it a day.
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