Western Railroad Discussion > Soo Line Ortonville Line

As part of the Soo Line's purchase of the Milwaukee Road in 1985, they also acquired MILW's Pacific Coast Extension as far as Ortonville, MN which became known as the "Ortonville Line" west of Minneapolis. The PCE west of Ortonville was purchased by the State of South Dakota as far as Terry, MT in addition to buying MILW's north-south Aberdeen to Sioux City line and the Mitchell to Chamberlain line. Soo could have also connected to the South Dakota lines via its Mason City line. Was there any reason why the Soo Line did not work an arrangement with the State of South Dakota to operate said state owned routes instead of the Burlington Northern while they owned the Ortonville Line? Eventually, Soo decided to sell the PCE to the Twin City and Western west of Minneapolis and now all of the South Dakota lines that were previously MILW are run by the BNSF.

I don't have any answers to your questions, but I was surprised the other day when I looked at a CP map in the midwest and saw that have nearly no branch lines (relatively speaking.) They/SOO sure shed a lot.

A Modern Railroads, IIRC, said circa 1982 that Soo Line was 2/3 branchline trackage! TFV

inCHI Wrote:
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> I don't have any answers to your questions, but I
> was surprised the other day when I looked at a CP
> map in the midwest and saw that have nearly no
> branch lines (relatively speaking.) They/SOO sure
> shed a lot.

I believe the BN came up with more money for the state which is why they got the ex-MILW lines, which
BNSF still runs.  Also, I'm not sure the MILW west of Sheldon, IA, was still intact when the SOO took over.
If not, the SOO could not have used the Mason City line to connect to the South Dakota trackage.  Somone
more familiar with this will have to comment as I was involved in eastern Iowa at the time.  

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

ntharalson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe the BN came up with more money for the
> state which is why they got the ex-MILW lines,
> which
> BNSF still runs.  Also, I'm not sure the MILW
> west of Sheldon, IA, was still intact when the SOO
> took over.
> If not, the SOO could not have used the Mason City
> line to connect to the South Dakota trackage.
>  Somone
> more familiar with this will have to comment as I
> was involved in eastern Iowa at the time.  
>
> Nick Tharalson,
> Marion, IA
Did the State of South Dakota auction the former MILW lines for which BNSF was the highest bidder? Did the UP bid? Soo Line would have had to re-acquire the Ortonville Line from the TC&W to access the South Dakota trackage if they were the highest bidder.

Do you know when the ex MILW from Sheldon, IA to Mitchell was abandoned? Also, when was the MILW's Manilla to Sioux City line abandoned? Was this abandonment in and around the time the Omaha line west of Savanna was shut down?