Nostalgia & History > Depot Friday : The Survivors of Albert Lea

Albert Lea, Minnesota was once home to three railroads: the Rock Island's Twin Cities to KC (Spine Line), the Milwaukee's branch from
Ramsey to Jackson, MN and the M&St.L's Marshalltown, IA to the Twin Cities Main taken over by the CNW in 1960. Two lines remain;
the Spine Line now owned by UP and the old Milwaukee Branch is now CP.

1) The old M&St.L/CNW depot is now boarded up and upon visiting last summer, was I saddened to see all the rails gone. This depot was
once a busy place as Albert Lea was the crew change point between Marshalltown and the Twin Cities.
August 12, 1985

2) Fairing somewhat better, the Milwaukee depot in Albert Lea still has rails in front of it and is actively used as a liquor store.
The old M&St.L depot in Waseca, MN is also a liquor store. Is there a pattern here? That would be an interesting study.
August 5, 1981

Thanks for looking.

Bob Helling
PRose

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It looks like the store in the old Milwaukee depot has seen better days. There
was a lot more signage the last time, 30 years ago, I went by there.

The M&StL depot is a sad sight indeed. I'll have to post one of my favorite shots
of that structure with something you won't expect.

Thanks for posting, Bob.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Operating crews on the old Minneapolis and st. Louis RR, were based out of the Twin Cities and Marshalltown, IA and worked to their turnaround point of Albert Lea, MN and return.

> Albert Lea, Minnesota was once home to three
> railroads: the Rock Island's Twin Cities to KC
> (Spine Line), the Milwaukee's branch from
> Ramsey to Jackson, MN and the M&St.L's
> Marshalltown, IA to the Twin Cities Main taken
> over by the CNW in 1960. Two lines remain;
> the Spine Line now owned by UP and the old
> Milwaukee Branch is now CP.


Thanks for the post. Albert Lea did have a fourth railroad in recent times, the Illinois Central. The IC entered from the south via trackage rights on the RI. IC regularly handled meat traffic on that line down to Waterloo where it connected east to Chicago. Their line also hosted the M&StL/CNW - IC runthrough trains between Cedar Lake & Waterloo, the first service I'm aware of where a RR west of the Mississippi used diesel runthrough power on freight trains (dating back to 1952 from what I've read).

Take care,

Mark

You are absolutely correct, Mark. Forgot about the IC. Thanks for the correction.

Bob H.
PRose

Bob,

To round out the trio, here is the Rock Island Albert Lea depot on November 15, 1981.

Gary Helling

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My dad's first runs in train service were between mtown and Albert Lea.
JC

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