Nostalgia & History > walkin' along the Milwaukee in Minneapolis

A friend of mine really enjoyed the photos I posted in this thread: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,1135909,1135909#msg-1135909 He asked for more from that day, so here goes. All photos are from Minneapolis, MN during the summer of 1986. All these locations are gone with the building of the Hiawatha Light Rail Tracks, and widened Hiawatha Avenue.

#1 Looking north from the diamond. Milwaukee's Southtown Yard on the right. Hiawatha Avenue on the left. The light rail now goes up over Hiawatha Avenue here.

#2 SOO LN GP9 402 waits for it's next assignment near the South Minneapolis yard office.

#3 GP38-2 356 has already begun to morp into a Soo locomotive...

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#1 The 356 is switching grain cars.

#2 The 356 pulls it's cut towards Minneapolis. At this location nowdays, the grade crossing has been removed. But there is a walking bridge over Hiawatha Avenue, and a walkway path crossing over the LRT.

#3 Old 356 again.

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#1 Walking north, an employee gave me the evil eye. So I shot his photo. Smile, you're on Trainorders.

#2 MP15AC 497 pulls a cut of autoracks north.

#3 The old coach yard. Nowdays this is the home of the LRT maintenance facility. Just north of the Franklin Avenue Station.

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#1 In the old coach yard. Where Hiawatha's were serviced between trips...

#2 Here is something odd I've always been curious about. Why the off centered tracks? Look how far the track is to the right on the ties. Anyone have any ideas as to why?

#3 Was this building used for light repairs on passenger power, passenger switchers, or rolling stock?

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#1 Looking south. That's I-94 crossing over the tracks.

#2 Looking north. The Cedar-Riverside LRT station is located just north of where I was standing.

#3 To finish the day, I stopped at Soo Line's Shorham Yard in NE Minneapolis. There was lots of sad looking Milwaukee power there. Hope you enjoyed the walk along the Milwaukee in Minneapolis with me. I wish I would have shot twice as many photos. But I'm happy I have what I have.

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alco636 Wrote:
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> #3 Was this building used for light repairs on
> passenger power, passenger switchers, or rolling
> stock?

That is marked on my track layout diagrams as "Wheel Pit Bldg."

When 8th St Coach Yard was still active, all power was still being maintained in the Diesel House, which before the 46 stall roundouse was torn down was the boiler shop. When passenger service was discontinued, light diesel maintenance was moved to the Wheel Pit Bldg. Heavy repairs were at Pigs Eye.

alco636 Wrote:
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> #1 Walking north, an employee gave me the evil
> eye. So I shot his photo. Smile, you're on
> Trainorders.

Seeing all the dips in that jointed rail reminds me of a clip in a California Zephyr video I have. Taken from the train, the cars can be seen to move up and down relatively several inches. Must have made for a great ride...

rdsexton Wrote:
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> alco636 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > #1 Walking north, an employee gave me the evil
> > eye. So I shot his photo. Smile, you're on
> > Trainorders.
>
> Seeing all the dips in that jointed rail reminds
> me of a clip in a California Zephyr video I have.
> Taken from the train, the cars can be seen to move
> up and down relatively several inches. Must have
> made for a great ride...

South Minnie was already in a terrible state of decay when these pix were taken. This was once a very short stretch of 132# 4-track main; left to right WB from St Paul, EB to St Paul, EB H&D has been removed, and WB H&D Div.

I was fortunate I got to work at South Minneapolis in the early 1990s before the yard was closed and the track through the depression was taken out. The yard then was of course in very bad shape. Speeds on the yard tracks was posted at 5 MPH.