Nostalgia & History > A little more Twin Cities (AFT 4449)

FT's earlier posting got me thinking. I fired up the scanner, and here ya go. Some images of a rather famous 4-8-4 slowly rolling, and slipping, through the same area of FT's earlier posting. I wasn't there that day. From what I heard, the 4449 had a heck of a time pulling it's heavy train through the tight curves and switches in this area.

---

---

---

I wish all these interesting depots and tracks were still here in the Twin Cities.

---

---

Ah-Ha! That 5th picture taken from hole-in-the-wall.

My dusty memory does not put AFT in the GN depot. I saw it at Minnehaha. Incredible to think that it could have gone up the Milwaukee to downtown Minneapolis, then down the Louie or Minneapolis Eastern (Nah! Had to be the Louie - the ME never could have supported it.) to the GN depot.

Incredible to think what the RR's were willing to do then, that they wouldn't do today - even if the track was still there!

From what I know (isn't much most of the time) the 4449 probably backed down the Milwaukee from the display site at the Falls, then headed eastbound to St. Paul. Through the St. Paul Union depot wye, and up the GN to where these photos were shot. That's my best guess. Was this the final steam movement on the James J. Hill bridge?

---

---

---

I wonder if that is the Empire Builder, or the North Coast Hiawatha waiting at the depot?

---

Thanks for posting.
always good to see pics of the AFT.

Kevin

Nice. I saw it at Minnehaha. 7 years old. Used to have a picture my parents took of me holding my ears. I hope it turns up again someday.

Hats off to the crews, RRs, volunteers, etc. that made it all happen. & thanks for the pics, Al.

Ted in OR

alco636 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From what I know (isn't much most of the time) the
> 4449 probably backed down the Milwaukee from the
> display site at the Falls, then headed eastbound
> to St. Paul. Through the St. Paul Union depot wye,
> and up the GN to where these photos were shot.
> That's my best guess.

Not possible, as the bridge at Mendota was removed in the late '50's.

Was this the final steam
> movement on the James J. Hill bridge?

I can't think of anything that could have run there after that.

-LD

gobbl3gook Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice. I saw it at Minnehaha. 7 years old. Used
> to have a picture my parents took of me holding my
> ears. I hope it turns up again someday.
>
> Hats off to the crews, RRs, volunteers, etc. that
> made it all happen. & thanks for the pics, Al.
>
> Ted in OR


Ha. Ha. Ha! I remember it well. I especially remember the dampness and rain that day, as I had my 15 month old daughter there, and PLOP! She sat in the middle of the biggest mudpuddle she could find. Ahhh, memories.

-LD

Gang,

Having witnessed this whole move I can tell you what happened.

During the night, the train was pulled by a diesel out of Minneheha Park up to South Minneapolis.. The 4449 ran separately behind the train engine light. The diesel then pulled it over to St. Paul via the Milwaukee Road with 4449 following behind - I distinctly remember following it on the paralleling Short Line Road and watching it steaming away. At St. Paul, 4449 was reunited with its train, a BN crew was put on, and it steamed west on the ex-GN across to Minneapolis, across the Stone Arch Bridge, through the GN Depot on through to Willmar to Fargo. Interestingly this move was to occur at night but got so late the sun had just come up as it crossed the Stone Arch Bridge.

A few days later it came back via the ex-NP via Staples to Minneapolis, where it switched to the C&NW (going just to the north of the GN depot again), and onto the ex-M&StL via Hopkins and Merriam where it got on the former Omaha Road to head southwest. It overnighted in St. James and the next day headed to South Dakota.

We were all very happy to see steam again in Minnesota. No. 4449 wasn't the only steam engine to cross the Stone Arch in the 1970s. In September 1971 the Flying Scotsman crossed the bridge during its US tour.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/24 13:01 by Steve55126.