Nostalgia & History > 1965 rail adventures

Gentle readers: at the age of 16 I decided it was high time for a trip to visit my grandparents in North Dakota by rail.
Living in Omaha I had access to CGW\'s last remaining passenger service to Mpls. The plan was to ride CGW #13 to Mpls, Catch GN No.3 "The Dakotan" to Larimore, ND.
The all night ride from Omaha was full of adventure. As I was looking down off the Des Moines River bridge to the streets of Ft. Dodge Iowa, the conductor, already knowing I was a fan offered me a cab ride from Ft. Dodge to Mason City.
Readily accepting his offer we bumped along at speeds not exceeding 50 mph. We even had to stop at a small rural town for 1/2 hour as the grain elevator was on fire and hoses were over the track.
Of course, we arrived at SPUD just as GN 3 was pulling out. The conductor assured me that as we finished our miles to the GN Station in Mpls on Hennipin Ave that I would make #3. As luck would have it she was gone for the Dakotas.
A mad dash to the ticket counter revealed my only other choice was NP #1 the Mainstreeter to Manitoba Jct. MN wast of Hawley and a connection with #13, RDC service to Winnipeg with a flag stop off at Johnstown, ND a mere 12 miles from my grandparents home.
Reluctantly, I boarded #1 and sulked all the way to Manitoba jCt. #13 met us there and off we went to places like Uhlen, Hitterdahl, Fertile, Crookston, East Grand Forks, grand Forks and finally Johnstown.
Needless to say this proved to be an interesting route whichwould make rare mileage fans go into heart failure.
#3 was ridden next year with a Rock Island connection out of Omaha via Des Moines.
CGW met its demise in September of 1965.
NP 13 soldiered on at least until shortly after the BN merger.
Just goes to show you----be flexible and you never know what will happen.
Summer train riding ended as I worked for the Up as a clerk from 1967-70.
I am now employed as an engineer for BNSF out of Edgemont, SD.
What a great adventure. Stay tuned for more true passenger train tales ofthe \'60\'s.
Sorry for no photos or train consists.....I do remember NP RDC was B-31, I think???

I was stationed at Grand Forks AFB in the early eighties and am well acquainted with Larimore and the surrounding area. Would be a truly marvelous trip to take today, particularly given the hindsight that comes from the passage of time.

Let me guess, a farm with perhaps 640 acres, durum wheat, and lefse?

John Gezelius
Orange, CA


And a FIGHTING SOUIX grad from the graduate school of the University of North Dakota

Shucks, no.
Just from a little town of Inkster, ND onthe GN\'s Hannah branch, eighteen miles north of Larimore.
Graduated from Hastings College (NE) on the old Q and I have a few stories to tell about that, too!
Thanks for writing!

BlackHillsHogger,

Here is a poor picture of RDC B-31 at King Street Station in Seattle.

Yardclerk

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I bet we have friends in common. Knew some kids @ UND from Inkster. And the pastries at Welch\'es Bakery in Park River are simply the best that I ever had!!!

In 1965, BC31 was still handling the dailypassenger train between Spokane and Lewiston, Idaho. When the train came off in 1966, the car was transferred back east where it worked the Staples trains up to. . . ? Winnepeg?