Let us take a purely foamish look at what has happened to the two former US Steel Roads Duluth Missabe and Iron Range and Bessemer and Lake Erie in terms of power. I will take a sample picture from each year.
No CN changes as of yet. Note the B&LE units in the DMIR photo were NOT CN related. The B&LE #903, #909 and #869 have straight air and have been Missabe motors for a long time.
A very interesting comparison of the two roads, if not sad for the Missabe side.
To put my two cents into why the Missabe saw so much change while the Bessimer stayed relatively unphased, I believe it probably had a lot to do with the fact that B&LE simply came with the Missabe, as CN wouldn’t have gotten the ten mile stretch of track without the Missabe and the B&LE along with it.
From a purely foamer stance, it’s hard to swallow the fact that one of my favorite railroads has pretty much been erased over ten miles of track between Adolph and Pokey.
Interesting comparison - some nice photos, too ! [tup] Thanks for sharing.
I suspect that simple geography and connections are a big reason for the disparate treatment: the former DMIR is in the midst of CN’s network, whereas the B&LE is essentially an ‘island’ - I’m not aware of any of direct connections from any CN line to the B&LE - and so it just continues to operate independently.
Some folks in Western Pennsylvania would consider the B&LE as being treated more like an unwanted step-child than as a favorite. But that may be okay, as CN also seems to letting things alone for the most part.
Some of your units from Minnesota are being stored at Walbridge(east toledo),Matt and I saw them as we were waiting for mamma to complete her shopping.