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BNSF, Canadian Pacific to link Twin Cities rail lines
Brilliant. Make it happen ASAP.
A few years ago, who would have thought CP’d be doing directional running around the Twin Cities via the Monti and their St. Paul Sub? Crazy stuff.
What routing do the westbounds use? Can you give details over and above a subdivision name?
Robert Kortum: westbound CP trains come in on the BNSF Saint Paul Subb / CP River Sub paired tracks to Division St., then continue on the BNSF Saint Paul Sub to Soo Line Junction near Jackson St. From there they go north to Cardigan Junction and turn west to head towards Glenwood, passing by Shoreham Yard and flying over the top of BNSF’s Northtown Yard and Staples Sub.
How about a map!!!
I agree with Ira.
Mr. Streeter and Mr. Silverman, I remember Trains doing a “Map of the Month”, although it may not have been billed as such, of Minneapolis/St.Paul. The map was Trains’ usual highly detailed work and I’m sure would have shown the area of this proposed connection. Maybe we could find out what issue that was.
It indeed would be great if Trains would offer back copies of its “Map of the Month” and track diagrams ie. the NEC, BNSF around Galesburg, and NS Chgo Line across IN of a year or so ago. One could buy a loose leaf notebook and sheet protectors to keep them in.
It sounds like a lot of junctions and switches to get thru town. Another case of to much capacity(routes) destroyed over the years? Yes, a map would be nice but the writer would have to spend some time to plot it out on a computer.
Perhaps a BNSF/CP merger will happen along with CSX as the eastern road is laying off management and BN and CP are getting closer and closer…
Some of this doesn’t add up. Why two different routes? It may be single track for a short stretch between Soo jct and Canadian National but they can stage in St Paul yard on one end and the double track of CN on the other to and from Cardigan Jct. Doesn’t seem like much infrastructure to achieve this. Very little time on BNSF. On the other hand why all this work and money to create a connection track via eminent domain, rebuild the Monty to Lyndale/Mpls jct and still have CP on the BNSF for an extended period? And if this is carried out why not use it in both directions? Does not compute.
If anyone has old Trains issues, there is an excellent map in Trackside Guide #5 The Twin Cities in the Dec 2003 issue which covers the subs and junctions mentioned in this article. There is another similar map in Minnesota Commercial’s Twin Cities Empire in the June 2001 issue.