Does anyone know which railroad(s) currently serve Shakopee, Minnesota and/or the very near surrounding area?
UP operates a former C&NW (Omaha Road) line that follows the Minnesota River from Valley Park yard east of Shakopee to Mankato and then across SW Minn. to Worthington and on the Sioux City. CP has trackage rights, still, I believe inherited from Soo Line/Milwaukee Road to Shakopee from the east. Milw. Rd. once had a line from Hastings through Farmington, Lakeville, Shakopee and across the river to Chaska and west to Glencoe, Montevideo etc. This was the original Hastings & Dakota RR. M&St.L once had its main line from the Twin Cities through Chaska (just northwest of Shakopee on the north side of the Minn. River) that crossed the Omaha Road at Merriam Jct. and then went on to Jordan and south to Waseca, Albert Lea, Mason City. Twin Cities & Western owns a former Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern bridge across the Minnesota R. a few miles east of Shakopee at Savage. This is the former MN&S line from the Twin Cities to Northfield. I believe CP still owns the section to Northfield, but a shortline operator (ProRail, I believe) is running the section in the Twin Cities suburb of Bloomington. Hope this helps. TD
Thanks much for all of the info Terry - Dan
Dan, I forgot to mention that the former brick Omaha Road/Milwaukee Road joint depot was recently restored in Shakopee along the tracks and is used as a retail store, kids clothing or something like that. Also, the joint M&StL/Milwaukee Road depot in Chaska, about five miles to the northwest, also is still in use as a retail shop, too. It was located at the junction of the two lines, thus it has two fronts. The Shakopee depot is a pretty typical brick depot.
Terry