SOO's "Plummer Line"

[Anonymous]

I spent 2.5 hrs today hiking on the “North Soo Line Trail” a.k.a. the SOO’s “Plummer Line” northwest out of McGregor, MN this afternoon. This was my way of “goin’ up nort” for the 4th. As sore and tired as I am I need to know more about the operation of that segment. It’s the SOO trackage that ran northwest from Moose Lake: McGregor - Cass Lake - Bemidji - Plummer - Thief River Falls - points north.

I know the line was pulled-up around 1985. Does anyone know what type of commodities travelled to/from Superior on that route? I know train #73 was the Superior - Bemidji job (and I assume #72 was the eastbounder), and the SOO carried iron ore between Ironton and the Twin Ports over trackage rights between McGregor and Ironton on the NP. But I’m curious to know what would’ve been going between Superior and Winnipeg?

BTW - I don’t know who did the scrap-removal on that ATV trail but they sure did a hell of a job. I found only a handful of spikes, a few rail joiner bolts and one (count it - one) tie plate. Not a single sliver of a tie was seen anywhere, and not one single telegraph pole! The old BN depot in town that used to be at the SOO/NP crossing was actually moved further north into McGregor and is now an antiques/junk shop. I didn’t find or see any signage left behind at all - if there were any of the classic scrap-rail posts the SOO used for their flanger signs, they ripped those out too.

Any knowledge on what travelled that line on the SOO?

[beaulieu]

It was a grain shortcut from the “Wheat Line” (Thief River Falls,MN to Kenmare,ND) to Duluth and Superior. Once the majority of Dakota wheat started moving west rather than east, plus the mines closing on the Cuyuna Range, the Plummer Line was finished as a through route. The stub west of Cass Lake survived until recently. CP(Soo) has trackage rights over BNSF from Boylston, WI to Erskine,MN as a replacement. They haven’t been used since last year.

[KJF]

I spent 2.5 hrs today hiking on the “North Soo Line Trail” a.k.a. the SOO’s “Plummer Line” northwest out of McGregor, MN this afternoon. This was my way of “goin’ up nort” for the 4th. As sore and tired as I am I need to know more about the operation of that segment. It’s the SOO trackage that ran northwest from Moose Lake: McGregor - Cass Lake - Bemidji - Plummer - Thief River Falls - points north.

I know the line was pulled-up around 1985. Does anyone know what type of commodities travelled to/from Superior on that route? I know train #73 was the Superior - Bemidji job (and I assume #72 was the eastbounder), and the SOO carried iron ore between Ironton and the Twin Ports over trackage rights between McGregor and Ironton on the NP. But I’m curious to know what would’ve been going between Superior and Winnipeg?

BTW - I don’t know who did the scrap-removal on that ATV trail but they sure did a hell of a job. I found only a handful of spikes, a few rail joiner bolts and one (count it - one) tie plate. Not a single sliver of a tie was seen anywhere, and not one single telegraph pole! The old BN depot in town that used to be at the SOO/NP crossing was actually moved further north into McGregor and is now an antiques/junk shop. I didn’t find or see any signage left behind at all - if there were any of the classic scrap-rail posts the SOO used for their flanger signs, they ripped those out too.

Any knowledge on what travelled that line on the SOO?

I was the 3rd trick operator in Mc Gregor MN in the 80s for almost a year the Soo line had a local that did most of its work hauling wood chips from Remer MN sometime loads of Beer were Interchanged at Mc Gregor to BN to Brainerd MN once or twice the Soo ran G