If anyone here has information on the Soo Line/CPRail/Milwaukee Road could you please post it. I am trying to build a very prototypical Soo Line model railroad so any information would be helpful.
Thanks
John
At the NorthShore Seneic Railroad have a couple SOO Line pieces. Our GP30 is a running legacy. Our caboose that is soon to join the unit with it’s excursions is also SOO Line. Both are very nice looking. www.lsrm.org This is the website to look at the two.
If you want info on the Milwaukee road you will need to e-mail me on that. I have allot of info on the Milwaukee and my sig says it all.
James
There is a book called the “Saga of the Soo” if you can find it. It is a really interesting description of the history behind the line. My father-in-law used to be a machinist for the Soo Line in St. Paul. He got a copy from the railroad as a gift. Pretty informative.
SOO GP38-2s
Colorful, Unusual Canadian Pacific
Be sure to have a look around elsewhere in my pictures section!
Thanks guys!
A bit off topic, I lived in Moose jaw, Saskatchewan, a divisional point for the C.P.R. and the terminus for the Soo line, which crossed the border at Portal(N.D.) and North Portal(Sask.) We always assumed the Soo trains came from Chicago? is that true? or did they go to Minneapolis? We also referred to the the track in Canada as the Soo LINE, what is the correct name of the railroad? is 'line" part of the actual name ? ?
The Soo line was/is actually the “Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sault Ste. Marie”. The nickname “Soo Line” comes from the pronunciation of the word Sault.
The Soo Line was a nickname for the MSP&SSM until the merger in 1961 between the MSP&SSM, the original Wisconsin Central and the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic. When the merger took place, Soo Line Railroad became the proper name.
Trains to or from Portal would be from Humboldt Yard in Minneapolis or St. Paul (Pig’s Eye) Yard in St. Paul. Unit trains would continue to Chicago.
Isn’t the SOO just a paper railroad now, long since part of CP? The good thing about modeling it is the wide choice of pre- and post- merger color schemes from all railroads involved.
Yes, the Soo per se hasn’t existed since the takeover/merger with parent CP in the 90’s. I live along the old Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Ry highline, Soo bought that in 1982. The signs along the right of way now say “property of CP Rail” although that line is now operated by Progressive Rail.
It was kinda neat being next to the Soo in the eighties, standard power on the line was a pair of 1950’s GP-9’s from either Soo or WC (the old one - you could tell by the numbers, Soo engines had 3 digit numbers, WC had 4; plus WC units had a small “WC” on them if you looked carefully) and an extended vision caboose - all in an incredibly weathered white and red paintscheme. Sometimes MILW MP-15’s would show up too.
BTW, what era are you interested in modelling.
Our school was next to the Soo Line in Mundelein, Illinois which hosted some pretty spectacular wrecks. Everything would stop on the playground when the Laker blasted past in a cloud of white powder, mars light flashing, blaring it’s horn…made an indelible impression. I used to watch them work the North Shore Line interchange-what I wouldnt give to go back just for a day…
Because of them being in two different countries the Soo Line is a little more than a paper railroad but not a lot more. It does have its own locomotives but the road locomotives are pooled with parent CP’s fleet. Fortunately the CP has been slow to paint the locomotives.
Soo Line is basically “Canadian Pacific Railroad of America”, this exists because of US laws against transportation being foreign-based. So the SOO is CP’s subsidiary, d/b/a CP in the US.
CN has Grand Trunk Western, IC, WC, et al d/b/a CN in the US as well.
Is D&H still a paper company, or is that considered part of SOO?
BTW, the CP 8xxx AC44s are “SOO” engines, while the CP 9xxxs are “CP” engines! Not that it really matters, you can see either series on both “railroads”…
CP directly owns Soo Line Corp., the holding company formed at the time of the Milwaukee Road purchase. In turn Soo Line Corp. owns the Soo Line Railroad, and the Delaware & Hudson Railroad, plus a 49 percent interest in the Indiana Harbor Belt, a share of Belt Railway of Chicago, a tiny share of TTX Corp. etc.
Probably the 80s till the CP takeover
I love the way the Soo’s REd and White paint scheme would weather. It just looks really cool and was very different from most other railroads of the time (besides Chessie).
I am not sure exactly what section of the Soo but I have been thinking about Shoreham yard and Cardigan Junction. I’d really like to model a Soo/CP freight yard.
thanks guys for the info
The Soo Line in Color by Morning Sun Books.
Okay, I’m being picky here… but SOO’s paint scheme was actually red and light grey! The grey being darn-near-white, but it is still not-quite-white!