I am trying to get some information on when railroads stopped operating their urban freighthouses. I am particularly interested in the CN&W in Minneapolis, but would welcome additional information relating to the end of large city freighthouse operations.
Generally mid to late 1970’s. By then TOFC had pretty much replaced it.
Dave H.
1970’s sounds right to me.
In 1984 I worked for the Dept of Natural Resources in downtown St.Paul, just north of the Lafayette Bridge. The building I was in was an old warehouse that had been converted a few years before to a government office, and they were just starting to convert the warehouse north of us. Both warehouses had been served by rail; the trackage was still in the pavement.
Just to the east of our building was the old Soo Line freight house, which looked like a much longer version of the old Walthers freight house kit (not the recent Milwaukee Road kit). It was no longer used but wasn’t falling apart, the “Soo Line” dollar-sign herald neon sign was still in place but unlit, so I’d guess it had been closed maybe 5-10 years at that point.
Luckily I took some pics of the freight depot then, within a year it was gone.