The Hopkins & St. Louis Park Area
< When To Get There - Photo Spots - How to Get Around - St. Paul Turn
Glencoe Turn - NSI Trains - CP 0630 MNS - Savage Turn - Ethanol Trains - DDG Trains - Unit Coal >
Compared to Glencoe, the Hopkins/St. Louis Park area has a lot of variety with trains running at all hours of the day. The big difference is that the area hosts foreign power from the BNSF, UP, and CP in addition to the TC&W fleet. The TC&W power is used on the 'Turn' and NSI trains while the BNSF and UP power is used on unit trains. The CP power is from the CP train 0630 MNS local that comes out of Humboldt Yard in Minneapolis.
The Bass Lake Spur isn't a yard, but there are sidings spread throughout it that are used for building, staging and blocking of trains. Unit ethanol and DDG trains are assembled here to be taken into the Twin Cities and interchanged to the receiving railroad. Unit coal trains are brought into the area from the BNSF and staged here. The Glencoe Turn and St. Paul Turn both originate and terminate here and this is where the blocking is done. The Savage Turn also originates and terminates in Hopkins. The CP train 0630 MNS comes off of the MN&S mainline and into the area to serve three customers. And finally, the NSI trains just run straight through.
|
Milepost: |
428-435 (CP Bass Lake Spur)
13.8-16.2 (Cedar Lake Line) |
|
Trains: |
(8) Glencoe Turn, St. Paul Turn, Savage Turn, NSI,
Unit Ethanol, Unit DDG, Unit Coal, 0630 MNS |
Best Time:
|
Morning & Afternoon |
Customers:
|
(4) Engineered Building Components (EBC),
Midwest Asphalt, Robert B. Hill Co. |
| Radio Freq:
|
AAR 15 160.335 BNSF West Hump
ARR 44 160.770 CP Ch. #4
ARR 90 161.460 TCW Ch. #2 Road |
| Notes:
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Owned by the CP and HCRRA.
|
Between MP 435 and MP 428 the track is owned by the CP and is operated as the Bass Lake Spur. The trackage isn't really a spur as it's connected at both ends. However, the CP only uses it as a spur with the single remaining CP train to operate on it, the 0630 MNS. On the west end of the Bass Lake Spur at MP 435 (Tower E-14) is where TC&W ownership begins and continues all the way to Appleton, MN. On the east end at MP 428 is the west end of the Cedar Lake Line. The Cedar Lake Line is original M&St.L track and is used to reach Cedar Lake Jct. where the TC&W gets on the BNSF Wayzata Subdivision to ultimately reach rail in the yards Twin Cities. The Cedar Lake Line is owned by the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA). The TC&W is the sole operator of the line and is responsible for track maintenance.
The CP River Dispatcher controls
the Bass Lake Spur and operating authority is given using Block Register Territory (BRT) on AAR channel# 44. Track speed is 25 MPH using rule Rule 6.28 but six-axle power is temporarily restricted to 10 MPH. The restriction will be lifted once a tie project is completed. The Cedar Lake Line uses yard limits and is 10 MPH.
If you're using a scanner you want to be scanning channels 15 (BNSF West Hump), channel 44 (CP River-Bass Lake Spur) and channel 90 (TCW Road). The Hopkins radio is rather weak so it's not uncommon for a crew to call the dispatcher on the phone to get or release their BRT. That can make things a little difficult but track warrants are used on both ends (TW needed to get on the BNSF, not the Cedar Lake Line) so, if you lose a train, you will eventually hear where it's going. Channel 44 is also used by the CP in St. Paul Yard and if the engineer is having a hard time hearing the conductor, the crew often switches over to their own channel 2 (AAR 90). CP channel 2 (AAR 94) is used on the MN&S Spur.
There are a total of four customers within the Bass Lake Spur. Three of which are served by the CP as they own the track. The fourth, Midwest Asphalt, is served by the TC&W and they receive 12-car shipments of gravel from Ortonville. Midwest Asphalt is actually located just west of Tower E-14 in Eden Prairie but the cars are brought to Hopkins to be unloaded because there is no spur in Eden Prairie. The other two customers are 1)Engineered Building Components (EBC), 2)Robert B. Hill Co. Engineered Building Components receives inbound loads of lumber and is located about a tenth of a mile west of the Hopkins depot at MP 431.9. The last customer, Robert B. Hill Co. receives inbound loads of salt and is located at the end of the Skunk Hallow switchback. A spur near "The Creek" was rebuilt in the summer of 2007 for a new customer that was to receive particle board. To my knowledge, no shipments have been delivered.
Hopkins is home to an ex-Milwaukee Road depot and it is actually still used by the crews. The M&St.L Hopkins depot still stands but is used as a much needed coffee house. Both the Milwaukee Road and M&St.L had St. Louis Park depots. The M&St.L depot was dismantled in 1964 and the MILW depot was relocated to a park a few hundred feet south of the ROW.
When to Get There
During the busy months (late summer to early winter) trains are commonly running seven days a week. Otherwise trains run six days a week, Monday-Saturday. If no trains are running on Sunday, the Glencoe/St. Paul Turn power sits in front of the Hopkins depot. If you're unsure if a train is around, scan the FRED channels (AAR 98, 99) and if you hear something, you have a train.
Much like Glencoe, the most predictable time is in the morning. The St. Paul Turn is the guaranteed morning train but the Savage Turn and Loaded Unit DDG also go on duty in the morning if they are running. The Empty Unit DDG train usually arrives in the morning as well. If the 0630 MNS has work do to in the area, it arrives in the late morning.
Night time is fairly busy with the Glencoe Turn departing for Glencoe between 2000 and 2300 Mon-Sat and arriving back in Hopkins between 0445 and 0645 on a normal day. The NSI Load is through town three days a week around 0130, give or take an hour. The St. Paul Turn also runs at night if it's late returning from the Twin Cities which is quite common.
The afternoon can be a busy time with the NSI Empty coasting through between 1230 and 1900 three days a week and the St. Paul Turn returning anytime in the afternoon. It's not uncommon for the Unit DDG trains or Unit Ethanol trains to run in the afternoon either. Occasionally, the MPL comes into Hopkins and they usually arrive in the early afternoon. The CP 0630 MNS returns from interchanging with the Progressive Rail (PGR) at Nesbitt between 1230 and 1530.
The Unit Ethanol trains (loaded and empty) and the Unit Coal trains run anytime of the day or night. So, you can arrive at almost any time of the day and you have a chance of seeing something running.
Photo Spots
With over nine miles of track there are plenty of places to see and photograph the trains. If you've looked at the photos I have on this website you probably noticed that a lot of them are from this area. This is the area that I live in so it's easy to shoot. I'll spare you from listing dozens of spots and just list a few of my favorites.
Starting in the east a good shot can be had from the Burnham Rd. Bridge(1) over the Cedar Lake Line at roughly MP 14.5. The bridge is a one way (eastbound) and is wide enough to park on. It can be difficult to catch a train here since you need an westbound in the morning but it's fun to see a train there with the .70-.74% grade. My personal favorite (because of sentimental value) is the Wooddale Ave.(2) crossing at MP 429.2. Both sides of the tracks offer decent shots in both directions. This location has the only Milwaukee Road station sign in the Bass Lake Spur and the westbound track is still in place. By the time most westbound trains reach Wooddale Ave. they are clear of the Cedar Lake Line (10MPH) and are struggling up the .41% grade so westbounds are usually in full throttle. Less than a half mile west of Wooddale Ave. is the MN&S bridge(3) over the Bass Lake Spur. The bridge can be shot from a number of angles and it's also where the Skunk Hallow switchback connects to the Bass Lake Spur. A few miles west between Excelsior Blvd. and 5th Ave. there are a number of different shots. One is a zoom shot(4) for westbounds crossing Excelsior Blvd. The Hopkins depot is also here which can make for a nice subject. At roughly MP 433.4 Shady Oak Rd. crosses over the tracks on a bridge and you can shoot both eastbounds and westbounds(5) here. At Tower E-14 you can shoot westbounds from the Highway 62 bridge. There is a sidewalk to stand on.
How To Get Around
There are plenty of ways to get through the Hopkins/St. Louis Park area. Described here is how I usually do it, but the route of course depends on where you want to see the train. Hopefully the map that's supplied is informative enough. During the mornings and afternoons it can be busy with rush hour traffic and the fastest way through is to stay off of Highway 7 and use the side roads. 
| | Only a portion of Hopkins/SLP is visible, click on the map for the full view. |
West of the Depot: Most of the ROW west of the Hopkins depot is lined with businesses and houses which can make getting around somewhat difficult. Going west, get on Excelsior Ave. and go west for less than one mile until you reach 11th Ave. Turn left and you will see the tracks on a bridge over the road. At the first stop light, take a right onto 5th St. S. To get to the For The City crossover (FTC) you will see a company called Thermotech on the left shortly after turning onto 5th St. Turn into the parking lot and go the back, the tracks will be an embankment. This is private property so keep that in mind. To continue west, follow 5th St. through the business park until you reach the next stop light at Shady Oak Rd. Turn left and you will soon go over the tracks on a bridge. Shortly after the bridge there is a stop light and you can continue straight through the stop light or to get to Dominic siding you turn right and that will take you to the siding. If you continue straight through the light, you'll end up at Highway 62. Head west and after a couple miles you will go over the tracks again at Tower E-14. You can continue on 62 all the way to Highway 101 and take that into Chanhassen.
East of the depot: Take Excelsior Blvd. west to Louisiana Ave. and take a left. If you're going to "The Creek" turn left earlier on Powell Rd. and after the road curves to the right, turn into the parking lot on the left and "The Creek" is right there. If you skipped "The Creek" and turned left on Louisiana Ave., continue across Skunk Hallow, take a right onto Oxford St. (just before you go under the tracks) which curves around and changes names twice before reaching Brunswick Ave. Take a left and follow it all the way to the tracks where it becomes 36th Ave. Go straight through the stop light (Wooddale Ave.) and over Highway 100 to Belt Line Blvd. and take a left. You'll come up to a crossing and this is Bass Lake Yard. Take Belt Line Blvd. to Highway 7 and take a right. After less than 1 mile, turn left onto Drew Ave. and then take the first right onto Sunset Blvd which takes you to the Cedar Lake Pkwy. crossing on the Cedar Lake Line. At this point the train is geographically headed northeast so the light isn't good in the morning. Click here to get to Cedar Lake Jct. If you want to continue following the Cedar Lake Line turn right onto Cedar Lake Pkwy. and take an immediate left onto Burnham Rd. which follows the tracks and eventually crosses over the tracks on a bridge. This is the route you take if you want to get to the second crossing on the Cedar Lake Line, 21st St. Also referred to as "Hidden Beach" you can get to it by continuing over the tracks on Burnham and taking the first left onto Upton Ave. Take that for 1 block and turn left on 24th Ave. The road will head towards the tracks and curve to the right and stop at a T intersection. Turn left and then take the next left and you will be at the crossing. You can't get to Cedar Lake Jct. unless to head back towards Cedar Lake Pkwy. and go west but you can continue on Thomas Ave. and eventually Kenwood Pkwy to reach the Dunwoody College area and Hennepin Ave.
If you decide not to continue following the Cedar Lake Line, turn left/go west on Cedar Lake Pkwy. This follows Cedar Lake (the actual lake this time) and takes you over the BNSF Wayzata Sub. and to Wayzata Blvd. Turn right at both of the stop signs and continue east on Wayzata Blvd. Just before the stop light for the 394 ramps, turn right into the parking lot and follow it to the back of the building. Cedar Lake Jct. will be below. For a map of the Cedar Lake area, click
here. Zoom in and drag to the right/east.
St Paul Turn
The St. Paul Turn is the easiest train to see. Unless the Glencoe Turn died, the St. Paul Turn crew goes on duty at 0700 at the Hopkins depot, which is located almost underneath the Highway 169 overpass along Excelsior Blvd. It's a good idea to arrive by 0730 because if the crew doesn't have any work to do, they can depart by 0730 and if the BNSF can handle them they won't stop until the Commercial yard. When you first arrive head for the Hopkins depot and look for the power sitting in front. If the power is not there, cross the tracks on 5th Ave.  | The St. Paul Turn switching cars at the FTC
(seen in the distance) to prepare to go east. |
and look to the west, the crew may be blocking their train at the FTC. If the train is no where to be seen, it has either departed already or it has yet to arrive from Glencoe. Keep your radio/scanner on channel 15 (BNSF West Hump) and 90 (TCW #2 Road) and listen for warrants being given or cleared.
If the train needs to be blocked before heading into the Twin Cities, that will be the first thing the crew does. Blocking is done at the For The City (FTC) crossover, located a little under a mile west of the depot. To get to the FTC head west of Excelsior Ave. and turn left of 11th Ave and head south. At the first stop light (5th St. S.) turn right and go about .3 of a mile and you will see Thermotech. Turn left into the parking lot and follow it alongside the building and to the tracks. The parking lot is of course private property so enter at your own risk. You'll go over a speed bump and see the tracks up on an embankment. It's a tough area to shoot in sine tall trees and buildings line both sides creating many shadows.
When eastbound the train is heading geographically northeast and this can be a bit of a problem in the winter months. In the winter you don't have much time in the morning to get the train in really good light which is gone by 0930. After that the train will be backlit/sidelit. Shooting on the north side of the tracks in the morning is almost impossible. I've only done it once just as the sun appeared and it was on June 19th, two days before the summer solstice.
Once everything is in order, the train heads for Cedar Lake Jct. without stopping. Track speed is 25MPH and it can be tough to follow a train because roads don't follow the tracks very well. It's best to get a head start on the train and pick your spots in advance. If you do fall behind the train, you can easily catch up to it once the train slows to 10MPH for the Cedar Lake Line. Rarely does the St. Paul Turn clear its on the Bass Lake Spur over the radio, most crews do it over the phone.
If the St. Paul Turn has over 95-cars (roughly) and the BNSF West Hump dispatcher cannot take them, the train has to stop at Wooddale Ave. because anywhere east of there the train will be blocking crossings. You will hear the crew call the dispatcher shortly after they leave the depot if they are over 95-cars. If the train is between 30-cars and 95-cars, the train will stop at Cedar Lake Pkwy. where there is a distant signal for Cedar Lake Jct. Anything less than 30-cars the train can pull up to the signal at Cedar Lake Jct. These counts are rough numbers as the actual number varies depending on the length of the cars.
The St. Paul Turn arrives back from the Twin Cities anytime in the afternoon. On Weekends it typically arrives earlier than on weekdays, but it's no guarantee. An easy way to catch the St. Paul Turn arriving is to listen to the BNSF West Hump on AAR channel# 15.  | The St. Paul Turn is westbound at Cedar
Lake Jct. and is entering the Cedar Lake Line. |
You will hear the crew clear their warrant once they clear the plant at Cedar Lake Jct. Sometimes you'll hear them get BRT on the Bass Lake Spur, but it's rare. The trip on the Cedar Lake Line takes 15-20 minutes, depending on train length. A good place to see the train westbound is at the Wooddale Ave. crossing because a lot of the time the engines are in full throttle as they just cleared the Cedar Lake Line (10MPH).
You don't have to worry too much about keeping up with the train because it will make at least one stop. If it stops at "The Creek" it is usually just to make a setout or pickup. Not much blocking is done there anymore; it's mostly used for staging cars. Most of the train blocking is done at the For The City crossover (FTC), about two miles west of "The Creek" for the Glencoe Turn. It's named FTC because the city of St. Louis Park paid for the crossover to be put in so the TC&W would switch less and make less noise for its residents.
When westbound, the train is geographically headed southwest so you can shoot from both sides of the track for a lot of the year. The sun switches from the south side to the north side a little after 1600. At 5th Ave. the tracks curve the south a little bit more so you can use that you get better light if you need to.
When the blocking is done for the Glencoe Turn the crew runs light power back to the Hopkins depot. Parking near the depot can be a bit difficult without trespassing. The easiest thing to do is to park in the public parking lot on 5th Ave. on the north side of the tracks and walk down the bike trail. That will get you right next to the depot.
At 1900 the Glencoe Turn takes over the train...
Glencoe Turn
Most the Glencoe Turn's work is done west of Hopkins. The Glencoe Turn is really only shootable during the summer months when the sun is still up past 1900. The train can depart as soon as 1930 if no work needs to be done in Hopkins. However, if any blocking is needed, that usually ruins your chances of chasing it west.
During the summer you also have a chance of shooting in the early morning if the train is a little bit late returning to Hopkins.  | The Glencoe Turn heads west on a sunny
Sunday afternoon through Chanhassen. |
The best way to catch this is to show up early at the Hopkins depot and check if the train is back yet. If not, head west with the scanner on channels 90 and 44. Listening to the FRED channels may help as well.
Sometimes on the weekends the Glencoe Turn crew goes on duty before the St. Paul Turn arrives so they can continue west. This varies from week to week and partially depends on how badly the train needs to be blocked (cars for MPL). This can be a great opportunity to shoot the train leaving Hopkins when it actually happens.
Normal departure time is between 2000 and 2300. Unless the crew has to dogcatch the St. Paul Turn or Ruebel Turn, they usually make it back to Hopkins between 0500 and 0645. If the Glencoe Turn crew dogcatches the St. Paul Turn, a lot of the time they just roll straight through the area without stopping.
NSI Trains
The NSI trains run through the area six-days a week currently. The load comes east on Monday night, Wednesday night and Friday night. The empty goes west in the afternoon on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This is only temporary however and more NSI trains are going to start running in the near future.
 | The first and so far only RailRunner sits at
Cedar Lake Jct. waiting to get on the BNSF. |
The load is one of the most predictable trains that runs through the Hopkins/St. Louis Park area. The load arrives at 0130, give or take an hour. The crew rarely calls the River dispatcher for BRT on the radio but every time I've been listening, they clear their warrant on the radio so that is an easy way to hear them coming. Unless something strange is going on, the load just sails through without stopping. The only chance you have of shooting this is train is if it stops somewhere. If it does stop, it will either be at Cedar Lake Jct. or at the Hopkins depot if a new crew is going to be needed. It's rare, but the load has died in Hopkins making it possible to shoot it that morning when the new crew is on.
Compared to the load, the NSI empty runs at a perfect time but is much less predictable. It's arrival in the area largely depends on how CP's Shoreham Yard is doing that day. The NSI empty can arrive between 1200 and 2000, but on average it arrives around 1630. The NSI Empty and the St. Paul Turn tend to come into Hopkins about the same time. Like the St. Paul Turn, the best strategy is to listen to the BNSF West Hump when they receive and release their warrant. Like the load, the empty goes straight through without stopping.
CP 0630 MNS
The CP 0630 MNS is a Canadian Pacific train and is the only CP train to run on this track.  | The CP 0630 MNS has finished its work in the
Bass Lake Spur and heads south on the MN&S. |
The job goes on duty at CP's Humboldt Yard in north Minneapolis at 0630. Leaving Humboldt around 0730 the train heads for Western Ave. yard where it switches its train and leaves any cars for the Old Terminal Line. After this, the train heads south/east towards St. Louis Park. The train doesn't stop in St. Louis Park everyday, but when it does the train stops north/west of Milwaukee Jct. The MNS arrives in St. Louis Park between 1000 and 1200. Milwaukee Jct. is where the Skunk Hallow switchback connects to the MN&S mainline. The MN&S crosses over the TC&W/CP/Milwaukee Road at MP 429.5.
With any cars for the customers tied on the engines, the train shoves down grade through Skunk Hallow to the Louisiana Ave. crossing where there is a switch to get on the west leg of the switchback that connects to the Bass Lake Spur. The conductor throws the switch and the train pulls forward towards the Bass Lake Spur. The busiest customer is Robert B. Hill Co., located at the back/end of the switchback and receives loads of salt.
The easiest way to find out if the 0630 has any work here is to keep the radio on channel 44. The crew switches to 44 when they stop at Milwaukee Jct. to cut off.  | | The CP 0630 MNS pulls an empty out of EBC. |
You will also hear them call the River Dispatcher for BRT. The train usually arrives between 1000 and 1200, depending on how much switching is needed at Western Ave.
If the train has a car for EBC (centerbeams) in Hopkins, the crew runs around the car(s) in the runaround track in Skunk Hallow to get power on the correct end. This results in the engines being on the west side of the car(s) which makes for bad lighting. If there is an empty to pick up at EBC, the crew shoves it almost three miles to reach the MN&S Connection Switch with the power still on the west end. The train returns from interchanging with the PGR at Nesbitt (Bloomington) about 2 1/2 hours after it goes south, between 1230 and 1530.
Savage Turn
The Savage Turn didn't run more than three times in 2007, but hopefully that number increases in 2008. The purpose behind the Savage Turn is to take loads of grains (grain, corn, soybeans, etc.) south (railroad east) on the MN&S mainline to Savage where it's loaded onto barges and sent south. The Savage Turn is another morning train and is usually on duty at 0530 at the Hopkins depot. This is done so the Savage and St. Paul don't interfere with each other.
It's unfortunate, but you have to show up an hour early (0600) compared to when you show up for the St. Paul Turn. If you show up at the depot you see two sets of power or one engine set to the side,  | The first Savage Turn of the year struggles
upgrade in Skunk Hallow on the east leg. |
there is a chance that there is a Savage Turn running. Seeing four cars (two crews) at the depot is also a good sign. The Glencoe Turn brings in the Savage cars the night before and the Savage Turn has to go tie onto the west of 5th Ave.
When the train is on the move, it heads towards the Skunk Hallow connection switch at MP 429.4. Due to the steepness of the grade on the east leg of the switchback, only about a dozen cars are allowed to go through at once. The train is left on the mainline until all of it is on the MN&S mainline.
Some interesting shots can be had in Skunk Hallow but it can be difficult to get the sun in the early morning during the spring and fall months.
The crew gets their BRT over the phone but the best way to know if one is running is to simply listen to the radio and listen for a crew referring to themselves as "Savage."
The cars are typically emptied the following day and if no loads are going, a light engine is sent to Savage to retrieve the cars. During the summer this is an opportunity to shoot a north/westbound.
The empty is lighter so almost twenty cars (length of the stub) can be handled at a time through Skunk Hallow. The empties are put away in one of the sidings for the St. Paul Turn to take care of later. The crew runs light to the depot and ties up.
Unit Ethanol Trains
The ethanol trains, both load and empty, are the second most unpredictable trains to run on the Bass Lake Spur, bested only by the Unit Coal train. On average a loaded ethanol train runs about once a month with the empty returning 10-12 days later. The ethanol comes from a plant on the MPL in Winthrop and is brought into Hopkins for the BNSF power to take into Minneapolis and interchanged with the BNSF. The trains are 112-cars long and are destined for Watson, CA. If you hear a BNSF engine that is DPU equipped (Dash-9, GEVO, etc.) get a warrant from Harrison St. to Cedar Lake Jct. or vice-versa, it's probably an ethanol train.
 | A Loaded Unit Ethanol train smokes it up at
Wooddale Ave. as it heads for Cedar Lake Jct. |
The Load
Chasing the load train isn't much a problem since it is restricted to 10MPH. The power comes in light from Northtown and goes to "The Creek" where one of three units is dropped off and will later be put on as the DPU. The two remaining units continue west to 5th Ave. to tie onto the train and do the air-test. An easy way to tell if one is running is to go to 5th Ave. and look to the west. If you see a lot of tank cars on the main (south track) there's a good chance one is running that day. After the brakes are released, the engineer usually pulls forward to save the conductor from walking 6800ft. to hang the FRED. Once the FRED is hung, the engineer shoves back. This allows you to easily shoot the train between 5th Ave. and just west of Excelsior Ave. and also allows you to get a few extra shots since you have three chances to shoot it here. When the air-test is done, the train train pulls up to Wooddale Ave. so the hind end is clear of the switch at "The Creek." The DPU is added is away they go to Minneapolis where they change crews.
The Empty
The empty doesn't always come in with BNSF. If the train is to arrive on a Saturday, it will probably be setout at the Bluff by the BNSF for the TC&W to pick up on Sunday. Much like the load, if you hear BNSF power clear a warrant at Cedar Lake Jct., there is a good chance it's coming.
Whenever the empty does arrive, it's a pretty simple operation. No DPU is used so all that's done is the train pulls in from Cedar Lake Jct. and puts the train away in "The Creek." Power goes back light to Northtown.
Unit DDG Trains
 | Loaded Unit DDG train passes the remnants of
Bass Lake Yard on its way to the UP's Belt Yard. |
Unit DDG trains run slightly more than the ethanol trains; about once every three weeks. DDG, or Dried Distilled Grain, is a byproduct from the production of ethanol and it comes from the same plant in Winthrop that the ethanol does. The trains go to Bliss, Idaho with the empty returning about two weeks later. If you hear a warrant being given to a UP unit to or from Cedar Lake Jct., it's practically guaranteed that it's a DDG train.
The Load
The load has a very simple operation and is also easy to chase because of the 10 MPH restriction on six-axle power. The power comes in light from East Minneapolis Yard and ties onto the train sitting west of the 5th Ave. crossing. Like the ethanol, an easy way to tell if one is running that day is to go to 5th Ave. and if there is a long string of DDG cars (white TILX covered hoppers) there is one running. The power for the load usually arrives early to mid morning. Again, like the ethanol train, the engineer pulls ahead so the conductor can hang the FRED and then shoves back and then the air-test is performed. Once the air-test is complete the train heads east to Cedar Lake Jct. and ultimately the UP's Belt Yard.
The Empty
The empty isn't as predictable as the load, but it's not bad. The crew usually goes on duty in the morning but doesn't arrive till the late morning because they have to take it from the Belt Yard in St. Paul to Hopkins. Whenever the empty does arrive, it's a pretty simple operation. All that's done is the train pulls in from Cedar Lake Jct. and puts the train away in "The Creek." Power goes back light to East Minneapolis.
Unit Coal
 | | Waiting to shove back into "The Creek." |
The unit coal train is somewhat of a seasonal train. It runs all year except for the spring and early summer, or whenever the Southern Minnesota Beets Sugar Cooperative needs it. The train runs once every 10-15 days can come at any time of the day. It's common to run at night however.
A TC&W crew gets on the train at Harrison St. and heads for Cedar Lake Jct. and ultimately Hopkins. Exactly like the empty ethanol, the train is shoved in at "The Creek." Again, the train is restricted to 10 MPH because of the six-axle power. The power goes back light to Northtown. Maybe some day the power will go west on the TC&W.
< Glencoe - TC&W in the Twin Cities - NSI Load - Ruebel Turn - Utility Job
Glencoe Turn - St. Paul Turn - NSI Empty - Savage Turn - Unit Ethanol - Unit Coal - DDG Trains >
Hopefully this is of some use to you. If you have any questions, or want to know when the next extra(s) are running send me an email. I If you find any errors (grammatical or information) or if you have something you'd like to see added,
send me an e-mail and I'll get back to you. Thanks for reading.
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