https://www.twinportsrailhistory.com/home daily 1.0 2024-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/dd56f03f-6b6a-4bf9-8b74-1d80a90c9c55/DWP+D-301+RDC+Duluth+MN+7-24-59+%C2%A9+All+Rights+Reserved.jpg Home - Make it stand out Chapter 7 talks about the bridge lines that came into Duluth, most notable among them was the Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific that had freight facilities in West Duluth and shared use of the Omaha’s downtown Duluth passenger station; shown. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/d8732bc9-a2ff-487a-9cb0-7266e90ca3de/NP+ALCO+S6+750+Duluth+MN+July+1961+%C2%A9+All+Rights+Reserved.jpg Home - Make it stand out Our book starts out with an introduction called: Before the Railroads 1856-1868. It tells the tale of how just how rough things were here before the coming of the railroads. Eventually, Northern Pacific would become THE major railroad on the Minnesota side of the St. Louis River. Chapters 1 and 2 in our book detail the evolution of the Northern Pacific that was first into Superior. Then with its acquisition of Duluth’s pioneer railroads, the Lake Superior & Mississippi and and St. Paul & Duluth, the NP’s dominance spread throughout Duluth and West Duluth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/799bd9f4-af3f-4e8b-b919-b3f6cc735689/Eastern+2-6-0+204+Superior+WI+%C2%A9+2024+All+Rights+Reserved.jpg Home - Make it stand out James J. Hill’s Eastern Railway Company of Minnesota was the early builder of the Great Northern’s massive presence in Superior, WI. It was Hill’s plan to dominate the Wisconsin side of the St. Louis River as much as the NP controlled the Minnesota side. This view shows locomotive 204 on the turntable at the Eastern’s first roundhouse along Winter Street in Superior. Later, they constructed a much larger roundhouse along Belknap Street, some of which remains in use today by BNSF Railway. Our Chapter 5 covers the Great Northern along with its predecessors Eastern Railway Company of Minnesota and the Duluth & Winnipeg. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/68ea40b9-ca2e-4b2b-9927-6f040396589b/BN+Roundhouse+Superior+WI+08-19-79+%C2%A9+All+Rights+Reserved.jpg Home - Make it stand out Our Epilogue is called Consolidation and Beyond. It covers the period 1970-2024 beginning with the creation of Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970. When BN was created, in the Twin Ports it combined the GN, NP, and eventually took control of the LST&T Railway as well. This image shows the former GN roundhouse near the west end of Superior’s Belknap Street overpass. Only a small portion of this facility remains today. Our epilogue also includes short stories about the balance of Twin Ports railroad consolidations, followed by the Appendix that includes a series of colorful Duluth-Superior Development Maps along with an accounting of all the Historic Railroad-Owned Yards, Docks & Freight Stations. There was a time when the rail yards here could handle 37,500 freight cars and we’ve identified each yard by name, purpose, car capacity, and railroad ownership for the year 1930. Long live the railroads and the railroaders that made all of this happen in the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/9f041d30-5720-47a9-8382-16f3890af7e2/08-01-2024+Twin+Ports+Trains+Book+Launch+in+Duluth%2C+Minnesota+C.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/372c273f-7f50-4c1d-a749-54cf92681cf8/DM%26IR+506+Proctor+MN+from+the+book+Twin+Ports+Trains+%C2%A9+2024+All+Rights+Reserved.jpg Home - Make it stand out The Missabe Road’s dominance of the iron ore business coming from the Vermillion and Mesabi Iron Ranges was an impressive accomplishment. Chapter 4 in our book covers the D&IR, DM&N and the DM&IR. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/e8ce2673-f3af-4c9f-a07e-71415ba2f183/Milw+Road+2066+on+Duluth+Transfer+Railway+1980s+%C2%A9+All+Rights+Reserved.jpg Home - Make it stand out Chapter 7 also includes the Milwaukee Road that began operating over the NP’s right of way from St. Paul to Duluth in 1900. When NP began retiring some of its line into the Twin Ports, the Milwaukee got bounced around pretty good. This shot shows the daily train from St. Paul passing the NP freight house at 27th Avenue West in Duluth while plying the rails of what used to be known as the Duluth Transfer Railway (DT). The DT was part of the NP, later BN, and later still, BNSF Railway. Today, the DT is a hyper-important rail line. It’s the only direct rail connection remaining between Superior and Duluth and is used by every railroad in the area to move trains between the two cities and across the St. Louis River via the Grassy Point Draw Bridge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/39660669-bf34-4b32-b5a8-49558f2de0f0/Cliffs+Victory+at+GN+Ore+Docks+1961+%C2%A9+All+Rights+Reserved.jpg Home - Make it stand out Chapter 9 is entitled Interfacing with Industry and explains how the railroads worked together to serve the needs of almost 500 railroad served businesses scattered throughout Duluth, West Duluth, Steelton, and Superior. Here, the Cliffs Victory takes on a load of iron ore at Great Northern Dock 2 in 1961. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/7fb0fbb9-4946-414e-b0c9-4fed1edb42d3/08-01-2024+Twin+Ports+Trains+Book+Launch+in+Duluth%2C+Minnesota+B.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/c15eb117-02c2-4028-8e0e-c8b1a3fb177a/Railway+Express+Agency+Duluth+MN+March+1961+%C2%A9+All+Rights+Reserved.jpg Home - Make it stand out Chapter 8 covers a variety of switching and terminal railroads including the Lake Superior Terminal & Transfer Railway, the Duluth Transfer Railway, Duluth Union Depot & Transfer Company, and the Northwestern Coal Railway. This view shows a forgotten portion of the Duluth Union Depot. For many years the Railway Express Agency maintained a freight express office at the west end of the depot with a freight elevator to the train concourse. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/bb16f707-7853-4bf6-80f0-d58b3a5e9455/Soo+714+at+Superior+WI+%C2%A9+All+Rights+Reserved.jpg Home - Make it stand out Chapter 6 discusses the coming of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic, the Wisconsin Central, and the Soo Line. Last to enter Duluth, the Soo Line paid dearly for that opportunity, and our story details what it took for them to build a rail line and their own Union Station in the heart of Duluth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/8b0c951b-a5b1-4d2b-a545-ee3ac8043902/08-01-2024+Twin+Ports+Trains+Book+Launch+in+Duluth%2C+Minnesota+D.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/88d1f8dd-965c-43be-bc5c-b159120b94fe/08-01-2024+Twin+Ports+Trains+Book+Launch+in+Duluth%2C+Minnesota+0A.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/4c88bf22-b866-4d77-abdf-9385aa94b687/08-01-2024+Twin+Ports+Trains+Book+Launch+in+Duluth%2C+Minnesota+A.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845d7db725e25b8059e341c/29c31ef8-d51f-467a-baa1-126328216be0/C%26NW+1526+and+BU-1+Itasca+WI+09-30-1978+%C2%A9+All+Rights+Reserved.jpg Home - Make it stand out The second railroad into Superior was the C.St.P.M.&O.—known affectionately as the Omaha. The Omaha’s main facility was built on the eastern outskirts of Superior at a place called Itasca. 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