Spring 1998 Issue

IN EVERY ISSUE

Soo News
WC News
Editor's Report
Executive Report
Gallery
Rip Track
Letters
Transfer Table
Less-Than-Carload

STAFF

Editor
Rick Johnson

Associate Editor
Ken Soroos

Associate Editor/Soo News
Jason Korth

Soo News
tom Mastoras

Wiconsin Central News
Galen Fromm

Modeling Editor
Chuck Derus

Contributing Editors
Andy Roth, Guy Kieckhefer, Doug Fleming

Editorial Consultants
Jack Witmer, Gregg Condon

Technical Consultants
Stuart J. Nelson, Wallace W. Abbey

Commercial Accounts
Joe Lallensack

Advertising Manager
Burnell Breaker

Back Issues
John Strenski

Spring 1998 Issue Hightlights

Wisconsin Central's "P" Line

A self-guided tour of the Portage branch

by Mike Harrington

Nov. 9, 1945: The war in Europe has been over for six months. In the Pacific, VE is three months past, and so is the life of the former Wisconsin Central line between Stevens Point and Portage in central Wisconsin. The railroad had petitioned for abandonment in November 1943, but the Interstate Commerce Commission considered the protests of on-line shippers and the need to move war supplies-food in this case-and set a date of six months after war's end for terminating the route.

The "P" line, as it was called, came into existence as a compromise between the various predecessor lines to the original Wisconsin Central and the state legislature. The railroad's goal was the available land grants in the northern pineries of Wisconsin; however, these grants were contingent upon the construction of a line from Stevens Point south to Portage. In 1875, an agreement was reached for such a line via the shortest route feasible.

Work began on Oct. 15, 1875. Track reached Hancock, milepost 27, before winter stopped progress. Work resumed in the spring and the 71 miles were completed on Oct. 13, 1876. (Initially this line did not include the 7-mile branch to Montello built in 1882 and later considered part of the "P" Line.) Although the line during its heyday had several daily trains, including passenger service, it was a heavy loser in its last years. Only a southbound freight operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with the northbound running on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. No passenger cars were hauled during the line's final three years. In 1946, the line was visited by the salvage train, rail was pulled, buildings sold or demolished, and the right-of-way claimed or abandoned. With the "rails-to-trails" program years into the future, this once active route was destined to be erased.

On its final run, Thursday, Nov. 9, the train arrived late into Stevens Point. It consisted of a locomotive pulling 35 freight cars and a caboose. The engineer was Garrett Marshall of Stevens Point with Fred Stassell, also of Stevens Point, firing. The conductor was Oscar Mellin of Fond du Lac, and the brakemen were Jim Nienhaus, Stevens Point, and Robert Lepinski, Fond du Lac. Riding this last run were two railfan passengers, Al Brei of Madison and Walter Bubbert of Milwaukee. Mr. Bubbert asserted in the Stevens Point Daily Journal of Nov. 10, 1946, that he had the conductor certify that his was the last ticket purchased on the "P" Line. On Aug. 11, 1946, Mr. Bubbert organized and led a bus trip along the now-abandoned and partially salvaged right-of-way. At that time the work train was at Plainfield. His descriptions of the various stations dealt mainly with what was located at each former stop, with very little about what railway structures remained. With the 1998 SLHTS convention scheduled for Stevens Point, a self-guided tour of the old "P" Line might be of interest to attendees who are traveling U.S. Highway 51 which in some places also doubles as Interstate 39.

A comprehensive look at Soo Line's SD40-2s

By Guy N. Kieckhefer and Jason A. Korth

EMD's SD40–2, successor to the SD40, was the locomotive of choice for many railroads including the Soo Line, and remains a favorite to this day by parent Canadian Pacific. In this installment we feature Soo's all-time SD40-2 roster, from the earliest units delivered in 1972, to the influx and retirement of the Milwaukee Road units, and finally close this series by examining the changes to the fleet and the slow integration of the original Soo units into the Canadian Pacific Railway

Initially, the Soo Line had been relatively slow in ordering SD40s, receiving 10 units in 1969 followed by just four in 1970 and seven in 1971 for a total of 21 units. Continuing its practice of purchasing a moderate number of locomotives for nearly every year of the duration that a model was offered (actually, in 9 out of the 13 years that the SD40–2 was offered), the Soo Line purchased a total of 57 newly built units.

The first order, built in March 1972, consisted of five units numbered 757–761. Like their SD40 predecessors, the first five SD40–2s were equipped with small, 3200-gallon fuel tanks, extra cab side windows, electronic bells, and the standard Soo options of the day, such as winterization hatches, strobes, all-weather cab windows, and small plows. Again, like the SD40s, all five units were delivered in the original red-and-white paint scheme first adopted in 1962.

The next two orders, 762–766, built in January 1973 and 767–774, built in November 1973, were nearly identical to the first in accessories, except a different style of electronic bell was applied to the cab-roof slope on the fireman's side. Once again, both of these orders were delivered in the then-standard 1962 original red-and-white paint scheme. Units 762–766 had cab vents located just to the right of the cab road number on the engineer's side. Due to a change in the location of this vent on the third order, units 767–774 had their road numbers applied near the bottom of the cab walls.

The Soo's fourth-and largest-SD40–2 order, built in October 1974, consisted of 12 units numbered 775–786. All twelve were delivered sporting the new, reflective parallelogram-shaped 3M pressure-sensitive adhesive herald applied on the sides of the long hood that was first applied to several repainted U30Cs earlier that year. Noticeably absent upon delivery was the usual road number on the cab and soo line spelled out on the nose. The new location for the road number was on the end of the long hood, resting just above the walkway where it was difficult to spot, especially with a pile of snow in the way. The railroad quickly resolved this problem by adding another road number in the standard cab location. Other changes that appeared with the new paint scheme included an all-white long hood end and a revision to the radius and angle of the red/white separation stretching from the frame to the cab roof. Starting with this order, the Soo finally got over its experimentation with electronic bells and opted for the more reliable frame-mounted equipment. All other details remained the same as on the three previous orders, except for the cab vent, which shifted once again, this time to the extreme left edge of the cab side.

The last SD40–2s to appear in the 700-series, 787–789 were built one year later in October 1975. With this order, the Soo reverted to the 1962 paint scheme that adorned all red-and-white units prior to the 1974 introduction of the parallelogram-shaped herald which didn't prove itself durable enough under normal operating conditions. No major detail changes appeared on these last three units from the previous order, and four more years would pass before the Soo received its next delivery of SD40–2s.

The 1980s ushered in a refined SD40–2 model, along with changes to the paint and numbering schemes, and accessories specified by the railroad. In 1977 and 1978, ten GP38–2s were delivered and numbered 790-799. With the 700-series now filled and additional SD40–2 and GP38–2 orders on the horizon, the company decided to adopt a new numbering system for its future orders. In December 1979, the Soo took delivery of two SD40–2s numbered, 6600 and 6601. These two units were ordered as replacements for SD40 736 and SD40–2 766 after both were destroyed in a wreck at Malacca, Mich., in January of that year. On Jan. 1, 1980 federal regulations requiring newly-built locomotives to be equipped with noise abatement equipment went into effect. Built just before this date, Soo 6600 and 6601 were equipped with the soon-to-be standard exhaust silencer, but lacked the "Q" (quiet) radiator fans which were part of the EMD noise-reduction package. There were other significant differences between these new units and previous arrivals that reflected the gradual evolution of the SD40–2 during the four-year absence of Soo Line orders. Included in these production refinements was a longer 88-inch (instead of 81) short hood with a brakewheel instead of lever, corrugated radiator screens, pilot-mounted MU receptacles, and a thin pilot anticlimber. Among the changes in accessories specified by the Soo at this time were a larger, "SP"-style pilot plow and the standard cab-window arrangement. These two SD40–2s were the first such units delivered in a new variation of the red, white and black livery, dubbed the "hockey stick" scheme, which consisted of the red-and-white cab separation that first appeared on the repainted U30Cs and SD40–2s delivered in 1974, while retaining the other features from the original 1962 scheme, such as the red hood end, large black "SOO" letters and the soo line lettering on the nose.

The next twelve units (6602–6613) arrived in May 1980 on two separate orders and were identical to the December 1989 delivery, except for the addition of Q radiator fans to complement the exhaust silencers, and to comply with the FRA noise regulations now in effect. In March 1981, three additional units (6614–6616) arrived on Soo property that were identical to the 1980-built units, except these were ballasted to over 390,000 pounds, which restricted them from operating on some lines due to bridge restrictions.

The year 1982 was not kind to Soo's motive power department. SD40–2 6600 was wrecked in a head-on collision with GP38–2 4408 at Gilchrist, Mich., in July of that year. Both units were retired and left the roster. Two months later on Sept. 18, SOO 782 and 6605 were destroyed in a wreck at Marine, Minn. The 782 just happened to be out breaking in its freshly-applied hockey-stick paint scheme for the first time when the unfortunate wreck occurred. As a partial replacement for the loss of the 6600, EMD quickly supplied the Soo with a single SD40–2, the 6617, in April of the following year. Details unique to the 6617 when delivered included a horn mounted in the new location on top of the cab roof, instead of on the roof slope above the engineer (which had been a standard Soo Line practice for the previous two decades), and a toilet hatch mounted atop the nose-the only SD40–2 so equipped. This unit was also built with the new free-flow "laundry chute" blower housing and straight side sills which lacked the tapers around the fuel tank area. It was also the first unit delivered to the Soo with the larger, 4000-gallon fuel tank.

The final SD40–2 order consisted of six units (6618–6623) built in July 1984. Trade-in for these units included the remains of SD40–2s 782 and 6605, as well as the remaining U30Cs still on the property. Like the 6617, they were all equipped with the new blower housing, thin side sill, 4000-gallon fuel tank, and horns mounted in the new location. Unlike 6617 however, they lacked the toilet hatch. These six units are noteworthy since they were the last SD40–2s produced and delivered in the U.S. GMD continued to produce SD40–2s (and later SD40–2Fs) in Canada until 1988.

Oddly enough, the Soo received some of the earliest SD40–2s built (757–761 in March 1972) and the last domestic SD40–2s built (6618–6623 in July 1984). Following past Soo Line practice, none of the original 57 SD40–2s purchased new were delivered with dynamic brakes.

Additional SD40–2s operated on the Soo under short-term leases throughout the 1990s, from lessors such as National Railway Equipment, GATX, EMD and Helm Leasing, with the latter three owning many of the former Milwaukee Road units that left the roster less than a decade earlier. In 1991, the great flood of CP Rail SD40–2s began to stream across the Portal and Noyes gateways in growing numbers, joining their Soo Line brethren in run-through service as far east as St. Paul. By 1993, the CP units were covering the entire system regularly in all types of service as the identity of the Soo units began to fade. Although temporarily spared, all of the Soo's SD40s and SD40–2s will ultimately be repainted in the coming years. However, with no renumbering planned for these units, they should remain easy to spot as they continue to roll off miles for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The many faces of Stevens Point

Part I: From Wisconsin Central to Soo Line and back again

By Andrew Roth

The City of Stevens Point was associated with the original Wisconsin Central from the start of that railroad's existence. In fact, Stevens Point contributed toward the construction of the railroad. One of the original WC directors and a Stevens Point resident, Matthew Wadleigh, was a main driving force in the city and for the railroad.

With a population of 1,800, Stevens Point was already a developed city when talk began of building a railroad in the area around the late 1860s. The creation of Stevens Point and its economic livelihood was, and still is, connected to the lumber industry. The City subscribed $30,000 to help finance the railroad's construction starting about 1870 and also bought and donated land in town to the railroad. When city leaders drafted the contract to contribute funds and donate land to the railroad, they included a clause that specified that the railroad's shop complex would forever remain in Stevens Point. However, some of the railroad financiers deleted this condition without the City realizing it when the final contract was executed. The City did not discover this contract change until 1886.

Construction of the railroad facilities at Stevens Point began in 1871; construction of the original ten-stall roundhouse began in the fall of that year and was completed in May 1872. Six of its stalls still serve the railroad today, which translates to 126 years of continuous service-and counting! As built, the roundhouse had an iron truss roof with slate shingles, iron service doors, stone walls and a pit and stack hood for each 67-foot-long engine stall. A 60-foot-long turntable was built to serve the roundhouse.

The first train rolled into Stevens Point on Nov. 15, 1871. "The whole city was out in great numbers to welcome the first locomotive ever seen here," wrote Caleb Swayze, the editor of a local newspaper. The residents of Stevens Point had good reason to celebrate. The railroad's rates were half of what the drayage companies had been charging. Further, passenger trains cut the travel time between Stevens Point and Menasha from an 18-hour stagecoach ride to only four hours.

Construction of the railroad west of Stevens Point began on March 18, 1872, and the railroad was completed to Ashland on June 2, 1877. During the same five-year period, the railroad also expanded southward. Construction began in town for a line to Portage, in central Wisconsin, on Oct. 15, 1875, and was completed by October 1876. With the completion of these projects, Stevens Point became an important junction point on the WC. Initially, one passenger train and one freight train operated each way on the main line through "Point." Two mixed trains ran each way on the Portage line, connecting with mainline trains at Point. From 1872 until 1887, Stevens Point had the only shops and one of the few yards on the entire railroad.

The First "Shops"

The main locomotive machine and car shop building at Stevens Point was completed in 1876. Work had begun in 1873 but the building's construction was halted later that same year account of a financial downturn that was affecting businesses throughout the country. During the slack, WC set up a temporary machine and blacksmith shop in a wood building just north of the unfinished masonry shop building. The local newspaper reported on Oct. 20, 1873, that the WC employed 20 mechanics at the shops.

The railroad shop facilities at Stevens Point played an important role in the first 30 years of the WC. From late 1871 through September 1887 Point was the only place on the railroad to repair and rebuild locomotives, and from 1871 through August 1901 the car shop was also the main facility for repairing, rebuilding, painting and building new rolling stock. The car shop built over 560 freight and passenger cars and work equipment, and the number of cars rebuilt and repaired at the early facilities are far to high to count. The railroad's policy of building its own equipment-a policy dating from 1876-continued for just over a century, ending in November 1976 with the completion of 100 refrigerator cars at the North fond du Lac shops.

Home | News | Archives | Events | Publications | Models | Contact | Links | Search
All content ©2010 Soo Line Historical and Technical Society
Last update: January 7, 2010

Visit our Online Store Now Accepts Credit Cards

Direct any questions about this website's content or function to the webmaster.