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Winter 2001 Issue IN EVERY ISSUE Soo News STAFF Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor/Soo News Soo News Wiconsin Central News Modeling Editor Contributing Editors Editorial Consultants Technical Consultants Commercial Accounts Advertising Manager Back Issues
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Winter 2001 Issue Hightlights |
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The survival of Soo 2-8-0 2425This steam locomotive faces an uncertain futureby Gerald OlsonLocated in the city park in Enderlin, North Dakota, Soo Line 2-8-0 no. 2425, a class F-21 locomotive built in 1909, is patiently waiting for someone to save her from a slow death. The locomotive has been on display since 1955, but her upkeep has become somewhat of a problem in recent years. The current 2425 was originally So 475 class F-10, built October 1909 by Schenectady Works of American Locomotive Company, part of an order of six numbered 473-478. In March 1910, the same builder built four locomotives for the WC numbered 2424-2428. The Soo and WC swapped these locomotives: the original Soo 475-478 becoming WC 2425-2428, classed as F-21. The new WC locomotives became Soo 475-478, classed F-11. A similar swap was made with four light Pacifics of each road. The F-10 and F-21 locomotives were distinguished from the very similar, and most common Soo 2-8-0s, F-9s (445-472, built in 1905-06) mainly by their Walschaert valve gear. These 2-8-0s were all built as compounds, but were later changed to simple and had superheaters applied. No. 2425 has 63" drivers and measures 65'-812" long. The locomotive was donated to the town of Enderlin, No. Dak. in July 1955. The Soo Line and Wisconsin Central rostered more 2-8-0s than any other steam locomotive wheel arrangement. Three other Soo system 2-8-0s are on public display. They are Soo F-8 no. 440 (built in 1903) at Harvey, No. Dak., Soo F-9 no. 451 (built in 1905) at New Town, No. Dak. and W.C. no. 2442 (built in 1911 and recently renovated) at Marshfield, Wis. Modelers may be interested to know that Enderlin's no. 2425 provided the measurements and detail photographs that allowed W&R Models to develop and import its beautiful HO brass models of Soo no. 473 and W.C. no. 2427. |
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Life along the tracksIntrospective on depot life as a parent, as well as a childAs told by the parent By Phillip HalvorsenI was an operator on the Soo Line in 1955, when we moved to Palisade, Minnesota, (see map on page 31) mainly to be closer to our families. With the savings of living rent-free in the depot, we could get along without many modern-day conveniences. With coal stoves in both the depot office and waiting room, the upstairs living quarters required very little heat, so it was economical in that way as well. The living quarters in the Palisade depot had been remodeled and consisted of four rooms: two bedrooms, living room, and a combination kitchen-dining room. I think most agents did some remodeling of the living quarters to suit their needs. The local freight, no. 162, arrived at Palisade approximately 3:00 to 3:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, requiring a caretaker to be on duty. My wife, Gladys, was the caretaker, but I handled the job. Such a setup was common along the line. This was an easy and welcome small addition to our income. Living in the depot put you close to your job, and there certainly was no excuse for your ever being late for work! On most wash days, clothes were hung outside to dry and, when the engine crew of the passenger trains no. 64 and 65 saw clothes hanging outside, they took it easy on stoking the firebox of the engine so the clothes wouldn't get dirty from coal smoke. When the weather didn't permit hanging the wash outside, clotheslines were strung in the waiting room after working hours and the wash was hung inside to dry overnight. We had ample space by the depot for a nice yard with playground equipment and a sandbox for our young boys, as well as flower and vegetable gardens. We certainly enjoyed living in the depot and have many fond memories of it. Our family was close together at all times. From a child's point of view by Jerry HalvorsenFor the first seven years of my life (1955-1962), I lived in the Soo Line Depot in Palisade, a very small village (population 150) in the north-central part of Minnesota, where my dad was the depot agent. Nowadays that's called nostalgia and people ask you to talk or write about your experiences. Back then it was just home. The best part of living above a depot was, of course, the trains and, even more so, the people who worked for the railroad. My first adult friends were connected with the train crews that came through town. Harry, my favorite brakeman on the passenger train, Carl and Rhiney (I'm still not sure if that's his real name) from the section crew, and Tony the postman. Although he didn't work for the railroad, Tony came to meet the train everyday and pick up the mail. Just before arrival, I used to hop in his cart for a quick ride up and down the platform. My younger brother, Jeff, joined me as soon as he could sit up in the cart. That was fun! The most important railroad people were related to me. Besides my father, my grandfather and one of my uncles (Mom's sister's husband, who is the father of the cousin who talked me into writing this article) worked for the Soo Line. Another uncle, my father's younger brother, went to work for the Great Northern (at the time). My happiest railroad memories were the days I spent with the section crew riding with my grandfather in the "speeder." Less than five minutes after leaving the depot we'd cross the Mississippi River over a railroad bridge that looked to be a hundred feet high, but was probably less than thirty. Still, it was exciting to go above the water in the open car. I was always a little scared but Grandpa would hold on and laugh and soon we'd be on the other side. |
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Gonvick, MinnesotaThis small town on the Plummer line has its roots deep in Soo Line history.By Myra Hess Edevold and Darlene Clemenson-SawyerMany of the immigrants who settled in the Gonvick, Minnesota, area were of Scandinavian and German heritage. According to historians, there were several reasons why these immigrants left their homelands to come to an unknown region in the middle of the United States. Many of them were seeking religious freedom, many were seeking economic freedom, many were seeking a new life because, in the area where they came from, conditions were overcrowded and a solution had to be found. When news of the opportunities in America spread to these Northern European communities, they prepared to leave for America. The northern part of Minnesota, which includes Clearwater County, has a rich history. As a former part of Lake Agassiz, it was a vast network of lakes and woods. The fresh lakes and rivers in this area were especially attractive to the Chippewa, who noted the unusual clearness of the water." "'Minnesota' is a Sioux word. When an early missionary to the Sioux asked for an explanation of the word, an Indian woman would pour a few drops of milk into a bowl of water. This whitish liquid she called 'Min-ne-sota'-or water with clouds in it." "The great opening of the North Country came with the advent of the lumbering companies. Also, many of the immigrants were looking for their free land. The general objective of the people so engaged was to establish residence and make at least minor improvements on a portion of land, then make formal filing of homestead entry at the U.S. Land Office in Crookston." Gonvick was formerly a part of Beltrami County. "Many settlers felt that Beltrami County was too large with over 150 townships, and that it was too great a distance to Bemidji-the county seat. On February 21,1902, a county convention was held in the Bagley village hall to consider the proposed division. Rivers were important to the survival of the immigrants, so it was no accident that Gonvick's first settlement was established near the Lost River which flows through the perimeters of the village today. This first settlement was called Wildwood. In 1896, P. A. Monsrud established a homestead overlooking the Lost River and built a sawmill adjacent to the river. This sawmill provided a local outlet for the crop of native timber, which was abundant. The sawmill furnished materials for the construction of many of the area buildings, and was also used as a means of exchange for the settlers. In addition, the sawmill employed both settlers and workmen. Output of the mill would be difficult to estimate, although it is known to have run into millions of feet during its period of operation. The plant closed down about 1920 when logs and heavy timber were no longer available in sufficient quantity to warrant further operation. Gonvick establishedThe village of Gonvick, Minnesota, was formally established in 1910, when the Soo Line Railroad was built. The village was to be named Wildwood such as the small settlement nearby on the banks of the Lost River. A postal application was made to the U.S. Postal Department in Washington, D.C., in order to get a post office in connection with the grocery store. In the return communication, it was pointed out that Wildwood was a common postal name and that another name should be selected. Evidently the railroad had already chosen a name for the town because on May 23, 19l0 the chief engineer wrote to R. E. Kirk, resident engineer, at Gonvick P. O., regarding the staking out of the townsite of Diketon. Mr. Kirk completed the plat map and on July 7,1910 the chief engineer informed M. H. Killen of the Land Department: "I send you herewith the plat staked out by the engineer of the townsite of Diketon, which I understand now has been changed to Gonvick." Gonvick was named after one of the early settlers of the area, Emma Gonvick (Martin Gonvick, Knut Petter Olsen Gonvick). Gonvick became a village within the Pine Lake township, which had been organized in 1898. After 1910, the village of Gonvick grew quite rapidly. This was an exciting time for the settlers because there was so much activity. The newspaper, the Gonvick Banner, was established in July 1911 and, from this point on, we are able to document most of the history of Gonvick by using newspaper accounts of the events. |
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Soo F-unitson the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroadby Steve GlischinskiOn March 10, 1980, E&LS had taken over the Milwaukee Road lines from Green Bay north to Channing and Ontonagon, a distance of 210 miles. At Channing, these lines connected with the original E&LS 63-mile main line from Escanaba (actually Wells, a small town adjacent to "Esky"). When E&LS acquired the Milwaukee lines, the railroad leased a variety of motive power, mainly from the neighboring ore carrier Lake Superior & Ishpeming and the Milwaukee Road. LS&I supplied six Alcos and a GE U23C, while the Milwaukee leased E&LS a pair of U30Cs and a handful of tired F-units; the latter had been the mainstay on that part of the railroad for years. By spring, LS&I had recalled most of their units, and the railroad was on the lookout for more power. At that time a recession had led to large numbers of units going into storage on many larger railroads. Larkin, who was originally from Minneapolis, knew of the Soo's reputation for excellent motive power maintenance, and arranged for the lease of four Soo F7As, 2225A, 2225B, 212B, and 213A, beginning in May 1980. I arrived at Channing in June 1980 to begin my railroad depot agent "training" which, on the E&LS, was much different from other railroads. In addition to doing paperwork and calling crews, I was to fuel power, move locomotives, switch cars, drive crews to trains, and occasionally bring trains into the yard which had "died" out on the road. Naturally, being a big F-unit fan, I was delighted the Soo units were around, since most of Soo's other Fs at that time were either stored or had been traded in to EMD for new GP38-2s. They proved to be reliable power for the E&LS, spending most of their time on the road and very little in the shop, unlike the LS&I power. By this time, all of the Milwaukee Road Fs had been returned, save one: F7A 117C. The "Charlie" as we called her for her "C" designation, proved to be a reliable unit and was the last Milwaukee F-unit to see revenue service. E&LS provided photographers such as myself the rare opportunity to see Soo and Milwaukee Road F-units teamed up together, which was a rare sight indeed. One of my favorite Soo F stories involved a night run from Channing to Ontonagon with a pair of the units. After putting the crew to work, the train departed Channing around 9:30 p.m. Immediately after departure, the engineer decided it was time to catch some shut-eye, and let the conductor run the train (top speed on the Channing-Ontonagon line at the time was 10 mph so there was little danger involved). The conductor was inexperienced in running diesels, and accidentally hit a switch which killed the engine in the second unit. Unfortunately, the second unit's batteries were dead, and it couldn't be restarted without a "jump" from the lead unit. I got a sheepish radio call from the crew asking if I could drive out with some jumper cables from the roundhouse. |
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 Back cover: H-3 4-6-2 no. 734 was photographed at N. Fond du Lac in November 1954, only a few months before the total dieselization of the Soo Line and Wisconsin Central-John Szwajkart photo. |
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