[Magdalen] Railroads

[Joseph Cirou]

-----Original Message-----
>From: Lynn Ronkainen <houstonklr at gmail.com>
>Sent: May 30, 2016 3:42 PM
>To: magdalen at herberthouse.org
>Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Railroads
>
>My grandad in MN was a lifer with the railroad. Not sure which line. He retired in the late 50s
>Lynn
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>
>Sent from my iPhone
>
>On May 30, 2016, at 2:02 PM, Joseph Cirou <romanos at mindspring.com> wrote:
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>-----Original Message-----
>> From: Cantor03--- via Magdalen <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
>> Sent: May 30, 2016 12:46 PM
>> To: magdalen at herberthouse.org
>> Cc: Cantor03 at aol.com
>> Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Railroads
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> In a message dated 5/30/2016 11:51:09 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
>> polycarpa3 at ckt.net writes:
>> 
>> Ditto  for my home town, with later dates.
>> 
>> More railroad stuff:
>> 
>> In, say, 1950, there were no less than four passenger train routes
>> from the Twin Cities of MN to the Twin Ports (DuluthMN/SuperiorWI)
>> Now there is one route (as near as I can determine) provided by
>> Amtrak..
>> 
>> The original four were:
>> 
>> (1) The Great Northern with a route entirely within MN, and the furthest  
>> west
>> of the series.  This is the route Amtrak uses.
>> 
>> (2) The Northern Pacific, with a route hugging the MN-WI line and  
>> essentially
>> replaced by I-35.  Portions of this route are still used by small,  regional
>> railroads, and part of it is public trails.  My hometown spur  connected to
>> this route at Rush City, MN.
>> 
>> (3 The Soo Line with a route  mostly in Wisconsin, and the one that we  
>> always
>> used.  A chunk of this is still used by an excursion ;private railway  from
>> Osceola, WI to Minneapolis.  The rest is abandoned with some of it  trails.
>> 
>> (4) The Omaha Road (C&NW) with a route far to the east nearly  completely
>> within Wisconsin.  Much of this trackage is abandoned, with some use  as
>> public trails.
>> 
>> What I wouldn't give to travel any of these routes now.
>> 
>> Ditto for riding the three crack trains Twin Cities to Chicago (The  
>> Burlington
>> Zephr, the C&NW 400, and the Milwaukee Road Hiawathas).
>> 
>> End of trains babble.
>> 
>> 
>> David Strang.
>> 
>> David
>I think I took the 400 once with my parents as a child, I don't remember exactly, I remember sitting in the observation car of the Hiawatha, but I don't remember being to St Paul that often as a child. My grandfather was a fireman for the CNW from 1910 to 1940 when he retired at the age of 70 the same year as his wife, Rose died as the tresult of a tragic fall. My father and his brothers were all raised in St. Paul and Stillwater, MN.
>
>My grandfather Leon moved in with us in the late 40's. He was buried in Stillwater, and was entitled to free passage for the final trip. There is a picture of the 4 sons who all came to Chicago for the funeral. 
>
>Joe
>
I think your grad dad was younger than mine. Grampa Cirou was not a lifer but he put in 30 years with CNW before that he and his wife ran a boarding house and before that he was a cook. Thanks to the Stillwater City Directories  from 1890 to 1900

Joe