I remember ordering this on VHS when I was 12 back in 2002 after seeing it in Trains magazine. I've been a C. Vision believer ever since. Thank you for all the stellar content over the years. Stay awesome and happy holidays
It is insane to me how drastically the railroad image has changed in only 20 years. Back then, a consist like these was no big deal, anything similar to it nowadays would make anyone chase the train as far as possible!
Definitely! The CN trains were personally my favorite on this line, even though I am a CNW fan at heart. That day I caught those two DWP units.....I'll never forget it! That blew me away! Thank you for watching!
Back Just before Horn-pocalypse on the Union Pacific, when Leslie RS3Ls and Prime 920s still dominated. You just can't find such horns on the Union Pacific anymore. 😥
All the HP was up front pulling back then. If a train needed help up a grade such as Crawford Hill in northwestern Nebraska they would stop at the bottom and couple on manned helpers to the rear. Then once over the summit stop again to cut off the helpers and continue on their way. The helpers would go back down to the bottom to await their next assignment.
Thanks for the cool video i live on the hinkley subdivision i mainly railfan on the skally line though with the ST. CROIX VALLEY power! Pretty cool railroad but the fact they dont operate much anymore is sad.
The variety of motive power and roads names (pre and post meger) during this period was unmatched. Seeing then newer wide cabs mingle with older models really makes it a very special time for me, even though I was way too young to ever have a real chance to witness it. Now everything out there is just GEVOs with some Dash 9s, ACes and remaining Geeps hiding in yards and local jobs soldering on.
Hi MEC 251. Yes, UP and CP have trackage rights still to this day. They date back to the CNW and Milwaukee Road days. The CN no longer runs on this line. But when they did, they were operated as a Haulage Agreement, which means that BNSF crews ran their trains to Chicago and back.
I sure miss the variety of power from this era. And I thought SD40-2's in BN green got a bit monotonous at the time, little did I know once the Dash 9's and GEVO's and ACE's would come to even greater ubiquity than I thought possible back when I Was young... A good reminder to Shoot em while you can!
So here are the railroads who operate this line in 2022, UP, CP. and BNSF.. Coon Creek Junction is one of my favorite junctions in North America which doesn't get enough coverage for how important it really is as the cutoff for anything going to Superior.
Great video! A question- from what years did the CN operate on the BNSF Hinckley sub? It had to have been after they started running trains between the Midwest and Canada, but before their takeover of WC in 2001.
Let me see if I got this right. You said that the Canadian National stopped running their trains on the Hinckley Sub and ran the former Wisconsin Central line after buying it out.
It is nice to see the SD40N rebuilds still going strong today. The only thing that's missing really is a Leslie RS3L/Prime 920. I never knew a whole servicing facility was in Bethel of all places.
We understand what you’re saying. Sometimes we just let the sound of trains take over the video. There are definitely situations where more narration could have been added, however. We appreciate your thoughts.
I grew up in Coon Rapids a few blocks from this line in the 80's and 90's. I was 17-18 years old when these videos were taken. The line was a lot busier back then. Any chance I had I was sneaking away from home to hang out by the tracks. I would spend most of my summer vacations watching trains. Now I live in Fridley next to the same line. I have been watching trains in this area for 37 years! Thanks for bringing back some memories!
Thank you for your comments Kim. This line doesn't see any intermodal as it is really a link to the industries in northern Minnesota. Most especially, the ports of Lake Superior. There are some clearance issues with some short bridges along the line too. So it is unique in that it doesn't host any intermodal type trains. Thank you for watching!
Enjoyed the video. Does anyone know why they kept this line and abandoned the original skally line? Seems like the southern end would have made a great commuter line since it follows the I35 corridor. Also wondering why there's less traffic. Thanks
Thank you for watching and writing Russell! I really don't have an exact answer as to why they kept the Hinckley and not the Skally. Hopefully someone will know. As for the traffic, it just comes down to the trends of commodities. Coal is way down. There were at least 1-2 normal daily coal trains a day on this line, but has since diminished to none, with an occasional re route. Most of the coal today for Superior travels on the Brainerd Sub. The other is iron ore (taconite) trains. Those have fallen with many steel plants in the U S shutting down. And finally, back in 1998, CN ran via haulage rights on the BNSF. They shifted to the WC around 1999, prior to purchasing the CN in 2004 or 2005.
A big reason the southern end of the NP was abandoned was access to Northtown, which was only really accessible via the GN route, and I think NP had a _very_ steep hill out of the river valley in the cities (I've got a track profile that says 1.9%)
@ebnertra000 Swede Hollow was quite the hard pull leaving St. Paul! It’s still unfortunate that most of that NP route is gone. However, it’s quite enjoyable as a bike trail. There seem to be some ground stability problems on the former GN route. We’ve always wondered if the NP had the same issues, especially north of Hinckley.
I’m liking your videos well and I salute your efforts! I will subscribe but I always give all videographers a thumbs up cause they and you always put so much work and thought into your work. God bless!
Agreed! The motive power variety in the 90s was impressive. It was always worth keeping your eye on the tracks back in those days, as you never knew what would show up. We appreciate the comment.
@@CVisionProductions1 , have a new year full of happiness . I will be waiting for more incredible videos that you produce , oh, sorry if I wrote wrong , I do not speak english ,tkank you . Hug.
This video is unbelievable! All the Engines still in their colors. All that work at Hinkley! Just a parade of my favorite lines. Caboose action. S.P. , B.N. DAmn dude. You captured it all. Great editing too. Mind blowing. Never to be seen like this again. Thank you so much. P.j. Carpinteria Ca.
9297 was an awesome unit! We still remember the flurry of excitement when it was released from the paint shop in its experimental color schemes. Once the locomotive hit the road, many fans made it their mission to track it down. Those were the days… Thank you for watching the video.
Sure do! But it’s only a few scenes. The video that we’re sharing with you in the link below mostly covers ore operations on CN’s DM&IR system, but it does include footage from Superior to Floodwood on the Lakes Sub as well. Here it is: SD40-2 Stronghold: EMD Locomotives in Minnesota's Iron Ore Country FULL VIDEO (2018) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kvaEVuFQlhU.html
Yes, sir. The DVD’s title is: “From the Twin Ports to the Twin Cities”. This is our first volume of BNSF Hinckley Subdivision coverage. A second volume followed six years later. If you would like any further information, such as ordering instructions, or possibly more details about the video, please let us know. Thank you, Matt.
