Tom/Steve,
On the way back from my weekend duties at the train show (earlier post)
I caught a few minutes of the Prairie Home Companion show of PBS. In
the skit I heard some reference to the GN depot with an announcer
listing all the stops along the Westbound trip. A few minutes later the
route of the Hiawatha was listed. All the towns seemed to be accurate.
Bob Werre
PhotoTraxx
On 2/11/12 7:07 AM, Steve Doyle wrote:
Re: To the traveling man
Posted by: "Thomas Baker" [email protected]
<mailto:bakert%40andrews.edu> millcitieslimited
Fri Feb 10, 2012 8:31 am (PST)
Ken,
Your commentary brings back memories. I recall seeing the Minneapolis-
Hutchinson mixed train switching cars on the yard tracks that we under
Lyndale Avenue. The mixed always had one of those rare GN NW-5 units
equipped with a boiler but still carried an ancient combine painted in
Pullman green.
Although I lived two years in Hutchinson, I regret not riding the
mixed on Friday afternoon back to Minneapolis. Wending its way around
and over the Minnetonka lakes and bays, the train would have offered
some scenic vistas one never sees from Highway #7. I had plenty of
opportunities to take that ride but never did....
Tom
Hey, Tom, what years were those memories of yours regarding the GN
line that crossed our driveway? I've seen photos of the passenger cars
that was part of one of those short consists. It's private varnish
somewhere, I read. If I had the room for a second layout (heck, I
barely have room for the first), modeling that short line from Wayzata
out to Hutch would have provided some great scenes as it wound its way
around the bays, sloughs and eventually farmland. I paralleled this
line while it was still operating and it was dotted with grain
elevators and rural small sidings. The trackage looked like bacon! I'm
sorry it's gone and hope that someday the State or Feds will deem it
worth it to put in a light rail line into downtown Minneapolis.
Steve
