In 1976, twenty-four years before the new millennium, and now twenty-four years after it in 2024, let's take a janus-like jaundiced jaunt back at our equally reflective trip reaching across the Canada-U.S. border, while we straddle the July 1 and July 4 holidays. Let's get all binational and Burlington Northernish!
Our trip was made with four family members and seemingly all our worldly possessions in and on top of our 1970 VW Beetle. The destination was to visit our newly-married aunt (my Dad's sister) and our new uncle in Portage la Prairie, MB. (Top photo - packing up in the morning in Roscommon, MI. That is luggage under the hood - the spare engine is in the back!) It was the first Western road trip (of which there would be many) and also our first opportunity to sample Portage's plethoric photographic and trainwatching possibilities! After a very enjoyable visit, we were bound for home via the American route, visiting more relatives in Clio, MI. This post shows some of the unexpected railfanning opportunities we encountered. As usual, my Dad was photographing with two Instamatics - B&W prints that stay stuck in my photo album, and colour slides scanned by my brother.
The route appears to have been Manitoba highway 75 to Noyes, MN, then Minnesota highways 75 and 2 to Duluth.
Heading south toward the U.S. border on July 7, we parallelled this CN freight powered by two SW1200RS's - the second is 1353 (above). Apparently we hit pay-dirt in Warren, MN, just two counties south of the border:
Both lines my Dad photographed may have been in Warren, MN, the SOO east-west and the BN (formerly GN) north-south. Both are crossed by highway 75 in Warren. This was most decidedly granger country. Online auction site photos of both stations - SOO (below left) and BN (below right). Under the SOO depot eaves at left can be seen another grain elevator, perhaps the perpendicular competitor's:
Check out the moose horn on BN 1943.
The semaphore-equipped BN depot is back there, and lots of BN predecessor cars in front:
Predecessor CB&Q caboose (below and top photo).
Fosston, MN - now J Rettenmaier (JRS) Fibres and no longer rail-served:
Likely Mentor to Fosston, MN area, parallel to highway 2:
Album view, with my Mom driving and Dad photographing.
Arriving low-sun late into DM&IR Proctor, MN after a long day on the road, my Mom was white-knuckling it and watching the multi-lane traffic straight ahead, as I exclaimed loudly about the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range yard we were paralleling!
That night in our Duluth motel we watched President Gerald Ford waltzing with Queen Elizabeth II as old foes celebrated the American Bicentennial.
In the 1976 world of cash and traveller's cheques (remember those?), my Dad's budget for this trip revealed grocery money budgeted for breakfasts and lunches on the road, matching my Mom's grocery list of tuna, bread and peanut butter and more. Each travel day, $12 was budgeted for supper for four and another $40 planned for each night's motel stop: Iron Bridge and Thunder Bay west; Duluth, MN and Roscommon, MI east. Duluth's new two-storey court Interstate Budget Motel was $20.95 plus taxes. Gas was budgeted for the 3000 mi. round trip at 100 gallons at 0.75 per gallon = $75.00
To Trackside Treasure's readers in the United States of America, wishing you well on your never-ending Presidential campaign. Happy Independence Day. And God Bless America.
-Eric
We had to do a double-take at tiny Bath's Canada Day parade when this VW Beetle, stacked like a Samsonite submarine sandwich, made its way down the parade route. Tough to top, like the top photo!
This homuncular hobby shop at Division and Queen Streets in Kingston was originally operated by Lloyd Shales, later Peter Macdonald. This Reg Aitken photo showed the building in Peter's years, with Lloyd's name removed from the top row of lettering. After the business was relocated, the building housed a cheque-cashing service.
Look at it now! Where once you could buy track, now it's tzatziki. HO? Now humus. CN and CP, now chicken and beef. (Photo posted to social media by Marc Shaw).
Is that at least on BN Conditionaire hopper after the NP box?
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, Ian. I gather they came from different roads: ATSF, NP, even GATX. That one you pointed out seems awfully bumpy, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your question and for your sharp eye!
Eric
A GP30 in Soo colours. That is a cool image, indeed. I remember seeing the odd Soo equipment when I visited my grandparents in Windsor and watched the CP traffic. There's something to be said for a company daring to paint its engines white! That's thinking outside the box.
ReplyDeleteThe SOO scheme was ahead of its time, at least at that time. Previously, the CP property had used large SOO [boxcar door] LINE on boxcar red cars. They they went completely off the deep end with this scheme. Perhaps white paint was not the best choice for equipment that sees a lot of use, but anyway...
ReplyDeleteThe trucks also made these units stand out.
Thanks for your comment,
Eric
I'm impressed that you did that trip in a Beetle. It looks like would have been a bit cramped.
ReplyDeleteI grew up riding the drive shaft bump in the back seat of this and our earlier Beetle, so having a whole side to my self would have been Luxury! I remember behind the seat was food storage, and stopping somewhere in Michigan eating freshly-made sandwiches at a picnic table. This was before drivethrus and fast-food!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Eric.
Eric