Twin Cities and Western Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Twin Cities and Western Railroad is a railroad
operating in the U.S. state
of Minnesota
which started operations on July 27, 1991. Trackage includes the former Soo Line Railroad
"Ortonville Line", originally built as the first part of the Pacific extension of the Milwaukee Road. This main line extends from Hopkins, Minnesota
(a Western suburb of the Twin Cities) to Appleton, Minnesota
. The line was originally built between Hopkins and Cologne Minnesota
in 1876 by Hastings and Dakota Railroad. In 1913, the Milwaukee road rerouted it reducing the curves. The line was eventually extended to the Pacific.
As of 2010, the TCWR also has trackage rights over the BNSF Railway
and the Canadian Pacific Railway
.
The company is also affiliated with the Red River Valley and Western Railroad
in North Dakota
, and the Minnesota Prairie Line
, which has a junction with the Twin Cities and Western in Norwood, Minnesota. Andrew Thompson is currently the chief executive officer of all three railroads.
) was reconstructed in the 1990s and plans for the Hiawatha Line
light rail
service entered late stages, the Twin Cities and Western operated on Canadian Pacific's Bass Lake Subdivision through the 29th Street railway trench in Minneapolis
, now known as the Midtown Greenway
. The tracks continued along the former Milwaukee Road Short Line
into Saint Paul
, where TC&W would access rail yards operated by Canadian Pacific, the Minnesota Commercial Railway
, and others. However, the rail line was severed after it was deemed too complicated and costly to keep that connection.
Alternative routings for the TC&W were examined, and the best choice appeared to be to build a connection to the Canadian Pacific's MN&S Subdivision, the former Dan Patch Line, in St. Louis Park
. However, it was discovered that the construction area (Golden Auto) was a Superfund
site. Instead, a temporary connection to BNSF's Wayzata Subdivision
was built along the Kenilworth Trail
using right-of-way owned by the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, and CP's Bass Lake Subdivision became the Bass Lake Spur. The Kenilworth alignment had first been built as part of the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
and eventually became part of the Chicago and North Western Railway
. Hennepin County acquired the land when C&NW abandoned the line.
The temporary alignment was only expected to last between one and six years, but it has now become more than a decade and the line is beginning to need rehabilitation. A rerouting of the line was re-examined in 2009 because the Southwest Corridor light-rail line is planned to be built next to the Kenilworth Trail. Building the connection to the MN&S Subdivision is expected to cost about $48 million. A more detailed analysis is expected to be completed by the end of 2010.
s, 3 GP30C
s, 2 GP15Cs, 2 ex-KCC GP39-2
s, 1 CF7
slug
unit, 1 Paducah rebuilt GP10 and 1 SW1200. Trains typically run six days per week between the Twin Cities and Renville with two or three day per week service west of Renville to Milbank, SD.
In order to protect a potentially important shipping route, TC&W purchased the Dan Patch Line Bridge
over the Minnesota River
in Savage
. TC&W has trackage rights over CP's MN&S Subdivision to reach Savage.
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
operating in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
which started operations on July 27, 1991. Trackage includes the former Soo Line Railroad
Soo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste...
"Ortonville Line", originally built as the first part of the Pacific extension of the Milwaukee Road. This main line extends from Hopkins, Minnesota
Hopkins, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,145 people, 8,224 households, and 3,741 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,205.9 people per square mile . There were 8,390 housing units at an average density of 2,058.2 pe square mile...
(a Western suburb of the Twin Cities) to Appleton, Minnesota
Appleton, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,871 people, 729 households, and 376 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,442.2 people per square mile . There were 860 housing units at an average density of 432.0 per square mile...
. The line was originally built between Hopkins and Cologne Minnesota
Cologne, Minnesota
Cologne is a city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,519 at the 2010 census. The city is about 30 miles away from Minneapolis.-Geography:...
in 1876 by Hastings and Dakota Railroad. In 1913, the Milwaukee road rerouted it reducing the curves. The line was eventually extended to the Pacific.
As of 2010, the TCWR also has trackage rights over the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
and the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
.
The company is also affiliated with the Red River Valley and Western Railroad
Red River Valley and Western Railroad
The Red River Valley and Western Railroad is a regional railroad operating in the US states of North Dakota and Minnesota, which began operations in 1987...
in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, and the Minnesota Prairie Line
Minnesota Prairie Line
Minnesota Prairie Line is a short-line railroad in the U.S. state of Minnesota which started operations in October 2002. It is a subsidiary of the Twin Cities and Western Railroad , and runs on of track owned by the Minnesota Valley Regional Railroad Authority . It has been partially funded...
, which has a junction with the Twin Cities and Western in Norwood, Minnesota. Andrew Thompson is currently the chief executive officer of all three railroads.
Current routing and planned changes
Until Hiawatha Avenue (Minnesota State Highway 55Minnesota State Highway 55
Minnesota State Highway 55 is a highway in west-central, central, and east-central Minnesota, which runs from the North Dakota state line near Tenney and continues east and southeast to its eastern terminus at its intersection with U.S...
) was reconstructed in the 1990s and plans for the Hiawatha Line
Hiawatha Line
The Hiawatha Line is a light rail corridor in Hennepin County, Minnesota that extends from downtown Minneapolis to the southern suburb of Bloomington. It was formerly known as the Hiawatha Line named after Hiawatha Avenue. Major connections on the line include the Minneapolis-St...
light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
service entered late stages, the Twin Cities and Western operated on Canadian Pacific's Bass Lake Subdivision through the 29th Street railway trench in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, now known as the Midtown Greenway
Midtown Greenway
The Midtown Greenway is a rail trail in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is considered under segregated cycle facilities.Used both recreationally and for commuting, the partially below-grade Greenway runs east-west about one block north of Lake Street...
. The tracks continued along the former Milwaukee Road Short Line
Merriam Park Subdivision
The Canadian Pacific Railway Merriam Park Subdivision or Merriam Park Sub, also known as the Short Line, is a railway line in Saint Paul, Minnesota, which runs from Pig's Eye Yard and the CP River Subdivision in the east to the Short Line Bridge over the Mississippi River in the west, where rails...
into Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, where TC&W would access rail yards operated by Canadian Pacific, the Minnesota Commercial Railway
Minnesota Commercial Railway
The Minnesota Commercial Railway is a short line railroad in the United States.This railroad operates out of the St. Paul area with service to Minneapolis, Bayport, Hugo, Fridley and New Brighton. It is considered a terminal and switching line. It is based out of a roundhouse on Cleveland Ave. in...
, and others. However, the rail line was severed after it was deemed too complicated and costly to keep that connection.
Alternative routings for the TC&W were examined, and the best choice appeared to be to build a connection to the Canadian Pacific's MN&S Subdivision, the former Dan Patch Line, in St. Louis Park
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,126 people, 20,782 households, and 10,557 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,122.5 persons per square mile . There were 21,140 housing units at an average density of 1,975.0 per square mile...
. However, it was discovered that the construction area (Golden Auto) was a Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site. Instead, a temporary connection to BNSF's Wayzata Subdivision
Wayzata Subdivision
The Wayzata Subdivision or Wayzata Sub is a railway line that runs about from Willmar to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Currently operated by BNSF Railway, this was part of the Great Northern Railway's transcontinental line from Minneapolis to Seattle, Washington...
was built along the Kenilworth Trail
Kenilworth Trail
The Kenilworth Trail is a paved bicycle trail in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It runs nearly and acts as a connector between the Cedar Lake Trail in the north and the Midtown Greenway in the south. Like the Cedar Lake Trail, most of the route is composed of a triple-divided cycleway/pedway with a...
using right-of-way owned by the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, and CP's Bass Lake Subdivision became the Bass Lake Spur. The Kenilworth alignment had first been built as part of the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway was an American Class I railroad that built and operated lines radiating south and west from Minneapolis, Minnesota which existed for 90 years from 1870 to 1960....
and eventually became part of the Chicago and North Western Railway
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
. Hennepin County acquired the land when C&NW abandoned the line.
The temporary alignment was only expected to last between one and six years, but it has now become more than a decade and the line is beginning to need rehabilitation. A rerouting of the line was re-examined in 2009 because the Southwest Corridor light-rail line is planned to be built next to the Kenilworth Trail. Building the connection to the MN&S Subdivision is expected to cost about $48 million. A more detailed analysis is expected to be completed by the end of 2010.
Rolling stock and other properties
TC&W has 9 Caterpillar Generation II locomotives (4 GP20CEMD GP20
An EMD GP20 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between November 1959 and April 1962. Power was provided by an EMD 567D2 16-cylinder turbocharged engine which generated 2000 horsepower...
s, 3 GP30C
EMD GP30
The EMD GP30 was a 2,250 hp four-axle B-B diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between July, 1961 and November, 1963...
s, 2 GP15Cs, 2 ex-KCC GP39-2
EMD GP39-2
An EMD GP39-2 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1974 and 1984. 239 examples of this locomotive were built for American railroads. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP39-2 was an upgraded GP39...
s, 1 CF7
CF7
A CF7 is an EMD F-unit railroad locomotive that has had its streamlined carbody removed and replaced with a custom-made, "general purpose" body in order to adapt the unit for road switching duty. All of the conversions were performed by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in their Cleburne,...
slug
Slug (railroad)
A railroad slug is an accessory to a diesel-electric locomotive. It has trucks with traction motors but is unable to move about under its own power, as it does not contain a prime mover to produce electricity...
unit, 1 Paducah rebuilt GP10 and 1 SW1200. Trains typically run six days per week between the Twin Cities and Renville with two or three day per week service west of Renville to Milbank, SD.
In order to protect a potentially important shipping route, TC&W purchased the Dan Patch Line Bridge
Dan Patch Line Bridge
The Dan Patch Line Bridge is a railroad swing bridge that carries the Canadian Pacific Railway's MN&S Subdivision across the Minnesota River. The MN&S Subdivision is a rail line that originated as the Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester and Dubuque Electric Traction Company, more commonly known as...
over the Minnesota River
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....
in Savage
Savage, Minnesota
Savage is a suburban city south-southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Scott County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city is situated on the south bank of the Minnesota River in a region commonly referred to as South of the River, comprising the southern portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the...
. TC&W has trackage rights over CP's MN&S Subdivision to reach Savage.
Company officers
Presidents of the TC&W have included:- Salvatore Massa,1998-2001.
- William F. Drusch, 2001-2007.
- Mark J. Wegner, 2007-05-01-present.