Easter Sunday and Labor Day Weekend on the (former) Soo Line at Osceola.
2004
Engineer Robert C. Oswald, Brakeman Keith Skeivik, and Conductor Art Nettis
pause for a photo and some conversation at Osceola, Wisconsin about an hour
before departing for Withrow, Minnesota. They are going to take passengers on
a special Easter Day Brunch trip, food prepared by the Adventures Restaurant
in Osceola, on Sunday April 11, 2004.
In the background is the restored Soo Line Osceola railroad station and
business car Great Northern A-11 with observation platform. The train is
diesel-powered. In the past it has been pulled by Northern Pacific 328, a
small hand-fired steam engine, that was displayed in a Stillwater park. But
the 328 has been on the bad order list for years. The next steamer in
restoration is a larger Northern Pacific engine that was on display in Como
Park and may eventually operate here like the 328 in years past.
Visitors
to the Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway will be greeted by the
wonderfully restored depot in Osceola, Wisconsin. It was built in 1916 to
replace an earlier wooden structure. At the time it was unusual for the Soo
Line railroad to build such a substantial brick depot in a small town, but a
local businessman persuaded the railroad to give his town a more upscale
design. The Soo Line built only three depots to this floor plan. One of the
others still stands in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Today it has been restored by
the Osceola Historical Society. (Partner with MTM in the O&St.CV.) All
trains depart from and return to the depot. Train tickets are sold at the
ticket window, and the baggage room now houses a store for souvenirs and
refreshments.
This year the season begins 6 weeks early. Crew members say early spring presents excellent scenic views without the leaves and today icicles were seen hanging from cliffs the train passes by.
A typical trip departing Osceola at 2:30 PM tip-toes down a grade with cliffs on the left and a steep bank leading down to the Saint Croix River on the right. After a couple miles the train crosses the Saint Croix River on a swing bridge and makes it's way up the west bank in Minnesota. The route passes by the western boundary of O'Brien State Park and on into Marine. This is a 20-mile 90-minute trip. Marine on St. Croix is due west of Deer Park 19 miles.
Trips like the Easter Brunch special go to Withrow, Minnesota, west of New Richmond 18 miles. Other trips go northwards to Dresser, Wisconsin a 10 mile, 50 minute trip.
Car NP 1102 is the snack and sight seeing car.
The operation is managed by the Minnesota Transportation Museum, a group of volunteers based in the Twin Cities. The train operates over the Wisconsin Central Division of the Canadian National Railroad. Crew members are fully qualified by the Federal Railroad Administration. Minnesota Transportation Museum membership is open to the public.
The Easter Day and upcoming Mother's Day Brunch special trips are priced at $45. Regular schedule trips are priced at $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, children $7, and families $38 to Marine. Dresser trips are $10 for adults, seniors $9, children $5, and families $25.
This is the 12th year of operation from Osceola by the Minnesota Transportation Museum.
Complete details regarding schedules and trip information are available on the Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway web site at www.trainride.org.
Labor Day Weekend at Osceola
An anxious Labor Day weekend crowd.
Soo Line 559
Engineer John Stein takes the left hand seat on the way back to Osceola.
An engineer's view of
the swing bridge.
Assistant Engineer Noel Petit at the throttle.
Crossing Main Street
Easter Sunday 20042007 Update
Canadian Pacific Steam Engine 2816
Minneapolis - Osceola and Dresser Trip
September 9, 2007
On September 9, 2007 during a visit from Calgary, restored Canadian Pacific steam locomotive 2816 steamed from CP's Shoreham Yard (formerly the Soo Line) in Minneapolis to Dresser, Wisconsin and return. The videos require a broadband connection to view.
Dresser Trip video, 6 minutes 20 seconds (35,000
KB)
