PREX 3023 waits for work at the old General Mills elevator.
March 29, 2008 Every railfan has their favorite type of railroad, location and locomotive model to photograph; for me, I like many different railroads, but my passion is the small industrial units. The kind found tucked away at grain elevators all across the country. When I travel by car I always take a route that keeps me by the tracks just for this reason. I have been working on documenting as many of these units as I can. Most don't have a papertrail, which makes them a little tricky to find.
One place that has lots of these units and is more publicized is the Twin Ports of Duluth, MN and Superior, WI. Between grain elevators and the train museum, there are close to twenty of these little critters (as the are affectionately called), and, up until this trip, I still needed a few more to complete my photo roster. Having been to the Twin Ports several times I already knew the locations of these units well. Today I was not going home until I got them all.
Gaining access to most of the locations is not a problem, yet a few are hit-or-miss when trying to get pictures from parking lots or across slips where Great Lake freighters and ocean-going vessels berth to load wheat for overseas ports. Cenex Harvest States is the biggest elevator complex in the ports; as the biggest, they have the most industrial units. With one leased SW9 locomotive and a small GE-tonner unit easily found on the land's end of the terminal, I had shot these units before. Although I could others, it was the three SW1 locomotives that had teased me for years - they where always just out of reach. The only way to shoot them was to gain access to the backend of the terminal and that has the hardest part.
Pulling into the parking lot I went straight to the small brick building that houses the offices. Walking inside, I went in search of someone who would be able to grant my request. After asking a few people I found the man in charge, explaining who I was and what I wanted, he seemed confused but was willing to let me in with an escort.
Walking out the door I dodged puddles of water and piles of damp moldy grain… but that did not matter to me, I was about to get my pictures! The first unit to find my camera was an SW1 numbered 200 sitting silently with a string of hopper cars. A few shots and I was off to just a few feet away to another SW1, number 507. Two down, one to go. Even with the access and an escort, SW1 #15 would prove to be out of reach. Thanking my escort I made it back to the car and one last stop just across a small water channel, here I got a long shot of the last unit I would ever need at this CHS elevator.
Next door to the CHS elevator is the General Mill's elevator. As run down and dirty as it apppears, one would think this place has not seen a ship or a delivery of hoppers for years. Even in its run down condition, they still have two leased GP20s of Santa Fe heritage. Taking a road that abuts to the massive Midwest Energy coaling dock is the only way to get to the elevator. Passing the dumper shed (a large drum which rotates coal cars to empty them), I of course snap a quick shot, but I was here for another reason so I continued on.
Driving around an old storage building I spied my prize. There, just yards away, were PREX 3023 and 3032, side-by-side. With signs announcing "No Trespassing" on the fence, it was here I would have to shoot. I climbed on to the hood of my car and took pictures from there. One click, two click, and a few more for good measure. Grabbing a note card from my pocket I crossed off two more units from my list. Now it was back to Duluth in search of the Hallett Dock's Fairbanks Morris H10-44.
I had seen the unit while crossing the Bong bridge that spans the inlet to the St. Louis river on the westend of Duluth. I could see she was sitting at the end of the yard right next to the water. Finding a way to the unit would prove to be an adventure in an adventure, but it would also yield a surprise. Parking next to the yard, there was a large area of open space all the way to the river. Far too muddy to attempt driving, I would have to walk from here. Dodging mud puddles and piles of snow, I set off along a small driveway. A steep incline led to the top of an earthen berm; climbing up it reminded me of the climb I took along Highway 10 in Little Falls to get to the old Soo Line bridge over the BNSF Staples sub. Out of breath I waited with excitement for what I thought would be the second to last unit I needed. Imagine my expression when I saw a faded brown and maroon NW2 sitting where I though the other unit would be.
Looking closer at the unit, it was clear that this engine once belonged to the DM&IR. Taking in the view I caught sight of the original unit I was here for just down the tracks. There she sat, the HD10-44. Walking along the top of the earthen wall I found a perfect place to shoot from and snapped away. Walking back to the car I crossed off the HD and added the NW2 to the list. Now it was down to one and off I went.
Over the years, the docks in the ports have beefed up security; building fences and placing cameras around their facilities to keep them safe, the downside to this is wild animals that roam the area sometimes find themselves trapped. Hallett Dock Five is no exception; up until last summer you could freely drive around the area - getting great shots of passing DM&IR trains heading for the ore docks. Now fenced-in, the deer are stuck and I'm a block away watching another NW2 shove cars through a dumper shed.
Sitting on the side of the road for almost two hours, I watched as the unit crept closer, one car's length at a time. As the last car cleared the shed I was still unsure if the unit would shove the now empty Dakota Minnesota & Eastern open hoppers onto the lead into BNSF's Mikes yard. With a cloud of smoke rising from the its stacks, I got my answer. Jumping from the car and walking through waist deep shrubs I went as far as I could before falling down an embankment to the ground below. As I walked, I kept my eye on the engine, making sure it was still moving my way. A short blast from the horn told me she was going to shove out, past the fence. Getting balanced on an old tree that had fallen, I readied myself for the last unit of the day. And the last one on the list! Moving slowly, like she knew I was there, I fired off several pictures before it disappeared behind a cut of cars.
Cold from the wind and brushing fresh snow flakes off my hat, I walked back to the car. Flush with a feeling of accomplishment, knowing that I had meet my goal, I had documented every last little critter in the Twin Ports. Will I ever have a reason to go back to the Ports? Of course, but the next industrial locomotive hunt is in the planning stages… next stop, a summer trip across Nebraska and Iowa.