By Wallace Henderson

When I arrived in the Twin Cities before noon on June 27th, I looked for a good photo location, and found one at Fordson Jct. along the Mississippi River in St. Paul. (photo #1) Here the Milwaukee Road mainline, now Canadian Pacific, descends from the bluffs above to join the former Omaha Road (C&NW)

now UP, to head east to St. Paul Union Station. Soon a Twin Cities & Western transfer run came down this line behind a Red River & Western GP15CAT and a TC&W GP20CAT.

The next day was our activities day for the NRHS Board Conference, which began with a visit to the immense newly restored St. Paul Union Station, which Amtrak will begin using this fall. (photo #2)

Next we visited the Minnesota Transportation Museum’s ex-GN Jackson Street Roundhouse. Then we went to the 261 group’s home at Minneapolis Junction where we ate lunch in some of the cars of 261′ s train and photographed the 261 in her shop building “home”. (photo #3)

In the afternoon, we rode a double-headed Northstar commuter train north to Big Lake and back on the former NP/GN mainline also used by Amtrak (photo #4), returning to our hotel in the suburb of Bloomington on the light rail.

On Sunday morning, June 30th, I drove across to Green Bay, Wisconsin to visit the National Railroad Museum to see their huge collection of railroad dining car china and drumheads (photo #5, page 1). They also  have  a UP “Big Boy” and Pennsy GG1 inside (photo #6).

On the way home, I stopped in Paducah and found the EMD Caterpillar yellow SD70ACE demonstrator

behind the power on the BNSF’s outbound local. On the next track,  just out of Progress Rail’s shop in Mayfield were a pair of Canadian Pacific  SD30C-ECO units #5014 & 5015. (photos #7 & 8).