Minnesota Railroads

Producer: Trains/ Kalmbach

Locations: Minnesota

Timeframe: 2011- 2020

Length: 133 minutes

Sources: Chris Laskowski, Mike Savona

Trains Magazine with a modern show about Minnesota Railroads. Their shows vary in presentation. This one is focused on straight railfanning. Although marketed as a Trains Magazine release. This one in particular feels very familiar. A reveal at the conclusion…

Videography is modern and razor sharp. Live environmental audio. Sometimes are bits of background music. Levels are balanced. High quality production.

Main Chapter Menu by Railroad and locations. On-screen graphics denote much information. Map references are helpful and frequent. Narrated by Don Grant.

There is even more than can be highlighted in this review. Plenty of variety and additional roadnames to enjoy.

To the Trains… 👉

Twin Cities Hot Spots. Minneapolis- St. Paul and Coon Rapids. Starts on former Burlington Route and Milwaukee Road tracks. BNSF 7566 leads auto racks past a standing Twin Cities & Western freight with #2301 in front.

UP Train YSPBN is led by UP 7845/ 7222. A Union Pacific Transfer from South St. Paul to Northtown Yard. Assorted trains roll by at Bandana Square in St. Paul.

Coon Creek Jct. is at Coon Rapids. A BNSF double track mainline is here. A pair of SD70ACE locomotives 9139/ 9244 haul a Taconite Train. 29ms Symbol is U- KEEBIR. Keewalin, MN to Birmingham, Alabama. Northstar Commuter Trains are seen.

Great Northern 400  wears it’s Hustle Muscle livery. Burlington Northern 6234 trails. This move is museum equipment. Shoreham Hill.

Canadian National location at Duluth- Steelton Hill. This was Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range. Begins with a train out of Oliver, Wisconsin. Here is the Oliver Bridge over the St. Louis River. Two Canadian National units haul to the Minnesota side. Note the highway on the bottom tier.

Canadian National. Iron Range and Missabe sub. Iron Jct. service to both Duluth and Two Harbors. An intriguing 3 unit lash-up at Spirit Mountain hauls empty ore cars. Bessemer 904 (SD40-T), Illinois Central (6250) wears Operation Lifesaver and Canadian National 6263 has IC sub letters. Both routes here are former Duluth Missabe and Iron Range.

Canadian Pacific runs along the Mississippi River. CP 6252 (SD60) is ex: Soo Line, and CP Rail 5750 (SD40) with general freight. Routed from St. Paul, Minnesota to Bensenville, Illinois.

BNSF Hinckley sub. Coon Creek Jct. to Foxboro. The ex: Milwaukee Road 261 steam engine fronts a passenger train across the Kettle River at Sandstone, MN.

BNSF Staples sub runs diagonally across the State. This is a former Northern Pacific line. Amtrak’s Empire Builder with engine 145. Check the phase 3 painted locomotive. The lash-up includes 173/ 89 as trailing engines. It blasts by while kicking up snow doing about  80 mph at Ramsey.

BNSF Wayzata sub is the former Great Northern. The most scenic area is highlighted. Runs westward from Minneapolis to Willmar, MN. The old Wayzata Station is near Lake Minnetonka. A quad set of Ferromax Gevos has #4662 on the point. Hauling hoppers up to the Iron Range.

The Canadian Pacific F7 trio is led by 4107. Resplendent in an older livery. They roll through Rockford on a London, Ontario return with a business train. Short Lines has several visits in Southern Minnesota. St. Croix Valley, Minnesota Commercial plus TC&W.

Minnesota Railroads

This show sure is a smooth one. Something about a the narrator’s voice rang a bell. The Videography and the presentation also seemed like a mis-label… As the credits roll, checkout the names.

Why it’s the C. Vision crew! A crisp modern picture is enjoyable to watch. Soundtrack is spot on. Sharp editing and well-paced action. Informative narration.

An outstanding tour of key locations that offer much variety. The Class One coverage includes: BNSF, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific and Union Pacific. Run through units on freight. Passenger service by Amtrak and Commuter Trains. Short Lines are shown. Museum equipment moves with Milwaukee Road steam and a Great Northern diesel.

The fantastic tour of Minnesota Railroads is a must see for contemporary Railfans. Top shelf!

Rating: 5 Stars