SOO Shoreham

[sooblue]

I grew up right at the top of the big hill out of the Shoreham yard off Central ave. Mpls.
After contacting the SOO Line historical society, and searching book stores, and even searching on line I've come to the conclusion that I am the last person on earth that knows anything about the SOO in mpls. PLEASE, SOME ONE, PROVE ME WRONG!!

[mnwestern]

I'm not an expert, but what would you like to know. I will say the Soo Line Historical & Technical Society is not a good source for any Soo history west of the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers as it seems that their leaders don't realize the Soo existed west of Wisconsin even though it was a Minneapolis headquartered and financed line originally. (I've even had a friend, an engineer with CP at Thief River Falls, offer to put together SLHTS's annual convention at TRF only to be turned down. The leaders don't think anyone is interested or will drive there even though my friend can get us into the roundhouse, depot, and perhaps even arrange an excursion on the Northern Plains Railroad.)
Anyway, the last time I was near Shoreham most of the shops and roundhouse were gone. The facility is mainly an intermodal hub. WC pulls out of there quite often. Most of the Soo activity has shifted to Humboldt yard west of the river and to the former Milw. Rd. Piggy's Eye yard southeast of Dayton's Bluff in St. Paul.
T

[sooblue]

Hi Terry,
Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone.
You can find videos and books on some of the most obscure little roads in any where USA but try to find something on the soo in mpls.
I went the SLHTS route and it's like you said, MN.
doesn't exsist.
I'm interested in the SOO because my dad worked in a section gang and my uncle was a yardmaster at Shorham and I spent most of 15 years down by the tracks day and even at night. My friends and I used to try to dodge those mars lights at night when those F units would fly by heading for the yard (we had a lot of respect for those trains but I know we gave a few engineers heart attacks)
any way I really wanted to find someone who could share what they know about that area. Maybe find someone who knew my uncle, Joe Smuda, you know...
Not long ago Trains had a story that mentioned shorham at Xmas time and climbing the Big Hill and crossing Central Ave. That particular Grade still exists today. when I was a kid SOO would temporaraly store wrecks on that grade. I remember one NASTY passenger train wreck, caved in old fasioned heavey weight cars. They didn't clean them up very well. OH, when did you go by the yard last? I was there three weeks ago and you could still see the original shops and round house from central ave. By the cemetary. Could there have been another set of shops by the intermodal yard to the west?
You know, the Shorham yard was one hoppin place in the 50s and 60s. Double tracked out the east side where I lived, 100+ car trains meeting fairly high speed from the East and Roaring up the hill from the West. I can remember a train every two hours going by and many of them were meets. Too bad I didn't have a video camera I'd be rich by now...maybe not.

[Anonymous]

Hi! I'm another person who knows where Shoreham is. During my days as a student at the U of M, I needed some extra $'s, so I worked two part-time jobs - one as a driver for Yellow Cab and one as an operator / traveling-agent for the Soo Line. My boss's office was based at Shoreham so I was there frequently. I also lived just northeast of the yard near the old Apache Plaze shopping center.

It's been a few years since I've been by there as well, but I do know that at least some of the shop buildings that I remember from the 70's are gone, including the building where my department's offices were located. There are still some of the buildings left, but not as many as before.

It was quite an interesting yard design, like a big horseshoe, but then they added the mainline cutoff across the open end of the horseshoe. I should drive by there again one of these days.

Tom Edwards
New Ulm, MN

[sooblue]

Hey our ranks are growing. There is a bridge, that serves Columbia Golf Course, that goes over the main line. As a kid my friends and I used to stand in the middle and watch the trains all day long. The main was double tracked and the bridge was low low low and you just couldn't get any closer to those engines but you choked on a lot of smoke sometimes too. At one time there was an effort to save Shoreham and make the site a museum.
too bad it fell through, I guess it was a little before people valued that stuff. In the days of steam the SOO built there own engines in the shoreham shops. It could have easily been another Steam Town.
Thanks for replying and I hope you get back again, reminiscing brings back good memories.