Hello everyone!! Welcome to Jeffrey's Diner for June 2020!
As Garry suggested, we are going to change things up a bit by visiting a region as opposed to a single state. We will start at the western most tip of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota where we will have a look at the ore industry as well as the tourist railways that operate in the area. Minnesota had the Northern Pacific, Great Northern and The Milwaukee railroads, and it still boasts four Class I railways, two regional (Class IIs) and several shortlines.
Later in the month we will slide on over to North Dakota to see the wide open spaces and the trains that run through them both past and present, like the Northern Pacific which would eventually reach Portland, Oregon, and the Great Northern, The Milwaukee Road, Soo Line, Canadian Pacific and the BNSF.
Finally, we will head south into South Dakota to see what there is to see there. (That was weak - I'm running out of words!).
Rather than starting off with some pictures of Minnesota I thought I would post this video of #4014 travelling, or more accurately, creeping through Duluth:
Let's see everybody kick in some info on Minnesota, and North and South Dakota!
For those new to this place, Jeffrey´s Trackside Diner is the place for you to go to relax and talk off topic about most anything - as long as you stay within the forum rules, which means certain hot button topics are excluded. Please refer to Steven Otte´s post on Forum Policies. Everybody is welcome to participate in the Diner !
The staff - that´s Zoe, Chloe, Flo, Janie, and Brunhilda — is very friendly and will serve up plenty of virtual diner fare with a smile. Just don´t forget to leave a generous tip! Now and then, our host Steven Otte chips in and brings along some goodies for us to try - which is always heartily welcomed!
As always, in rememberance of our fallen but not forgotten comrades, here is the RIP Track:
At the beginning of each month, it is the time to pay our respect to friends no longer with us.
Barry Arnold aka BlownoutCylinder
Alan B
Jerry Cox aka Cox47
Wolfgang Dudler aka Westport Terminal
Bob Hartle aka cmrproducts
Tom Mills
Harold Minkwitz aka hminky
Ed Murphy
Michael L. Myles aka Inch
Bill North
James W. Rohde aka CapeJim
Stein Rypern, Jr. aka Steinjr
Andy Sperandeo
Jeffrey "Running Bear" Wimberley
Gone, but not forgotten!
Cheers!!
HOn30critter Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave, Thanks for opening the June edition of the trackside diner.
I have never been to North Dakota or Minnesota.
We did drive through South Dakota on my trip out West last year, but it was cold and raining the entire time we were in South Dakota, and I did not take a single picture.
Sorry, I have nothing too share.
This is literally the only evidence I have that I was in South Dakota. The picture of the burger i had for dinner from my Wife's cell phone.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Thanks for the flawless Diner move, Dave
Glad we start out seeing FOOD I'm craving a big, fat burger right about now.
Tonight we had nice, thick slices of Virginia ham with raisin sauce and au-gratin potatoes with asparagus from the garden.
Great stuff!
Cheers, Ed
Good Morning!
Another bright and sunny day has just started! It´s still a holiday, with all shops closed. Although the stay at home rule has been lifted, it is quiet on the roads, unlike the previous years, when people used the holidays for a short vacation on the seaside or in the mountains.
Thanks, Dave, for moving the Diner to the June 2020 location. A job well done! The only thing I didn´t like about it was looking at the RIP track. That list is getting ever longer!
I am looking forward to learning about the region we are staying for the month. That´s one part of the US I have not been to and know literally nothing about. I hope to be able to fill that gap a little this month!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
gmpullmanGlad we start out seeing FOOD I'm craving a big, fat burger right about now.
Ed, That burger was at a place called Al's Oasis, which can be Googled.
It is worth doing a Google image search. The place is really unique.
It was late at night, raining, and we were worried we would not find food because we were completely outside of civilization.
Then we happened upon one of the most campy tourist trap like places I have ever seen, about ten minutes before they closed. Everyone was friendly, and they fed us well. For a silly themed tourist trap, that burger was darned good!
Okay, I'm hungry too!!
Here are some of Minnesota's favourite foods:
Walleye!
Lefse: It is a paper thin bread of Scandivadian origin that Minnesotans will claim is the best carb ever! Butter it, sprinkle with sugar, roll it up and enjoy your dessert:
Swedish meatballs!!! That is my kind of comfort food! (lose the cucumber!):
Venison:
Tater Hot Tots. Tater tots on top with beef, green beans, corn and mushroom soup. More comfort food:
Booya! This is a tomato based stew typically cooked outdoors in large vats with everyone in the community supplying the various vegetables and other ingredients:
Lastly, just because Minnesotans love their county fairs, we have 'anything on a stick'! Forget corn dogs, these guys do everything imaginable including spaghetti on a stick, snickers on a stick, salad on a stick (cherry tomatoes with mozzerella and rice) and even beer on a stick! Okay, it's all deep fried! It has to be good!!
More soon!
Dave
Tinplate ToddlerI am looking forward to learning about the region we are staying for the month. That´s one part of the US I have not been to and know literally nothing about. I hope to be able to fill that gap a little this month!
Hi Ulrich,
I have never been there either so I am flying by the seat of my pants. (I hope I'm not smelling smoke!) I hope that lots of people will contribute to the information about the Diner's location. Google is your friend!
Here are a whole bunch of railways in operation in Minnesota:
https://ca.video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrEeB2QntReTX0A4AwXFwx.;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=minnesota+railroads&fr=yhs-rogers-rogers_001&hspart=rogers&hsimp=yhs-rogers_001
Dave,
Thanks for moving the diner----
herrinchoker
A little something to get our ore jennies moving this morning!
Proctor, Minnesota: 1960? Sure enough, the last (revenue) run of a DM&IR Yellowstone was #222 on July 5, 1960!
DMIR, Proctor, Minnesota, 1960 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
Another smoooooooth moooooove Dave!
It looks like it was a rainy day for the last run of 222. Our neighbor, up North, also model railroads in the winter, and he says the yellowstones were is favorite locomotive. They are huge!
Didn't the DM&IR get them from the NP? or is it the other way around?
Dave, that is a great link to MN. railroads.
This week will be a catch-up week for my routine medical visits, than next week, back to work up North.
I take my laptop with, but I rarely take the time to sit and participate in forums, and Face Book.
Have a great week everyone!
Mike.
My You Tube
Good Morning All,
I've been remiss in not stopping by of late. We actually got busy in the shop even though the first event is still the end of the month. I'll have a regular and a bacon egg and cheese on a plain bagel please Zoe.
On the home front I am still messing with plaster for the parking lot and area around the back of the layout. I probably should have let in cardboard first and then just done a skim coat over that but I thought I'd try building up layers instead. It's pretty laborious that way. I've also been battling an ant infestation in our storage shed. We have an ancient set of storage drawers that came out of the Howlands where my aunt worked so of course they moved in there. I cleaned the ants out as best I could and set an insect bomb off in there yesterday. I will see how that went when I get home today.
Kevin - Oddly enough my dad was also assigned to the ball turret but on a B-24 flying in the Pacific. He was in Australia then started island hopping as things progressed. He got shot down in the lead up to the invasion of the Phillipines. Likely the fact that he had to crank the ball around by hand after the planes electrics failed so he could get out, put on his chute and then jump saved his life as most of the crew were shot in their chutes or life rafts and by the time he got out he was some distance from the rest and got overlooked. He was able to get ashore on Mindanao and was lucky enough to be found by friendlies who took care of him for the time it took to find one of the coast watchers who could arrange for him to be picked up. That was also the end of his war as by the time he recuperated he was mustered out.
thumbnail by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr
Not from a museum but a painting by a squadron mate after one of the bomb group reunions in the 80's
My family went through the Dakotas in the mid 60's moving back to Connecticut but I don't remember too much of that trip and the pics are long gone. I've been to Brainard, Minnesota a lot over the years as Donnybrooke has a big road course and they used to pay us appearance money to show up (helps when your driver is Paul Newman).
Well out to the shop and on to the trailers. Catch you all later. Ciao, J.R.
On a fine Spring day in the Yorkshire Dales, just in the final days of steam:
Good morning all,
Dave - Thanks for hosting the diner once again and for your post of the slo-mo Big Boy.
Kevin - Al's Oasis looks a lot like Wall Drug also located on I-90 in western S.D. near Mt. Rushmore.
Ed - Thanks for posting the Yellowstone picture. I have a question more properly located in the "What's in a Photograph" thread but what are the cylindrical devices mounted on the smoke box door (four pairs and two individuals on either side of the bell)?
JR - Thanks for sharing your dad's story.
Ulrich - Very nice video.
Tim
Late to the model railroad party but playing catch-up.....
Thanks for opening the new Diner location, Dave.
I'm looking forward to some subway pictures from ND.
Since we're starting in Minnesota, be very careful if the Diner has Lutefisk on the menu. Try it. You'll never eat it again. In fact, you may never eat in the Diner again.
York1 John
Lutefisk (Norwegian) or lutfisk (Swedish) or ludfisk (Danish) is a Viking specialty constisting of dried fish, which is boiled in water, sometimes with beech ash added to it, until it has a jelly-like consistency. I am afraid I let this one pass by!
If you think it can´t get worse, try Surströmming, which is a lightly-salted fermented Baltic Sea herring traditional to Swedish cuisine since at least the 16th century.
I prefer a nice hamburger!
Good morning
Great job opening the Diner in Minnesota North and South Dakota Dave. You provided a lot to gather and I have been enjoying it so far. I will be taking some time to go through it all, Thanks
I was watching 4014 a while ago. I do love slow-moving trains and that sure was a good example of it. It seems the radius of the curve was a little more than she felt comfortable navigating through.
Great job on the food, my mouth is watering, the only thing I would add at this time is Grouse slow baked in tastefully seasoned homemade cream of mushroom soup.
The Norwegians up here love their lutefisk as I see John posted. I have tried it before, ... I will stick to my Walleye thank you
I had hundreds of Duluth photos I lost in one of my phones that got ran over by a bobcat unfortunately but I do have some others I can post later.
Thanks for the Proctor contribution Ed. I have stayed in that town. I enjoyed that layout again Ulrich. The heavyweight center depression flat car I noticed behind the steamer is one of my favorites. J.R. , I see you've been to Brainerd, Minnesota. I'm sure you saw Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.
Thanks and have a great day everyone.
TF
What? Norwegians and Swedes in Minnesota? I hear there's also a rather large contingent of Finns as well. Apparently Upper Michigan was unable to entice them any longer. And if there's Finns, there must be pasties (the food kind, I mean ). And if there's pasties, there's lore, recipes, and photos, too. My first girlfriend had Finnish heritage. She never offered me meat pies, but did offer some sauerkraut. Once. That went nowhere - fast.
Flo, are you out of rhubarb pie again? How about butterscotch?
Oh, and Flo, I've got one more question that's been buggin' me for a long time: I often see you bringing a half of a dog treat to Ken's table for Dirk. What happens to the other half back in the kitchen?
John
CapnCrunchbut what are the cylindrical devices mounted on the smoke box door (four pairs and two individuals on either side of the bell)?
Good question, Tim,
Front-mounted, Westinghouse cross-compound air compressors.
As boilers got larger there was less room on the side of the boiler to mount the compressors, plus "sometimes" the weight would be better distributed if they were mounted up front.
I have to run off for some chores but I'll post some photos later.
More unusual is the front mounting of the feedwater heater and pump (lower-center of the smokebox)!
Where are my manners lately? Yes, Thank you Dave for moving us and getting everything ready for the new month. I'm not sure if the radius or the general stability of the track was the question on the Big Boy shot. In the Danbury railyard, we had to keep moving projects and displays because just resting on the rails would sink the ties over time. As was common New Haven practice at the time it was built, all the ballast was cinders. Not all the ties had date tags on them, but a lot of the ties we pulled that did have tags were 1904 - 1914 sort of era. So long times between service seemed to be the rule.
John, I have the strongest suspicion Dirk gets the other half of his evening treat when Ken is looking the other way.
Yup, I'll stick to the walleye - grilled not breaded - one of the best meals I've ever had. Back to it. J.R.
Attuvian What? Norwegians and Swedes in Minnesota? I hear there's also a rather large contingent of Finns as well. My first girlfriend had Finnish heritage. She never offered me meat pies
What? Norwegians and Swedes in Minnesota? I hear there's also a rather large contingent of Finns as well.
My first girlfriend had Finnish heritage. She never offered me meat pies
You are exactly correct John. Many wonderful Finnish people live here, a lot of them residing in Northern Minnesota. There was a large population in Orr, Minnesota where I went to high school and many were my friends.
I always loved their accents in the way they shortened and changed letters in words in their sentences. Some of the phrases I heard repeatedly back then have stuck with me to this day.
Too bad you never had your girlfriend cook you a meat pie. If you want to have a really good dinner go home with one of your Finnish friends and have their Mother cook you Lihaperunasoselaatikko. Don't ask me to pronounce it and I had to look it up to find the spelling as my memory would never have served me.
Cottage pie was one of the best meals I ever ate that Mark's Mother made for us and I did return for it again. Beef minced meat in the mashed potatoes and lots of vegetables, it was so good Shepherd's pie is lamb in place of the beef but basically the same. Judy and I make this dish frequently as it is one of our favorites but I have never had it as good as Mark's Mom made back in 1980.
Good Morning,
A hot day here, expecting high '80s but just for today.
John, I agree with your assessment of Lutefisk. My grandmother was Norwegian and she managed to persuade my mother to cook Lutefisk a couple of times. What can you say about something that is preserved in lye. It was disgusting but Grandma smiled and said it was good. I think she was lying.
Now luftse is a different matter. That stuff is really good. We visit our friends near Thief River Falls often and to say the area was settled by Norwegians is an understatement. The local paper is full of ads in the fall for suppers featuring walleye, lutefisk, luftse, swedish meatballs, etc.
There is also a diesel locomotive rebuilder located just north of TRF. They use an old rebuilt NW2 as a yard engine. In town the Soo Line roundhouse and turntable are still there. The CP line from Winnipeg to St. Paul was the first rail link from Winnipeg before the CPR was completed going east. The first engine on the CP in Winnipeg came by barge on the Red River up from North Dakota. The 'Countess of Duferin' is preserved in the local rail museum.
When talking rail in Duluth, it is the terminus of the Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific, a sub of CN that runs from there to Fort Frances, Ont. which is across the river from International Falls, MN. It is one of CN's links with the U.S. As TF models the DW&P he should be able to provide us with all sorts of info.
Too hot to do much outside today so just a lazy one for me, like most days.
CN Charlie
CNCharlieThe 'Countess of Duferin' is preserved in the local rail museum.
My Sister is digitalizing all our family photo's and sent me this yesterday. Me on the Countess of Dufferin on a 1966 visit to Winnipeg.
Edit; the Countess won't load, so here is yours truly on a different loco, also in Winnipeg.
I'll work on the Countess pic.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
CNCharlie When talking rail in Duluth, it is the terminus of the Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific, a sub of CN that runs from there to Fort Frances, Ont. which is across the river from International Falls, MN. It is one of CN's links with the U.S. As TF models the DW&P he should be able to provide us with all sorts of info.
Thanks, I would love to Charlie! What I do know and my experiences growing up there with the DWP. I know my contribution won't be too technical with dates and such.
I will take a stab at it this evening as I've been kinda busy running around the building here doing jobs where I live. I've been in and out all day but should be around this evening
Love the picture of you on the front of the Steamer as a little boy Brent. That thing is a monster in size compared to you back then
Brent,
6043 is located in Assiniboine Park and was the last run loco for CN steam in April, 1960. I saw it on its last run. I rode my bike out to the edge of the city to see it go past. Luckily it was a faily warm day for April.
Back to Thief River Falls, there is an ex-Soo Line Mikado on display outside the former station. It in turn is an ex-Monon loco and has the pumps mounted on the front of the smokebox. I believe it made its last run out of TRF in 1956 if my memory of the plaque is correct.
We haven't visited anywhere in Minnesota or N.Dakota for many years except for TRF so I don't have much knowledge of anywhere else in the area.
Time to check if the flowers need water. They are still in the nursery pots so constant attention is required.
Not counting stops on Delta at Minneapolis, I traversed Minnesota twice by car. Very pretty along the Interstate between Grand Forks and Wisconsin, but I got pinched by the state highway patrol in a speed trap in western MN, about 200 yards past a temporary 35 mph sign in a construction zone. When I asked the lady officer about the short notice, she point up the hill another 200 yards to what was supposedly a warning sign - just this side of the sharp crest of a hill. I'll bet well less than half of the non-locals ever saw it. Thought I might get a break because my last name made up the first five letters of hers. That quickly floated away on the breeze. She seemed like a hard dude anyway. Judge dismissed not my ticket but my diplomatic but carefully worded explanation. Coulda bought a loco with the bucks that cost me.
Some wag told me their state bird is the mosquito.
A long time ago, I was visiting her parents with an ex girlfriend. I remember taking in two Minnesota activities. The first was ice fishing. We sat out in a small shed with a heater, drank beer and fished through a hole in the ice. I thought it was a lot of fun. The other was ice racing. These were car races on frozen lakes. I think they used mostly Volvos, because they were the available vehicles with front wheel drive.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good evening
Well let me see what I can do with some of the history of DWP and some other things that I remember growing up near the railroad.
DWP actually originated from the 1800s as the railroad was a logging type of railroad and logging White Pines for milling building materials near Duluth and Viginia Minnesota.
I know it was Cook that later teamed up with O'Brien that owned the DV&RL Duluth Virginia and Rainy Lake Railroad. This bit of History does stick out in my head as we had two towns named after these historical men where I grew up.
I do believe this railroad was made up from Duluth and Iron Range, Duluth Minnesota and Northern, Duluth Rainy Lake and Winnipeg. I may have some facts twisted and turned around here as I never was really good at retaining history. I do know Cook and O'Brien did very well for themselves in the Logging Railroad business.
It was Canadian Northern as it was called back then that saw potential and bought out these two logging tycoons to start a railroad going from Canada to Duluth, this was known as the Peg. DWP became founded in the early 1900s out of all this.
Since these early days Canadian National has purchased DMIR and Wisconsin Central and has a route going all the way to Chicago. I'm sure you probably see older DWP locomotives still in service along with CN but I don't think any new DWP locomotives are painted. I hear the same with DMIR that the CN locomotives are orange up there.
I also have life experience of childhood memories of DWP growing up but I wont try to fit everything into one post as sometimes posting from a phone times out and everything disappears into Oblivion.
Thanks TF
MisterBeasley I remember taking in two Minnesota activities. The first was ice fishing. We sat out in a small shed with a heater, drank beer and fished through a hole in the ice. I thought it was a lot of fun.
I remember taking in two Minnesota activities. The first was ice fishing. We sat out in a small shed with a heater, drank beer and fished through a hole in the ice. I thought it was a lot of fun.
It is lot of fun Mister B. I go out with my friends every year. The sport has evolved over the years since I remember in the beginning. Most ice fishing houses have four to six holes depending on the size of them.
Now-a-days, although the fishing is fun when they're biting, it's just a good excuse to get a break from the wife to go out and do some male bonding. We have a poker table in the middle of the ice fishing house with bells on the lines in case someone gets a bite, we don't really pay attention to the fishing unless we hear a bell.
It's all about the potluck of the dish that everybody brings out to eat, the beer, the cards and the dice
I don't know about now since the fishing problem of the lake but I have seen pictures. Milacs Lake has Ice Fishers that are so serious they have upstairs sleeping rooms in their ice houses, kitchen and a bathroom
P.S. The one I really like that is quite a serious ice sport to me is Spearing. I went out every year when I lived up by the Canadian border but I've only gone a few times since then. This sport is really fun. You have to be on the right Lake for it. For me now that means travel.
You chain saw a rectangle in the ice in the middle of your ice house. The illumination of the Sun going through the ice into your dark ice house. You can see the fish come up but they can't see you. The adrenaline of a Big Muskie or Northern coming up to see your little lure your bobbing around startles you as you throw your spear in to snag that big fish. Talk about fun.
Post-hog
Judy's half sister just called from New Orleans. The news is hurricane season could start as soon as this Saturday. Hopefully not.