What happened to SOO Line?

[tree68]

traisessive1

It's the same reason CN keeps all their US subsidiaries alive. They HAVE to by law. CN has to do all its US operations through their US subsidiaries. CP would have to do the same. 

Wow - 16 year old thread.

That said - The CN purchase of the CSX St. Lawrence Sub (CR Massena Secondary) is being made by the B&LE, on paper.

[traisessive1]

What andrew said. CP needs a US company to do all their US operations through. Hence why SOO is still a thing. 

 

It's the same reason CN keeps all their US subsidiaries alive. They HAVE to by law. CN has to do all its US operations through their US subsidiaries. CP would have to do the same. 

[Andrew Falconer]

A Canadian rail company can only manage a USA rail company. 

There are still some SOO LINE covered hoppers in service, but they are mainly on the CP rail system's SOO tracks in the USA.

There are many new Canadian Pacific auto racks or CP automobile carriers that have the SOO reporting marks on the flat car and the auto rack. They were built by Greenbrier and Trinity. 

CP can add a small SOO logo decal to these new auto racks. 

ARI built SOO centerbeam flat cars. 

 

Andrew

[Anonymous]

The SOO Line Historical Society is a great source of pics and news. They publish a very good magazine as well.
http://www.sooline.org/home.html

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by UPTRAIN

You're welcome on the pix, Like I say, I wi***he Canadian railroads would keep their nose outta our good U.S. way of railroading, now the CN is running UN-air conditioned units to NEW ORLEANS! Yeah, real smart, not much of a "comfort cab" there!

Actually the majority of shareholders in CN are americans, so it really is more yours (those of you who are american) than ours (those of us that are Canadian).

[Anonymous]

I Saw a SOO tonight SD60 6002 first sd60 this year last time i saw a Soo was when Saddam Husane was captured

[Gluefinger]

remember that SOO technically owns CP's 8500-series AC4400CW's

[fuzzybroken]

I'm surprised no one has covered all of this yet...

"Today's" SOO consists of original lines west of the Twin Cities, and basically what's left of the Milwaukee Road east of the Twin Cities, including the line into Indiana and Louisville, KY. It is the operating corporation for Canadian Pacific Railway in this part of the country, so officially it is Soo Line d/b/a Canadian Pacific Railway.

Plenty of SOO-painted locomotives still abound, and CP doesn't seem to be in any hurry to cover up otherwise-perfectly-good paint with their new paint scheme, on SOO locomotives, CP's own Action Red locomotives, or even the few engines that are still running around in horrible-looking Milwaukee Road colors. [V] Check out my SOO GP38-2 page for examples:
http://www.geocities.com/fuzzybroken/SOO1.html

Now for a little history, not necessarily in any kind of chronological order: [swg]
The Soo Line was formed in 1961 by the merger of the Minneapolis St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie, the original Wisconsin Central, and the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic. Although the new corporation took the nickname of the MStP&SSM (Soo Line or $oo Line), the actual surviving corporation was the DSS&A. The WC had been controlled by the "Soo" since the 1890s, and prior to this was influenced by the Northern Pacific (oh, what could have been!). The MStP&SSM had been mostly-owned by Canadian Pacific since the late 1800s, I think the "other" MWH actually gave a date for this.

Now moving forward in time... the Milwaukee Road went bankrupt, and the SOO bought their "core" Midwestern system in 1985 after beating out another Canadian-owned railroad (CN's Grand Trunk Western) and MILW's long-held "logical" merger partner, Chicago & North Western.

Finding itself with new territory, but a duplicated system in Wisconsin, the SOO first tried to establish a shortline-like subsidiary to run its "old" system, now demoted to secondary service by the old MILW's superior routing. However, the Lake States Transportation Division was not nearly the success that SOO hoped it would be, owing at least in part to union issues. Finally, in 1987, the SOO sold off its Lake States lines, along with a couple ex-MILW lines, to the new Wisconsin Central Ltd., which itself became a raging success before being merged into another Canadian railroad, CN. (Are we just going around in circles here...?)

Well, back to the SOO. Around this same time, CP was looking to unload SOO, but eventually changed its mind and decided to integrate the SOO into its system, as well as the recently-purchased Delaware & Hudson out east. This was the beginning of the "CP Rail System" and the Dual Flags paint scheme. A few years later, CP considered dividing its system, creating the St. Lawrence & Hudson to "take over" the eastern lines including D&H, but finally decided to reunify and reorganize the system under a new, old, name, Canadian Pacific Railway.

Other changes have come to the Soo in recent years: lines in North Dakota have been sold to the Northern Plains Railway. The lines from the Twin Cities and Chicago to Kansas City, including the "corn lines" in Iowa, were sold to the I&M Rail Link (sister corp. to MRL), and later sold to DM&E's Iowa Chicago & Eastern.

Whew. Maybe somebody can fill in some of the dates that I can't remember???

-Mark W. Hintz
http://www.geocities.com/fuzzybroken

[Glen Ellyn]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tomtrain

At least in Wisconsin, it's still not the Soo of old, though. It's really an artificial Soo.

Well, actually, their is a town called Buffalo Grove, that is where my grandma lives, and their is aWisconson Centeral Line that runs through their. The line was bought from Soo in about 1996. Now Canadian National owns all of the Wisconson Centeral.

[UPTRAIN]

You're welcome on the pix, Like I say, I wi***he Canadian railroads would keep their nose outta our good U.S. way of railroading, now the CN is running UN-air conditioned units to NEW ORLEANS! Yeah, real smart, not much of a "comfort cab" there!

[railman]

It wouldn't be so bad if the Milwaukee hadn't been sucked into the canadian vaccum. Had they been bought by a US road, things would have been OK. Bettter than getting eaten up by CN, though.

[Anonymous]

I see a lot of Soo power on the D&H trains hear in eastern PA, most of the CPR trains have at least one Soo unit, I've seen a few SD40-2's and SD60's in both schemes, and an SD60M.

[Glen Ellyn]

Actually, I have seen the $OO LINE being bought by the Wisconson Centeral, wich has been bought by Canadian National. Plus I see SOO engines all the time. Imperticular on any Candaian Pacific line and or the Indiana Harbor Belt. A small active Illinois Indiana line. I have seen alot of very, very old engines.[8D]

[Anonymous]

Plenty of SOO locomotives still remain painted in the red, white & black
scheme as well as the bright red with SOO in white speed-lettering
up here in Minnesota. I've seen a lot of SD60's in the red, white & black
scheme and the Soo/CP local that operates out of Hastings, MN pulls a
standard, cupola-type steel caboose because of some long reverse
moves through town. Last I checked there's a red, white & black SOO
GP40 stationed in Red Wing, MN too. At St. Paul Saints games I see
more SOO livery than CP on the joint BNSF/CP trackage that runs behind
left field. On the SOO main west of the Twin Cities you see lots of their
locomotives, with a good mix of the CP schemes too.

[railman]

pictures of the elusive soo! thanks, UPTRAIN.

[UPTRAIN]

You'll see a bunch of the CP locomotives with the white decal below the road number reading: "Proud to be part of CP Rail System". I saw the third SOO line in my whole life last week, see the pix at:
http://uptrain.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=59004
http://uptrain.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=59005
http://uptrain.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=59006
http://uptrain.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=59007 ...stop on by and take a look!

[Anonymous]

The soo line is now part of the Canadian Pacific and has been since the late nintys!
The Soo line SD60 that are running around in SOO paint are not owned by the Railroad and will not be repainted unless they are bought!
Thay at one point where going to put the SD90 4300 hp power plant in to the SD60 making them a SD70 with very little upgrading! When the 6000 hp engines where avalable but we all know how that went!
Its nice to have freinds on the loco desk!
HERB

[gabe]

Just because it is just so unusual:

I see Soo units in Indiana all the time. The Milwaukee Road fans will know why.

Gabe

[wcfan4ever]

Go to LaCrosse, WI and you will see plenty of SOO's. Last year I caught three SOO GP38-2's leading a CP GP38-2 with a SOO caboose on the end. Later in the day I headed up to Winona Minnesota to find two SOO GP38-2's witha SOO caboose at the depot. They are around, you just have to find them.

[Junctionfan]

I have seen many SOO boxcars, autoracks (Bi level), 89 foot flats, gondolas and some coal cars. All say SOO Line and have kept their reporting marks. I have even seen CP automax cars with SOO reporting marks.

[CShaveRR]

Interesting that Soo locomotives are shown separately and freight cars are included with CP's total--one would expect the exact opposite to be true. All of the new locomotives have been lettered for CP, yet Soo in the past several years has gotten quite a few freight cars, notably covered hoppers and Center-Beam flats. The covered hoppers, despite their CP logos, carry SOO reporting marks. The SOO FBCs don't have any logos on them.

Our interchange, at least on paper, is with CPRS, not with SOO.

[Big_Boy_4005]

In spite of what Mark said, I think the Soo's days are numbered. I seriously doubt that we will be seeing any new Soo paint. When it's gone, it's gone. This is a long slow absorbtion process. All the real estate that was once marked Soo or Milwaukee, now says CP. Cars get CP paint with Soo reporting marks.

It seems like about 5 years back there was an announcement by CP that the transition was on. Did CP buy up the outstanding Soo stock, to take them from majority to 100%? Yes, the Soo still exists on paper, but one day, it will be no more. Take all the photos you can!!!!

[Anonymous]

There are plenty of engines with the SOO paint scheme. We have a regular train that runs from Nashville, TN to Blue Island yard (Q588) where most of the cars are tansferred to Bensenville and sent further up north.

[Anonymous]

I never new Soo was a controlled by CP that long i seen alot of soo Between minot north dakota to Minneapolis/stpaul and on the branch none and recently in minot just saw milwaukee road bandit and just recently met a Soo line friend number 6024 i saw it in town and then my dad gave me a salute to soo line video 3 weeks later and found it in a Stpaul locomotive shop and last year just saw it on the main line 45minutes north of where i live and now a days i am find it really a big treat to see a soo but brings me to my next Question is Soo line SD60's on lease and reply would be helpful

[railman]

Interesting...although they officially have 355 locomotives in service, their RR freight cars are included in the CP figures...so how independent are they, really? Is this just a paper designation for the most part?

[Anonymous]

Check this out http://www.aar.org/PubCommon/Documents/AboutTheIndustry/RRProfile_SOO.pdf

[Anonymous]

Still a few SOO locomotives out there...

I've seen a couple on CP lines recently.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan

They were bought by CP. I don't know what happened from there but CP seems to be the SOO subsidiary seems to have been dissolved and officially a part of CP.

At least their locomotives and rollingstock still exist. I have even seen a caboose in Cambridge Ontario.

That what I thought too,But I guess I was wrong.

[oskar]

well, I would say there dead and alive I seen some SOO in different places




kevin