Electric Short Line Railway

Electric Short Line Railway

Company type	Railroad
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1908
Headquarters	Minneapolis , United States
Area served	Minnesota

Electric Short Line Railway

The Electric Short Line Railway, frequently referred to as Luce Electric Lines, was a railroad based in Minnesota that began in Minneapolis and extended westward. Managed by the Luce family, the line eventually stretched past Clara City all the way to Gluek. Most of the original route has since been abandoned, with its former corridor transformed into the Luce Line State Trail, overseen by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, along with the Luce Line Regional Trail, which runs alongside remaining sections and is operated by the Three Rivers Park District.

Incorporation occurred in late 1908, and construction commenced in 1909; however, only the initial 3.2 miles from 3rd Avenue and 7th Street North—later named Glenwood Junction—were finished by 1913. The track east of this junction was owned by the Electric Short Line Terminal Co., while the Electric Short Line Railway held ownership westward. By mid-1914, service extended over 17.8 miles; by mid-1915, it reached 47.5 miles; and by the close of 1917, the railway covered 70.9 miles up to Hutchinson, including some sections of double track.

Although originally intended to extend to Brookings, South Dakota, construction west of Hutchinson resumed in 1922, reaching Cosmos and Lake Lillian by 1923. Financial difficulties led to foreclosure in 1924, transferring ownership to the Minnesota Western Railroad, which was established by ESL bondholders. The Luce family lost control when the line was acquired by Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern in 1927. The predecessor of MN&S, Dan Patch Lines, had early connections with the Luce Line—constructing a link from Bloomington to Glenwood Junction in 1915 and utilizing Luce Line tracks into Minneapolis for several years. After Dan Patch ceased operations in 1916, MN&S's formation in 1918 played a crucial role in maintaining Luce Line’s profitability by serving as an essential beltline that bypassed congested rail yards between St Paul and Minneapolis.

Despite its designation as "Electric Short Line," the railway never employed electric locomotives. Passenger transport relied on gasoline-electric railcars manufactured by General Electric and Wason Car Company, along with a gasoline-mechanical railcar from McKeen Motor Car Company. These railcars frequently pulled additional passenger trailers. Freight services were powered by steam locomotives.

Passenger operations under Minnesota Western Railway continued into the late 1940s but were scaled back in 1939 to a single daily round trip except Sundays; this service concluded on September 10, 1947.

On January 31, 1956, ownership transferred to the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway, which rebranded the line as Minneapolis Industrial Railway on September 8, 1959—although only Minnesota Western caboose #1216 displayed the MIR emblem. The M&StL came under control of the Chicago and North Western Railway on November 1, 1960. Under C&NW management, deferred upkeep and service reductions led to abandonment petitions: authorization was granted in 1967 to remove the Gluek to Hutchinson section, followed by approval in 1969 for abandonment from Hutchinson to Plymouth. By the mid-1970s, approximately 104 miles of track had been dismantled. Following C&NW's merger into Union Pacific Railroad in 1995, remaining portions of the Luce Line between Interstate 494 and downtown Minneapolis continue operation as Union Pacific’s Golden Valley Industrial Lead.

Bibliography

• Luecke, John; Spyhalski, Paul (2013). The Minneapolis Northfield & Southern Railway: From Dan Patch To Dragons. Saint Paul, MN: Grenadier Publications. ISBN 978-0-9621020-9-7.
• Olson, Russell L. (1976). The Electric Railways of Minnesota. Minnesota Transportation Museum, Inc. pp. 520–528.
• Hofsommer, Don (2005). The Tootin' Louie: A History of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-4365-2.