Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad

Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Railroad
Predecessor	Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie and Atlantic Railway
Founded	1884 (1884)
Fate	Merged to form Soo Line Railroad
Successor	Soo Line Railroad
Headquarters	Minneapolis, Minnesota , United States
Area served	Midwestern United States
Key people	William D. Washburn, Thomas Lowry, F. N. Finney, Edmund Pennington, George Ray Huntington, Clive T. Jaffray, George W. Webster, H. C. Grout, G. Allen MacNamara
Parent	Canadian Pacific Railway

The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (MStP&SSM; ) functioned as a Class I railroad subsidiary under the Canadian Pacific Railway, operating throughout the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Soo Line since its establishment in 1884—a name derived from the phonetic pronunciation of Sault—it combined with other Canadian Pacific subsidiaries on January 1, 1961, to create the Soo Line Railroad.

Passenger service

Passenger operations on the Soo Line were relatively limited, primarily because its routes between Chicago and Minneapolis were longer than those of competitors such as the Milwaukee Road, Chicago and North Western Railway, and Burlington Route. Additionally, the absence of direct rail service to Milwaukee hindered its ability to capture a larger share of the passenger market.

Notable passenger trains included:

• The Laker: an overnight route running from Chicago's Grand Central Station to Duluth–Superior, featuring a segment between Minneapolis and St. Paul and previously extending to Ashland, Wisconsin until January 1959. This service was terminated on January 15, 1965.
• The Winnipeger: provided overnight travel between Minneapolis–St. Paul and Winnipeg, ceasing operations in March 1967.
• The Soo-Pacific and subsequently the Mountaineer: seasonal summer trains running between Chicago and Vancouver in partnership with Canadian Pacific during the 1920s and 1930s. The Mountaineer operated exclusively with sleeping cars before its discontinuation in August 1960. Outside the summer months, service continued as the Soo-Dominion from Minneapolis–St. Paul to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, connecting with CP’s transcontinental train The Dominion. This route was later shortened to run between St. Paul and Portal, North Dakota before ending in December 1963.
• An overnight route linking Minneapolis–St. Paul with Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan was discontinued in March 1959.

Additional local services operated on routes such as Chicago–Minneapolis–St. Paul, Duluth–Superior to Minneapolis–St. Paul, Duluth to Thief River Falls, Minnesota, along with seasonal trains supplementing The Mountaineer along its path.

This selection of passenger services reflected a business strategy that emphasized freight transport and specialized regional markets rather than competing vigorously in long-haul passenger travel.

Presidents

The leadership of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad included:

• William D. Washburn (1883–1889)
• Thomas Lowry (1889–1890, 1892–1909)
• F. N. Finney (1890–1892)
• Edmund Pennington (1909–1922)
• George Ray Huntington (1922–1923)
• Clive T. Jaffray (1924–1937)
• George W. Webster (1937–1944)
• H. C. Grout (1944–1949)
• G. Allen MacNamara (1950–1960)

Timeline

• September 29, 1883: A group of Minneapolis flour mill proprietors established the Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie and Atlantic Railway, aiming to construct a direct rail connection between Minneapolis and Sault Ste. Marie that would circumvent Chicago to enhance shipping efficiency.
• February 23, 1884: The MSSM&A secured permanent trackage rights on Northern Pacific Railway lines within Minneapolis and obtained access to Saint Paul Union Depot, broadening its operational reach.
• March 1884: Construction commenced near Turtle Lake, Wisconsin; contracts were awarded for grading approximately 60 miles of track while orders for rolling stock were placed to support forthcoming operations.
• November 7, 1884: The inaugural ceremonial train journeyed from Minneapolis to Bruce, Wisconsin; regular service began on November 15 over a newly completed 46-mile section.
• 1887: Minneapolis was chosen as the central hub for locomotive and car maintenance facilities, leading to the development of the "Shoreham" Shops on a 230-acre site equipped with advanced repair and manufacturing capabilities.
• January 5, 1888: The MSSM&A dispatched its first commercial train from Minneapolis carrying 102 cars loaded with flour destined for major domestic and international markets including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, London, and Glasgow.
• June 11, 1888: Control of MSSM&A was acquired by Canadian Pacific Railway; this acquisition merged it with several regional lines forming the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway, thereby expanding its network footprint and market presence.
• Early twentieth-century expansions included:
  • 1904: Acquisition of Bismarck, Washburn and Great Falls Railway
  • 1908-1909: Gaining majority ownership and lease agreements for Wisconsin Central Railway
  • 1910-1913: Purchase of Cuyuna Iron Range Railway, Minnesota Northwestern Electric Railway, Fairmount and Veblen Railway
  • 1921: Acquisition of Wisconsin and Northern Railroad
• Economic difficulties during the Great Depression led to:
  • 1932: Wisconsin Central Railway entering receivership
  • December 31, 1937: Bankruptcy filing by Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway
  • 1944: Wisconsin Central entered bankruptcy; Soo Line restructured effective September 1 as the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
• Post-World War II developments:
  • 1953: Purchase of Valley City Street and Interurban Railway
  • 1954: Wisconsin Central emerged from bankruptcy as Wisconsin Central Railroad
  • January 1, 1961: Merger forming the Soo Line Railroad by combining Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, Wisconsin Central Railroad, and Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad—enhancing corporate structure and expanding Canadian Pacific’s rail operations globally

Preservation

A number of the railroad's historic rolling stock have been conserved within museums across the United States, with some units still in working condition. Among the distinguished preserved steam locomotives are:

Steam locomotives

• 321, a B class 0-6-0 constructed in 1887 by Rhode Island Locomotive Works. Modified for shop switching duties; currently exhibited as a non-operational display at Pinecrest Historical Village, Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
• 346, a B-4 class 0-6-0 built in 1915 by ALCO; presented as a static exhibit at Wheels Across the Prairie Museum, Tracy, Minnesota, bearing the lettering C&NWR 850.
• 353, a restored B-4 class 0-6-0 from 1920 produced by ALCO; remains operational and is owned by WMSTR in Rollag, Minnesota.
• 440, an F-8 class 2-8-0 manufactured in 1900 by ALCO; displayed statically in Memorial Park, Harvey, North Dakota.
• 451, an F-9 class 2-8-0 built in 1905 by ALCO; shown as a static exhibit at Municipal Court, New Town, North Dakota.
• 730, an H-3 class 4-6-2 constructed in 1911 by ALCO; exhibited as a static display in Gladstone, Michigan.
• 735 and 736, both H-3 class 4-6-2 locomotives built in 1913 by ALCO; exhibited respectively at Roosevelt Park Zoo, Minot, North Dakota, and Telulah Park, Appleton, Wisconsin.
• 950, a G class 2-10-0 produced in 1900 by Baldwin Locomotive Works; the sole Soo Line 2-10-0 model; displayed statically at the former Soo Line Depot, Ashland, Wisconsin.
• 1003, an L-1 class 2-8-2 constructed in 1913 by ALCO; operational under the stewardship of the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association based in Hartford, Wisconsin.
• 1024, an L-4 class 2-8-2 built in 1902 by ALCO originally for the Monon Railroad; acquired by Soo Line in 1941; now on static display at City Hall, Thief River Falls, Minnesota.
• 2645, an E-25 class 4-6-0 built in 1900 by Brooks Locomotive Works for Wisconsin Central Railway; taken over by Soo Line in 1909; presented as a static exhibit at Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, Wisconsin.
• 2713, an H-21 class 4-6-2 constructed in 1911 by ALCO; displayed statically at Veterans Memorial Park, Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
• 2714, an H-22 class 4-6-2 built in 1914 by ALCO; exhibited at Lakeside Park, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
• 2718, an H-23 class 4-6-2 manufactured in 1923 by ALCO; on display at National Railroad Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
• 2719, an H-23 class 4-6-2 also built in 1923 by ALCO; this locomotive hauled Soo Line’s final steam excursion train in 1959 and continued excursion service until 2013; presently awaiting restoration at Lake Superior Railroad Museum, located in Duluth, Minnesota.