Railroad Forums 

  • CPR Line going through Winona,MN

  • Discussion relating to the past and present operations of CPR. Official web site can be found here: CPR.CA. Includes Kansas City Southern.
Discussion relating to the past and present operations of CPR. Official web site can be found here: CPR.CA. Includes Kansas City Southern.

Moderators: Komachi, Ken V

 #321390  by enjoythesilence
 
Do any engineers or conductors make runs on this line quite often? I'm a college student living in Winona right by the tracks and a railfan. Just curious, I heard a rumor that CPR was talking about running over 50+ trains through here a day?
 #321673  by Komachi
 
Winona...

Ah, my old "stomping grounds." Brings back fond memories (see my post in the "Railroad Operations Forum").

However, it's been about ten years since I was there, so I can't tell you what they're planning, or if the info. you have is fact or fiction.

 #323818  by dhaugh
 
I don't quite see how CP could instantly boost that much traffic, regardless of whether the line is equipped to handle it. Where would it come from? I think they might run around 25-30 daily now? Where do the rest come from? The only thing I could see would be a major reroute off the trans-Canadian line for east coast traffic, but I don't know much about CP traffic patterns. I guess the other possibility is when and if DM&E gets their coal trains and if they hand off trains at Winona. Again, I really don't think it'd be that many as whatever coal traffic DM&E does get could be going a lot of different directions: to the Twin Cities on UP at Mankato and down the ICE at Owatonna. Winona would be the last stop on the DME.

 #332282  by GOLDEN-ARM
 
We ran from the Twin Cities, to Portage, Wisconsin, through Winona. About 8 trains a day, not counting locals. Unless the CP was shutting down the "Northern Tier", through Canada, I can't imagine where they will find that much traffic. 50 trains, is a major increase, and the capacity west of Winona, into Minneapolis, might not even be able to handle the number you are suggesting, considering the joint traffic on the line, in and out of Minnesota, with BNSF. We had a pair of trains into Dubuque, as well that ran the same line. It would be interesting to see, but highly unlikely, I would imagine. Regards

 #336434  by dhaugh
 
They're running a lot more than 8 these days since NAFTA. When was it when you were there?