Luce Line Trail

The Luce Line Trail starts on the Minneapolis/Golden Valley border and ends in Cosmos, far west outside the Twin Cities region. The rail line originally went as far west as Gluek, MN, but it was intended to serve South Dakota.

The Luce Line was an interurban railroad using gas powered motorcars instead of the typical steam or diesel locomotives (though steam locomotives were later added). This railroad had numerous names besides the Luce Line; Electric Short Line (it was also planned to be electrified but never happened), Minnesota Western (during ownership under the Minneapolis Northfield & Southern Railway), and Minneapolis Industrial Railway (brief name during ownership under the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway).

In 1956 the Luce Line was bought by the M&StL and renamed the Minneapolis Industrial Railway to promote industrial development along the route. In 1960 the Chicago & North Western Railway (CNW) purchased the M&StL. The CNW purchased numerous small railroads to eliminate competition and neglected service and maintenance on these short lines. The Luce Line was no exception, and in 1967 the CNW proposed to abandon the segment between Gluek and Hutchinson. Despite opposition from farmers who relied on the railroad to ship their product, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) approved abandonment. Then in 1972 the segment between Hutchinson and Plymouth (a western suburb of Minneapolis) was proposed to be abandoned. Once again despite opposition the abandonment was approved. In 1995 the CNW merged with the Union Pacific Railroad (UP), and since then UP continues to operate on the Luce Line once per day between Minneapolis and Plymouth serving local customers. Along this stretch the Luce Line Trail parallels the tracks until Interstate 494 where the trail takes over the abandoned right-of-way and uses it until Cosmos. West of Cosmos the right-of-way has been plowed for farm fields.

One historic piece from the era of passenger trains operating on this line is a trestle in Wayzata going over Highway 12 and the BNSF Railway tracks.

Here are pictures of Luce Line operations as early as the 1900s to as late as the 1960s-https://mcleodhistory.pastperfectonline.com/bysearchterm?keyword=Luce+Line+Railroad&page=1

Photo by John Hill from 1982 of the historic trestle in Wayzata-http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1312823

Here are my photos from walks or bike rides on the Luce Line Trail:

Looking west at the tunnel under Interstate 494. Behind me is where the active railroad track ends and the trail takes over the right-of-way.

Looking east at the end of the line in Plymouth. Union Pacific Railroad continues to serve this rail line once every weekday.

Looking east down the mainline of the Luce Line (now called the Golden Valley Industrial Lead) and the various spurs and sidings. On the right you can partially see the trail bridge that goes over Xenium Lane in Plymouth.

Way outside the Twin Cities looking west on the Luce Line Trail.

Browns Creek State Trail

Browns Creek State Trail connects with the Gateway State Trail at Duluth Junction in extreme western Stillwater and heads east to Downtown Stillwater. This was a spur off the Northern Pacific Railroad's Skally Line between St. Paul and Duluth. It was the first rail line into Stillwater and opened in the 1870s. The spur was abandoned between White Bear Lake and Duluth Junction in the early 1980s by the Burlington Northern Railroad. The right-of-way can be seen but it has mostly been developed.

At the same time the Minnesota Transportation Museum (MTM) was using the tracks between Duluth Junction and Downtown Stillwater for tourist trains. In 1987 the owner of the Minnetonka Zephyr (a dinner train operating in Lake Minnetonka communities) moved operations to Stillwater and renamed the train the Minnesota Zephyr.

Due to opposition from adjacent land owners the MTM moved operations to the community of Marine on St. Croix, which is north of Stillwater on the Minnesota/Wisconsin border. The Minnesota Zephyr continued to operate dinner trains until the end of 2007. The locomotives and coaches sat in Downtown Stillwater for six years waiting for a buyer. From what I've read the owner was asking too much for the equipment, and the City Council wanted the equipment removed as it was becoming blight. Eventually a buyer was found and the equipment was shipped away. The trail opened in 2015.

Here's a photo of Duluth Junction in 1980 by Tom Dethmers. Today this is the junction of the Browns Creek State Trail and the Gateway State Trail. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4528797

MTM tourist train in Stillwater in 1988 by Tom Dethmers-http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4519269

MTM tourist train (the steam engine) and Minnesota Zephyr meeting in western Stillwater in 1988. Photo by Tom Dethmers. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4537570

One of the locomotives awaiting its fate in 2013. Photo by Andrew Goblirsch. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3756479

Here are my photos in 2017:

Mile post sign hiding in the trees.

Stillwater Depot, where trains once began and ended their journeys. Under the white tarp is a very old streetcar, but I don't know what its future will be.

Its been nearly 10 years since the tracks were abandoned but a railroad crossing sign still remains.

Dakota Rail Trail

The Dakota Rail Trail goes between Wayzata and Lester Prairie (eventually to Hutchinson), winding its way through the Lake Minnetonka towns of Crystal Bay, Minnetonka Beach, Navarre, Spring Park, and Mound.

The Great Northern Railway (GN) built the rail line in 1889, originally going through Hopkins to reach St. Bonifacius and end up in Hutchinson. In 1900 GN connected its North Shore Line along Lake Minnetonka to St. Bonifacius, which replaced the route through Hopkins. The new route connected with one of their mainlines between Minneapolis and the west coast, which still exists today. If you look really close on Google Earth you can see the right-of-way of the old route just south of St. Bonifacius (you can see it more clearly with historic aerial images here-https://www.lib.umn.edu/apps/mhapo/).

This line was known as the Hutch Spur and in addition to freight also had a daily roundtrip passenger train between Minneapolis and Hutchinson. Its not known when passenger service ended.

In 1970 GN merged with the Northern Pacific, Chicago Burlington & Quincy, and Spokane Portland & Seattle Railway to form Burlington Northern (BN). BN continued operations on the Hutch Spur until 1985, when they proposed to abandon the line. Due to opposition from shippers, a new railroad was sought to continue operations. That same year Dakota Rail (where the trail name comes from) leased the line from BN and continued freight service. Two short-lived dinner trains also operated on the Hutch Spur; one by Dakota Rail and the other called the Minnetonka Zephyr. The owner of the Minnetonka Zephyr moved operations to Stillwater due to disagreement over lease rates on the Hutch Spur.

In 1995 RailAmerica, Inc. purchased Dakota Rail and continued operations on the Hutch Spur until 2000. There was not enough business on the line to make a profit, and track maintenance was poor. The McCleod County Regional Railroad Authority once again looked for a new railroad, but there was no interest. The Hutch Spur was officially abandoned in 2001.

A few years later the rails and ties began to be removed. As a kid I remember going through St. Bonifacius and Hutchinson on family trips, and would see the rails and ties slowly but surely disappearing. In 2008 the first segment of the Dakota Rail Trail was completed, and has since reached Lester Prairie. Its planned to eventually reach Hutchinson.

While there have been mumblings about the potential for rail transit on this corridor there has been no official discussion or study. If it were seriously considered it would have significant opposition from Lake Minnetonka residents, but I on the other hand would fully support it.

Here is an album by Robert Ball showing Dakota Rail operations-https://www.flickr.com/photos/22397831@N05/sets/72157629749319735/with/16243933781/

Here are my photos from bike rides on the Dakota Rail Trail:

Trail bridge over Highway 7 in St. Bonifacius. When I was a kid in the early 2000s there were still railroad crossing signals and tracks here, but as time went on they were removed.

Abandoned rail spur going to the former Tonka Toy factory in Mound.

Engine shed in Spring Park, now used for maintenance equipment.

The tracks used to wind their way through here in Minnetonka Beach.

This is just west of downtown Wayzata. This track ends just beyond the trees, but used to go all the way to Hutchinson. Now the Dakota Rail Trail takes over the right-of-way. Behind me is BNSF Railway's Wayzata Subdivision between Minneapolis and Willmar.

Information on the Dakota Rail Trail including a route map can be found here-https://www.threeriversparks.org/location/dakota-rail-regional-trail