View source for Soo Line Railroad

{{Short description|American class I railroad}}
{{use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox rail
| railroad_name = Soo Line Railroad
| logo          = SOO-Logo.svg
| system_map    = Soo Line.png
| map_caption   = Map of the Soo Line Railroad. Red lines are former SOO trackage operated by CPKC; dark blue lines are former [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad|MILW]] trackage also now operated by CPKC; green lines are former SOO trackage spun off to [[Wisconsin Central Ltd.|WC]] and now part of [[Canadian National Railway|CN]]. Grey lines in North Dakota are operated by Short Lines ([[Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad|DMVW]] and [[Northern Plains Railroad|NPR]]) and dotted light blue lines are abandoned.
| image         = Soo 6062 SD60M Candy Apple Red.jpg
| image_caption = SOO 6062, an [[EMD SD60M]], leads a train through Wisconsin.
| marks         = SOO
| locale        = [[North Dakota]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Minnesota]], [[Michigan]], [[Illinois]]
| start_year    = {{start date and age|1961}}
| end_year      = <br/>{{end date and age|1990}}<br/>(as an independent railroad; to present for CP ownership)
| gauge         = {{Track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
| hq_city       = [[Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]]<ref name=report-2007/>
|successor=[[Canadian National Railway]], [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] (now [[Canadian Pacific Kansas City]])}}
The '''Soo Line Railroad''' {{reporting mark|SOO}} is one of the primary [[United States]] [[Rail transport|railroad]] [[subsidiary|subsidiaries]] for the [[CPKC|CPKC Railway]] {{reporting mark|CPKC}}, one of six U.S. [[Class I railroad]]s, controlled through the '''Soo Line Corporation'''. Although it is named for the [[Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad]] (MStP&SSM), which was commonly known as the Soo Line after the [[Phonemic orthography|phonetic spelling]] of [[Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan|Sault]], it was formed in 1961 by the consolidation of that company with two other CPKC subsidiaries: The [[Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway]], and the [[Wisconsin Central Railway (1897–1954)|Wisconsin Central Railway]]. It is also the successor to other Class I railroads, including the [[Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway]] (acquired 1982) and the [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]] (Milwaukee Road, acquired at bankruptcy in 1985). On the other hand, a large amount of mileage was spun off in 1987 to [[Wisconsin Central Ltd.]], now part of the [[Canadian National Railway]]. The Soo Line Railroad and the [[Delaware and Hudson Railway]], CPKC's other major subsidiary (before the 2008 [[Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad|DM&E]] acquisition), presently [[Trade name|do business as]] the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] (CP). Most equipment has been repainted into the CP scheme, but the U.S. [[Surface Transportation Board]] groups all of the company's U.S. subsidiaries under the Soo Line name for reporting purposes.<ref name=report-2007>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090227080643/http://www.stb.dot.gov/econdata.nsf/f039526076cc0f8e8525660b006870c9/f149963fc7fe3321852574430067e616/$FILE/2007%20Annual%20report%20Form%20R-1%27s%20Soo%20Line%20Railroad%20Company.pdf Annual Report of Soo Line Railroad Company to the Surface Transportation Board for the Year Ended December 31, 2007], p. 18</ref> The [[Minneapolis]] headquarters are in the [[Canadian Pacific Plaza]] building, having moved from the nearby [[Soo Line Building]].

== System description ==
[[File:Soo line camden bridage approach.jpg|left|thumb|The eastern approach over Saint Anthony Parkway of the [[Canadian Pacific Camden Place Rail Bridge]] in [[Minneapolis]]|alt=]]
The company's main line begins at [[Portal, North Dakota]], on the [[Canada–United States border|Canada–U.S. border]], and extends southeast along former MStP&SSM trackage to the Twin Cities ([[Minneapolis–Saint Paul]]). Ex-Milwaukee Road trackage takes the Soo Line from the Twin Cities to [[Chicago]] via [[Milwaukee]]. Between Chicago and [[Detroit]], where the CPKC-owned [[Michigan Central Railway Tunnel|Detroit River Tunnel]] connects back into [[Canada]], the Soo Line has [[trackage rights]] over the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] and [[haulage rights]] over [[CSX Transportation]].

Major branches include a connection from the border at [[Noyes, Minnesota]], to [[Glenwood, Minnesota|Glenwood]] and, until it was sold to the [[Indiana Rail Road]] in 1983, a line from Chicago to [[Louisville, Kentucky]].

Through trackage rights over the [[BNSF Railway]], the Soo Line also serves [[Duluth, Minnesota|Duluth]] from the Twin Cities.<ref>[[Canadian Pacific Railway]], [http://www8.cpr.ca/cms/NR/rdonlyres/eef3oz7bnnuiyoauwo7gvho2porfrwqoxjahivwqd4ixy4br3cnaszcek7sh2ghnnnnwdbe4eeqg46xjk6hskae2eoh/cpraif2007en.pdf In Motion: 2007 Annual Information Form], February 19, 2008, pp. 5, 7-9</ref>

At the end of 1970, the Soo Line operated {{convert|4693|mi}} of road on {{convert|6104|mi}} of track; that year it reported 8,249 million ton-miles of revenue freight and no passengers.

== History  ==
[[File:EMD SD60 SOO 6022.jpg|thumb| Soo Line 6022, an [[EMD SD60]], pulls a train through [[Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin|Wisconsin Dells]] on June 20, 2004.|alt=]]
The present Soo Line Railroad was incorporated in [[Minnesota]] on October 19, 1949, as the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad, as part of the plan for reorganizing the [[Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway]] (DSA) and subsidiary Mineral Range Railroad. When CP consolidated several subsidiaries on January 1, 1961, it used this company to merge the [[Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad]] and the [[Wisconsin Central Railway (1897–1954)|Wisconsin Central Railway]] into, and renamed it to the present name, the Soo Line Railroad. The Soo Line gained control of the [[Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway]] (MNS), a Twin Cities–area [[shortline railroad]], in June 1982.<ref name=Moodys>[[Moody's Transportation Manual]], 1992, pp. 221, 223</ref>

Passenger service was mostly eliminated by the 1961 merger, but several trains remained for a few more years. These were a Saint Paul to Duluth daytime train known only as Trains 62 and 63 (discontinued June 1961),<ref name=Abbey-097>{{harvnb|Abbey|1984|p=97}}</ref> the overnight Chicago to Duluth ''Laker'' and its Saint Paul connection (both discontinued January 15, 1965),<ref name=Dorin-097>{{harvnb|Dorin|1979|p=97}}</ref> the Twin Cities to [[Winnipeg]] ''[[Winnipeger]]'' (discontinued March 25, 1967),<ref name=Dorin-097 /> and the Saint Paul to Portal ''Soo-Dominion'' that, during the summer, ran through to [[Vancouver]] via a connection with Canadian Pacific's ''[[The Dominion (train)|The Dominion]]'' at [[Moose Jaw]]. It was discontinued in December 1963,<ref name=Abbey-099>{{harvnb|Abbey|1984|p=99}}</ref> and the western Canada cars were handled on the ''Winnipeger'' for two more summers before they too were pulled. The Soo Line's last passenger train was the ''[[Copper Country Limited]]'', a joint service with the Milwaukee Road inherited from the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic. This Chicago-[[Champion, Michigan|Champion]]-[[Calumet, Michigan|Calumet]] service was discontinued May 8, 1968.<ref name=Dorin-097 /> In addition, there were several mixed trains, with additional ones created to enable the discontinuance of the Saint Paul to Portal passenger train. Some mixed train services gained notoriety because passengers were conveyed in one direction only.
[[File:Soo Line boxcar.jpg|thumbnail|left|A Soo Line [[boxcar]] in 2010|alt=]]
In 1984, CP incorporated the Soo Line Corporation in Minnesota as a [[holding company]], exchanging stock in December to give the Soo Line Corporation total control over the railroad. Two months later, on February 19, 1985, the Soo Line purchased the property of the bankrupt [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]] and assigned it to a newly created subsidiary, The Milwaukee Road, Inc. This company and the MN&S were both merged into the Soo Line Railroad effective January 1, 1986. To cut costs, the Soo Line created the [[Lake States Transportation Division]] (LSTD) on February 10, 1986<ref>''[[Modern Railroads]]'', February 15, 1988, p. 37</ref> to operate the less-important lines, including the ex-Wisconsin Central line between Chicago and the Twin Cities. Unable to implement its proposed labor rule changes, the Soo Line sold the approximately {{convert|2000|mi|km|adj=on}} LSTD to a new [[regional railroad]], [[Wisconsin Central Ltd.]], in 1987<!--Moody's Soo Line Railroad entry says April; Soo Line Corp entry says October 11--> for $133 million.<ref>Steve Glischinski, Regional Railroads of the Midwest, Voyageur Press, 2007, p. 137</ref> (The WC folded into the [[Canadian National Railway]] in 2001). In 1990, CP gained full control of the Soo Line Corporation, of which it had previously owned about 56% of the [[common stock]].<ref name=Moodys/> In the 2000s, the Soo Line was consolidated into CP.

== Named passenger trains ==
The railroad ran several long distance named trains. 
* ''Laker,'' [[Minneapolis]], Minnesota – [[Duluth, Minnesota]] – [[Ashland, Wisconsin]]
* ''Soo-Dominion,'' [[Chicago]], Illinois – [[Vancouver]], British Columbia
* ''[[Winnipeger]],'' [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]] – [[Winnipeg]], Manitoba

== Presidents ==
The Presidents of the Soo Line Railroad were:<ref>{{harvnb|Gjevre|1990|pp=203–207}}</ref>
* [[Leonard Murray (railroad executive)|Leonard H. Murray]], 1961–1978, previously President of the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway<ref>{{cite news |last=Her |first=Lucy Y. |url=http://www.startribune.com/local/11577906.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911013532/http://www.startribune.com/local/11577906.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 11, 2012 |title=Obituary: Leonard H. Murray, 88, Soo Line chairman and CEO |newspaper=Minneapolis Star Tribune |date=December 4, 2001 |access-date=September 18, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Thomas Beckley|Thomas M. Beckley]], 1978–1983
* [[Dennis Miles Cavanaugh]], 1983–1986, 1987–1989
* [[Robert C. Gilmore]], 1986–1987
* [[Edwin V. Dodge]], 1989–1996

== Remaining locomotives ==

=== Preserved ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Soo Line 2500 Streamliner.JPG|thumb|[[Soo Line 2500]] pulls a special train in Duluth on July 12, 2014.]]
Some of the railroad's [[diesel locomotive]]s have been preserved: 
* 500, an [[EMD FP7|EMD FP7A]], on display in [[Ladysmith, Wisconsin]].
* [[Soo Line 700|700]], an [[EMD GP30]], at the [[Lake Superior Railroad Museum]] in [[Duluth, Minnesota]]. Restored for use on their [[North Shore Scenic Railroad]].
* 703, an EMD GP30, and 991, a [[Barney and Smith Car Company|Barney and Smith]] heavyweight [[Passenger car (rail)|passenger car]], at the [[Colfax Railroad Museum]] in [[Colfax, Wisconsin]].
* 715, an EMD GP30, at the [[National Railroad Museum]] in [[Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin]], although it wears a [[Wisconsin Central Ltd.]] paint scheme.
* [[Soo Line 2500|2500]], an EMD FP7A, at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth. Also restored for use on their North Shore Scenic Railroad.
<!-- Please do not add steam locomotives to this list. They belong on the [[Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad]] article as they were all retired before the Soo Line Railroad came into existence. Thank you. -->

In addition, a number of the railroad's 145 steel [[caboose]]s have been preserved along with Soo Line 4402 which (as of 2025) has returned to active duty.

[[File:SOO 4598.jpg|thumb|SOO 4598, an [[EMD GP39-2]], trails on a train through [[Oconomowoc, Wisconsin]], on October 13, 2019.]]

== Rail trails ==
* The Soo Line Trail in Minnesota was created from former pieces of the railroad which has extended down into the [[Lake Wobegon Trails|Lake Wobegon Trail]]. The trails are enjoyed by walkers, runners, and bikers in the area, and are prized for how flat they are.
* The ''[[Copper Country Limited]]'' railroad lines in Michigan's [[Keweenaw Peninsula]], along with former lines owned by the [[Copper Range Railroad]], have been turned into [[All-terrain vehicle|ATV]] trails.<ref name="Railways of the Keweenaw">{{cite web |last1=Burr |first1=Jenni |title=Railways of the Keweenaw |url=https://www.nps.gov/kewe/learn/photosmultimedia/railways-of-the-keweenaw.htm |website=National Park Service |publisher=Keweenaw National Historical Park |access-date=20 September 2022}}</ref> Some, like the {{convert|17|mi||adj=mid|-long}} Jack Stevens Hancock-Calumet Trail, are multi-purpose and are enjoyably used by hikers and bikers year-round.<ref name="Jack Stevens Hancock-Calumet Trail">{{cite web |title=Jack Stevens Hancock-Calumet Trail |url=https://mitrails.org/jack-stevens-hancock-calumet-trail.php |website=Michigan Trails |publisher=Michigan Trails Magazine |access-date=20 September 2022}}</ref>
* The Wolf River State Trail was created on a section of the Soo Line's Shawano Subdivision. Tracks were removed in 2001 by Wisconsin Central between Shawano and Crandon, and a segment from White Lake to Crandon later became the Wolf River State Trail. It is open to ATVs, snowmobiles, hikers and horseback riders.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wolf River State Trail {{!}} Wisconsin DNR |url=https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/wolfriver |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=dnr.wisconsin.gov}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Soo Line locomotives]]
* [[Soo Line Depot (disambiguation)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Abbey |first=Wallace W |year=1984 |title=The Little Jewel |location=Pueblo, CO |publisher=Pinon Productions |isbn=0-930855-00-0 |lccn=84014873}}
* {{cite book |last=Dorin |first=Patric C. |year=1979 |title=The Soo Line |location=Burbank, CA |publisher=Superior Publishing Company |isbn=0-87564-712-X |lccn=79012204}}
* {{cite book |last=Gjevre |first=John A. |year=1990 |orig-year=1973| title=Saga of the Soo, West from Shoreham |edition=second |location=Morehead, MN |publisher=Gjevre Books |oclc=23244801}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.sooline.org/ Soo Line Historical and Technical Society's Website]

{{North America class I}}
{{Twin Cities Railroads}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soo Line Railroad}}
[[Category:Soo Line Railroad| ]]
[[Category:Canadian Pacific Railway subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Companies based in Minneapolis]]
[[Category:North Dakota railroads]]
[[Category:South Dakota railroads<!--still?-->]]
[[Category:Minnesota railroads]]
[[Category:Wisconsin railroads]]
[[Category:Illinois railroads]]
[[Category:Indiana railroads<!--trackage rights to Detroit-->]]
[[Category:Michigan railroads<!--trackage rights to Detroit-->]]
[[Category:Defunct Kentucky railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Missouri railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Iowa railroads]]
[[Category:Montana railroads<!--still owns the line, leased to the DMVW-->]]
[[Category:Railroads in the Chicago metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Economy of the Midwestern United States]]
[[Category:Predecessors of the Canadian Pacific Railway]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1961]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1961]]
[[Category:Former Class I railroads in the United States]]