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  The
Minnesota Valley Division presents two railroads in
southern Minnesota: The Chicago and North Western Railroad
and the Minneapolis and Saint Louis Railroad. Eighty-five
(85) miles of the CNW Dakota Division are modeled
from Mankato to Tracy, Minnesota. This section of railroad was famous
for it's Alcos. The M&StL Central Division is modeled
from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Fort Dodge, Iowa as well as the Western
Division to Watertown, South Dakota. Both railroads operate point-to-point
with an interchange in New Ulm, Minnesota. Selective compression of the
prototype track plan was done to create the yards in New Ulm, Tracy,
Winthrop, Mankato and Cambria.
| Superintendent |
Arlan Tietel |
| Division or Location: |
Chicago and North Western Dakota
Division, Minneapolis and Saint Louis Central and Western Divisions
-- Minnesota and South Dakota |
| Interchange Railroads: |
Chicago and North Western; Minneapolis
and St Louis; Minnesota Transfer; Great Northern, Milwaukee Road |
| Size of Railroad: |
700 square feet |
| Scale: |
HO |
| Era: |
1950s |
| Control System: |
Lenz DCC with CVP wireless |
| Scale Clock Speed: |
6:1 |
| Length of Session: |
2.5 - 3 hours (real) |
| Number of Crew: |
12 |
| Train Control: |
Verbal Authority |
| Are Radios Required: |
No |
| Listed Jobs: |
Dispatcher, four yardmasters, 7
road crews |
Layout photos (click to enlarge):
Commercial Developers Woodrow (Woody) Nickl
and Russell (Rusty) Dyme leased prime real estate on the M&StL
for the Jordan Brothers of Minot, ND to build a distribution
center to serve Minneapolis and its suburbs. M&StL #D-741
spots a load of strawberries in JWPX #34 that originated on
the Santa Maria Valley RR.
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Two small children run to greet Grandpa and
Grandma coming off the Watertown Express from Minneapolis.
Motor Car #4 is one of three motor cars in service on the
Minnesota Valley Division.
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CNW #1616 pulls an unloaded hopper from the
power plant at the Eagle Roller Mill in New Ulm. Scratch built
from photos and pencil sketches, this model was awarded first
prize winner in the Structures category at the 1987 CNW
Historical Society meet.
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CNW #1616 picks up a load of rock from the Red
Stone Quarry. This scene features a quarry floor made of
quarry dust from the Red Stone Quarry in new Ulm, MN. The
quarry faces are colored to match the quarry floor. The
children on the quarry are Arlan and his siblings. His father
would take the children to the quarry for Sunday outings to
give mom child care relief.
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M&StL #215 spots the LCL car
from train #60 at the Ft. Dodge team track platform for unloading by
the local Dray man, Delbert Smith. Smith later moved his dray
business to Ellendale, ND, and served both the Great Northern and
the Milwaukee Road there.
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CNW #1620, pulling the Black Hills
Express (Chicago to Rapid City service), arrives at the New Ulm
Depot. The depot is a montage of five photographs glued to foam
core.
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Twin Cities Lines street car traffic on Hennepin Avenue at the Great Northern Depot
provides service to M&StL passengers arriving on the station platforms below street level.
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CNW #1618 spots loaded grain boxcars at Watertown Milling. This Watertown Milling
building was moved 60 miles from Jack Gutsch's M&StL 13th Subdivision in Menominee, Wisconsin to its place
on the Minnesota Valley Division.
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The M&Stl Freight House has daily work with LCL cars. Each morning the
LCL car is loaded for departure on train #74. In the afternoon the crew unloads the LCL car arriving on train #75.
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M&StL #215 with train #61 crosses the High Bridge over the Cottonwood River south of
New Ulm. All foliage in the river scene is naturally grown in the gardens of the railroad home.
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