Soo Line diesel locomotives remembered

Soo Line diesel locomotives came from four builders and sported two distinctive paint schemes.

Soo Line NW1A No. 2100 shows the features of EMC’s 900 hp switchers: a longer hood, no sandbox in front of the hood, and stacks centered instead of offset. It has a welded frame. EMC photo

Soo Line FP7 No. 500A is paired with F7B No. 500B. The FP7 is a former EMD demonstrator unit. EMD photo

Unaccompanied Soo Line F7B No. 502C rides a turntable at St. Paul Union Depot. J. David ingles photo

Soo Line GP30 No. 711 leads a consist that also includes an F7B at FP7 at the east end of Shoreham Yard in the Twin Cities. Note the air horn or the GP30 above the engineer’s window. J. David Ingles photo

Soo 2380 — the only one of the road’s 8 RSC2s and RSC3s in Wisconsin Central ownership — smokes it up at Shoreham, Minn. All had been re-trucked to B-Bs. J. David Ingles photo

No. 315, first of its four Fairbanks-Morse H10-44s Soo Line diesel locomotives, all kept in the Twin Cities, heads south toward the west end of Shoreham Yard. Today, it is displayed (in Chicago & North Western paint) at Milton, Wis. J. David Ingles photo

Led by GP9 550, the first unit in Soo’s new scheme, and sister 411, train 21 glides through Ishpeming near sunset Sept. 1, 1964, (above); subsequent repaints were whiter and had “SOO” in a sans-serif font. J. David Ingles photo

Soo No. 397 was the only Baldwin only DT-66-2000 in white. It is seen Sept. 1, 1964, at Marquette, Mich. J. David Ingles photo

The former Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern SD39 leads a freight south though Waukesha in June 1985. At right is the location of the original Wisconsin Central shops, now a subdivision. J. David Ingles photo, Brian Schmidt collection

Canadian Pacific train No. 281 rolls west through Duplainville, Wis., with an all-EMD consist — and Soo Line SD60M No. 6061 third out in March 2016. Soo Line’s last new locomotives were five SD60Ms in 1989. Brian M. Schmidt photo

The Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie had long been known by its nickname, the Soo Line. The railroad adopted that name officially in 1961 when it merged the Wisconsin Central and Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic, both of which the Soo had long controlled. The WC followed the motive power leadings of the Soo, and its locomotives were painted in the Soo Line scheme but with small “WC” sublettering. The DSS&A favored Baldwin locomotives (other than a group of four Alco RS1s), and its locomotives wore DSS&A’s own paint scheme.

Soo dieselized its through freights with EMD F3 and F7, and Alco FA, cab units. The first F3s came in 1947, wearing a maroon-and-gold similar to University of Minnesota’s (and CP’s) colors. Interestingly, the front-end striping on Soo Line diesel locomotives was similar to that of long-ago WC parent Northern Pacific. Soo’s passenger units numbered 25, including 2 A-B-B trios of ex-EMD demonstrator FP7-F7Bs, 6 new FP7s, and later, 13 GP9s. All “covered wagons” and most road-switchers wore the maroon and gold, but Soo’s diesel switchers and some early road-switchers were solid black with yellow visibility stripes on the ends.

Virtually all first-generation Soo diesels were four-motor B-Bs, exceptions being four each Alco RSC2s and RSC3s (A1A-A1A, later converted to B-B) and a lone SD9. Soo had a GE 44-tonner, seven Baldwins, and five Fairbanks-Morse H12-44 switchers to dent the EMD-and-Alco roster. DSS&A had dieselized during 1945-52, and in the merger Soo inherited its 16 Baldwins (including four center-cab transfer units) and eight RS1s. Everyday Soo steam ended Feb. 15, 1955, when 2-8-0 468 tied up at Neenah.

In the 1960s, Soo debuted a new paint scheme designed by Wallace W. Abbey. GP9 550 was the guinea pig for the new livery. In 1962 two new Alco RS27s in the bright colors arrived. They were followed in 1963 by 22 EMD GP30s, which rode on trucks from Soo’s 22 traded-in Alco FAs. Later came 10 GP35s, 4 GP40s, and in 1968, 10 GE U30Cs. The Alcos and GEs were “orphans,” though, and Soo then stuck with EMD, buying its first six-motor units, SD40s, in May 1969 and eventually having 78 SD40s and Dash-2s.

EMD’s 2,000 hp GP38-2 was perfect for Soo’s secondary lines and locals, and the model began replacing the F units in 1977. In a one-time occurrence, the first 10 of the road’s eventual 53 GP38-2s had the big “SOO” on the flanks in red, not black. The old three-digit/four-digit numbering scheme became history after those first 10. With the U30s next at 800-809, Soo renumbered the GP38-2s from 790-799 into the 4400s.

In 1982 the Soo acquired the Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern, and in 1986 merged the bankrupt Milwaukee Road, acquiring both railroads’ active locomotives in the process.

During 1987-1989, Soo bought what would be its last new power: 58 SD60s and 5 SD60Ms, all in the 6000s. The last 21 units came in a new “Candy Apple Red” with reflectorized white lettering.

Canadian Pacific, which had long owned a slight majority of Soo Line stock, acquired full ownership of Soo in 1990 and fully absorbed the railroad in 1992.