Sister to the 346 with the ridiculous tall smokestack, the 353 also came from the Koppers plant in the Twin Cities, but fared a little better, being operable at the threshermen's group at Rollag, Minnesota most of the time.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=127245

Don't you love authentic paint schemes?

Ex-Soo Line 0-6-0 # 353 looks pretty good. Wonder if anyone has a list of what other railroad equipment this group might have. I tried various websites but coverage of the railroad stuff is spotty at best. There is apparently another steam engine in service besides # 353; a little 0-4-0T numbered 3. And a couple of cabooses. Can anyone provide the history of this equipment? And what about the other cars? Stock cars or single sheathed box cars with every other board removed? Can anyone help?

Les

I've never seen a roster for this operation, but from what I can see in the photo, the first car is a Soo Line single sheath boxcar of 1913. 14. or 15 vintage with a home made roof added, the second and third cars appear to be the stock cars the Great Northern rebuilt from older boxcars in the mid fifties. Pretty cool stuff; too bad no effort to keep it authentic. But then again, this is just a threasher's reunion, county fair atmosphere type of thing. The 346 is in what claims to be a MUSEUM, and look what they did to it. Must be something in the water up there.