Illinois Railway Museum's big double Baldwin, when still on the Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern, pulling an excursion in 1968:

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?s ... e_MN_d.jpg

That vehicle in the photo ( 66-67 Olds/Buick?) is also pretty neat!

Very neat photo indeed. I bet some people blew that excursion off because it was not steam.

Neat cars?? Look up at that great consist of heavyweight Pullmans!!!! THOSE are neat cars!! Back in the day, that sort of stuff was just laying around the coachyards as spare equipment for Boy Scout moves, camp trains, military reserve moves, and the occasional fantrip.

Ah!!!

Those pullmans are just boxes that give the locomotive something to do.

Hi Bob:

I sent the photo of MN&S 21 and those gorgeous NP cars to our Minnesota Streetcar Museum members because undoubtedly one or more of the "old timers" rode on the trip. I got a response from several including Bill Cordes who was one of the organizers of the fan trip.
(Aside: Bill also was one of the riders on the last streetcar run to operate in Minneapolis, the famous June 19, 1954 trip that covered the last three TCRT Lines that were abandoned the day before. One of those two cars, No. 1300, still operates at Our Como-Harriet Streetcar Line in SW Minneapolis on the very ROW that it operated on June 19th. No. 1300 will be 100 years old in 2008. I get goose bumps just thinking about that! I supposes that's why we're in this "business.")

Anyway, here is a reminiscence from one of our members, John Diers who was a passenger on that September, 1968 fantrip.

"Jim:

Great photo. In fact I have some slides of the trip in my collection.

I grew up in Bloomington. We moved out there in 1952—just off Normandale and Old Shakopee Roads. I have many memories of MN&S #15 rumbling by our backyard—including, especially, a derailment that tipped a half dozen freight cars and tore up several hundred feet of track. This, of course, caused dozens of men in suits to appear along with one of the center cabs to tow what was still upright, and on the tracks, back to Auto Club Junction.

Because it was my childhood railroad, the MN&S was always special and, for that reason, when I read about the trip in Trains I just had to go. I don’t recall the sponsor—maybe MRA (Minnesota Railfans' Association--JIm V.)—but the trip started in the morning at Glenwood Junction. MN&S personnel were there and very graciously gave us a tour of the shops. That, a photo opportunity at the Savage bridge, a meet with the high line local at Auto Club Junction (MN&S #15 in charge) a Rock Island FA at Northfield, and beautiful weather made for a great outing. It was my first trip on the MN&S. There wouldn’t be another for me until MTM ran an excursion to Northfield behind 328.

Today, of course, the MN&S is gone, and the segment between Savage and Lakeville is out of service and has been for many years.

Thanks for running the photo.

John Diers"

Thanks!