A Tribute to the Soo Line - FULL VIDEO (2000)

[@dkservice424]

I grew up in the mid 1970’s in river forest Illinois just west of Chicago. The soo line double track ran literally 25 / 30 feet to the right of the house. I was mesmerized watching them go right past my bedroom window every hour or so. I will never forget seeing unit 1776 decorated for the bicentennial with fresh paint around 1977. Have been a HO scale model railroader of the soo ever since. Great video. Brings back memories of simpler and better times.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you for the nice comment. You must have seen a lot growing up outside of Chicago! And yes, we remember seeing photos of that 1776 unit. The SOO had a beautiful Bicentennial paint scheme. Looks like it was really SOO 727 in disguise. We appreciate you taking the time to watch the video.

[@ShannonS-se4fc]

I know that there is a lot of people who have been voting for your rights and you should do that but don't vote for those who wants to take our rights a way yes I mean that because there is another war going on and pray that God will stop the war now and that we don't have to hear the tornado warning sirens turning in to the air aid siren again sincerely Shannon

[@gregginter5867]

@@dkservice424 …wow, what a thrill that must’ve been! In my case, I heard the click-clack of tracks ea night from my bed! Our home was located about 3miles from The Milwaukee Rd as it meandered on the Wisconsin banks of the Mississippi River n then the Burlington Northern on the Iowa banks opposite! Every day n night all through my childhood!

[@mikeashely8198]

when I was 10 years old all the way up to 30 years old I had a crush on the soo line in the U P of Michigan that was 1960 to 1980

[@TNS17]

WHAT

[@beeble2003]

And then you realised that Sue Line wasn't a girl and you left the UP to live with the other UP in Sue City. Bad news, man. That's not a girl, either.

[@csxtfarmer]

I never knew the variety of horns they had on Soo power. Very cool.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Oh, yes. Nathan P3s, P5s, K3Ls, K3LAs, K5LAs, Prime 920s, Leslie RS3Ls, RS5Ts, and even some oddball RS3K/Prime 990-type horns were heard on SOO locomotives during this time period. You never knew what you were going to get! Thank you for the comment.

[@norfolkcountyrailfanningpr7000]

Nice Soo line RR from late 1990s to early 2000s.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you!

[@taylorbaggarleyunionpacifi3409]

I always soo line it's awesome company

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you!

[@taylorbaggarleyunionpacifi3409]

@@CVisionProductions1 your welcome guys

[@tombarnes7196]

Outstanding!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you kindly!

[@mjrodriguez8670]

I like the red and white colours of the SOO Line! These trains that went west from St. Paul left the US at Noyes, MN (to Winnipeg) and Portal, ND (to Western Canada, including Kicking Horse Pass and Rogers Pass).

[@CVisionProductions1]

I agree!

[@bradhardy2629]

I know , I was an Engineer out of St. Paul in the mid nineties . Stuck working the crappy Soo line jobs while they worked all the good Milwaukee Road jobs around the twin cities . The C.P. was the worst thing to happen to the Soo line / Milwaukee Road .

[@danielneeley5480]

Half of the horns on the locomotives are shot. The winters must've been really hard on those nathans/leslies.😣

[@CVisionProductions1]

Yeah, winter and time....

[@berkshiredave9766]

Fantastic....

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you!

[@BNSF1458]

Wonderful video C vision. Really hope I can turn railfanning into a career like this some day, so cool. I hope to see BNSF Hinckley Sub V2 uploaded eventually, the first one was super good, can't wait to see the second eventually.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you! Always keep your dreams alive!!!

[@plisskenationbackfromthede3657]

Always liked watching the soo line growing up. Wed go and see the old engine house in bensenville and cruise around the yards in franklin park. Was cool at 1st when cp took over, lots more different power to see, until all the soo locos were gone a few years later. I always liked those beat up paint-falling-off milwaukee rd units, they had alot of, lets say, character lol

[@CVisionProductions1]

I agree totally! It was a great railroad. Thank you!

[@scottrobinson1112]

Thank fully the coler mark cars are stil rolling. And seeing a MNS car in a blue moon is grate too.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thanks Scott!

[@grahamsawyer831]

some really excellent films, very good light, sound, landscape/sky - up there with the best of them for sure. lovely stuff.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Many thanks Graham! I'm glad you enjoy them.

[@GardenHermit]

Fantastic video - many thanks for sharing it. I have a real 'soft spot' for the Soo😊

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video. We love the SOO as well.

[@ldegmtrainspotter]

Super rail movie! Awesome old images with trains! Good work! Mega Thumbs Up Greetings from Romania Andrew

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you Andrew! I hope all is well in Romania. Greetings from Minnesota USA!!!

[@haroldalexis4200]

No doubt I love SOO LINE This is another beautiful train video. 🎥👋👋👋👋👋👍✅⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🔴⚪⚫🏀❤

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you very much!

[@walterlangston4484]

been seeing soo line cars on csx grain trains

[@CVisionProductions1]

It’s nice to see them when they pop up! They are neat cars with cool designs.

[@kevinmills8437]

Red and White Trains.

[@CVisionProductions1]

That was the name of the game on the SOO!

[@donoghue964]

Some real neat footage there and boy what a selection of horns!!! Thanks again folks.

[@CVisionProductions1]

You’re welcome and thank you!!!

[@stuew6]

I love CP Fallflag railroads and i still see Sd60m & Sd60 switching in Toronto CP McCowan Yard

[@CVisionProductions1]

It is nice that the 60's are still around. Although not painted SOO anymore.

[@alexschmollinger6576]

I heard a Soo line SD60 with a P3 horn on a Video 📹 and the Soo line Got the Milwaukee Road in 1985 Rest in Peace Soo line

[@CVisionProductions1]

Roger that, Alex. Thank you for the view and the comment!

[@joshuaslusser4824]

Bought this when it first came out in 2000 and it has been a favorite since. I could watch that 6613 West at Medina over and over again (and, in fact, I did, chased it from Paynesville West to Murray where he took siding until sunset).

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you for being a C. Vision customer! The Paynesville Sub was always a good chase back in those days, especially with the neat old power that was running at the time. 6613 was an interesting locomotive. We always enjoyed seeing it. Thanks again!

[@Nicola636128]

Another great video!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you!

[@millennialtrainman3443]

Excellent video, C Vision! I come from a family of multiple generations that worked for the Soo Line. That’s actually how my parents met as well. I was born in the late 80’s, after the MLWR takeover. I only wish I could have been around to see the Soo Line for what it truly was before the MLWR takeover.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thanks for sharing and your comments! Neat story.

[@bradhardy2629]

The Milwaukee Road was twice the Railroad in the old days . BN . Management infiltrated The Milwaukee and purposely made huge mistakes to drive it under . pacific coast container business was right around the corner and the B.N knew it . 80 years of excellent service and all the employees shot in the back by cooked books & poor poor BN management along with politics .

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

Seems like I’ve spent half of my life railfanning the Paynesville sub! I grew up in Crystal, MN just outside of Minneapolis and the Soo went right through town and crossing the Great Northern in doing so.There’s a nice hill going up to New Hope from Crystal, then the line cuts across Plymouth and meets up with state highway 55 which parallels the Soo all the way to Glenwood and beyond. It’s a near-perfect railfanning road but it can be very hard to find locations with good lighting which they do a good job of here. This video shows trains tooling along at a good clip which only became common after CP took full control. Soo Line used minimum power for these mostly empty trains headed back to Canada and trains would struggle to make 30 mph. The line has a roller coaster profile chock full of curves. Even up to 1980 there were still a fair amount of elevators loading out country grain but now most of it is trucked to St. Paul for barge transit. Probably 90-95% of traffic moving over it today is bridge traffic-very little traffic originates on the Paynesville Sub.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you for sharing your story and for your insight on the line! It’s fascinating stuff.

[@andymodem]

Excellent video! Grew up in Minnesota photographing and modeling the Soo Line in the 80s and 90s. Sure is nice seeing trains a reasonable length instead of the 2 mile long PSR monsters we have now.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you Andy! Glad you enjoyed it. Those were the best days on the railroad.

[@kristiecoyle8225]

sweeeeeeeeet this is where I collect my hoard of agates!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Nice!!! Agates are fun to look for. Thanks for watching.

[@CrazyKaboose]

Awesome video! The scenery is great!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you so much!

[@shed66215]

Wonderful footage. Would like to have seen a couple of the new/rebuilt SD70ACu's of CP bearing the Soo red (with white lettering) and white body with red nose

[@CVisionProductions1]

That sure would have been nice. Even the Milwaukee Road would look neat too. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@beeble2003]

5:15 Headlights off, ditch lights off, but it's OK --there's a little beacon on the roof that flashes literally once every seven seconds. Man, things were different in the "good" old days.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Great observation. Those were the days. Thank you for watching.

[@OldFart2023]

I noticed that too. Engr shut them off when they cleared the main and forgot to turn back on over the crossing. Do that now with all of CP's mis-management and they will try their best to make you collect your "can insurance!"

[@kingoflovetrain6426]

Soo Line is truly an awesome fallen flag railroad.

[@CVisionProductions1]

It sure is!

[@chevloncamaronzz7838]

for me the soo lines are the rarest trains since they are hardly mentioned

[@CVisionProductions1]

The SOO was a great railroad! Thank you for the comment.

[@TimMutterer]

I live 2 miles northwest of Rockford. I've watched the changes Buffalo has gone through over the years. How many people in town were happy when CP built Dickinson siding. Now, Buffalo siding is only a memory, recorded on video and in stills, just like the grain elevators.

[@CVisionProductions1]

You got that right, Tim. Buffalo used to be a common place for meets. At 6,093 feet, the siding was long enough for the trains of yesteryear, but certainly not the monsters of today! There were also special restrictions on the siding relating to tonnage. Basically, eastbounds with more than 30 loads were restricted from using the siding. Building Dickinson made all the difference. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@TimMutterer]

I'm sure your subscribers down along Hwy 212 can remember when the Milwaukee Road was a thing of beauty, back when how much of it was ABS signaled. Same thing for east of St Paul.

[@CVisionProductions1]

We remember those days. The TC&W is a great little railroad, but we miss signals and mainline trains from the SOO era. The coal trains on that line were always neat to see. My, how things have changed!

[@TNS17]

What camera is used to make your current films

[@CVisionProductions1]

Our current camera is a Panasonic AG-DVX200

[@TNS17]

@@CVisionProductions1 thank you

[@arthurschipper8906]

I was hoping for some narration, I always love a good history lesson. Other than that, first rate.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you, Arthur! The reason for the lack of narration is this video was a compilation of SOO scenes covering the same territory as two of our DVD/VHS releases. Basically, an extra video for SOO fans to go along with our Paynesville and River Subdivision videos. But, those two may end up on KZbin at some point. Stay tuned!

[@AlexTrain5249]

My grandfather once had a farm along the Paynesville Sub just outside of Maple Lake and he told me he thought that the trains were a nuisance (personally I would have thought the opposite) when he was driving up and down.

[@CVisionProductions1]

Well, we figure most of the general public feels that way. It makes sense, but it’s unfortunate. Thank you for the comment.

[@dieseldave3879]

👍

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you!

[@ethanhufnagel4509]

Nice video by the way

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thank you, Ethan!

[@jalilmuhammad8270]

The Soo Line is now the legal United States alias of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

[@CVisionProductions1]

That’s correct. The SOO is quite an important entity, even today.

[@bradhardy2629]

The Milwaukee Road unit looks sooo much better then the soup line unit's.

[@CVisionProductions1]

They are both neat in their respective ways.

[@bradhardy2629]

@@CVisionProductions1 JUST YOUR OPINION I GUESS

[@CVisionProductions1]

I wasn’t disagreeing with you

[@ZombieSlayer-dj3wb]

So why did cp even buy soo ?

[@CVisionProductions1]

CP always had a stake in the SOO, even in the railroad’s earliest days. But to answer your question, it was done to ensure that CP would always have a competitive link into and through the United States.

[@stevenr3169]

The Soo had actually been an operating subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific from 1888, and its primary US subsidiary, similar the Grand Trunk Western and Central Vermont being under CN control. The deregulatory environment of the late 20th Century allowed both CN and CP to absorb their subsidiaries.

[@jwernhol]

Wouldn’t this technically be the Wisconsin Central? I’m seeing a lot of WC cars?

[@CVisionProductions1]

These scenes were captured on Canadian Pacific’s US subsidiary, Soo Line. However, there was a fair bit of WC interchange traffic during this time. Thank you for watching the video.

[@gregginter5867]

😂...you mean ol Milw Rd RR lines! Not ol Soo Line RR lines!

[@CVisionProductions1]

Thanks for keeping us on our toes, Greg! What we believe you’re referring to is the narration in the opening sequence. The reference to “original” SOO tracks was in comparison to original Canadian Pacific tracks in Canada, or other CP properties like the Delaware & Hudson. In the CP era, all former SOO and Milwaukee Road trackage was considered to be Soo Line territory (pre-IMRL and IC&E). Thank you for watching the video, and we appreciate the comment!

[@Chris-hz1fi]

Was the soo at one time any part of the milwaukee road??

[@CVisionProductions1]

The SOO purchased the Milwaukee Road in February of 1985.

[@OldFart2023]

@@CVisionProductions1 Which in itself is a VERY interesting read!!