This is C. Vision's full video covering Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern's east end, between Winona, Minnesota and Waseca, Minnesota, with additional coverage of DM&E trains over the IC&E Owatonna Subdivision, and Union Pacific's Albert Lea Subdivision. SD40 and SD40-2 locomotives are seen operating in a multitude of paint schemes, with ICE, DME, CP, STL&H, and CITX units appearing throughout the video. DM&E GP40 and GP38-3 locomotives are also documented on several local freights and road trains, as well as a special passenger train operated for DM&E shippers and their families.
Beginning in Winona, we take a quick look back to the 1990s, as a CP crew works at Tower CK with a pair of SOO GP15C Caterpillar locomotives. Next, the DM&E gets into the act with a "west train" powered by SD9s and an SD40-3. From there, we head west across the Waseca Subdivision as it works its way out of the Mississippi River Valley, and up the steep 1.7% grade between Stockton and Lewiston. From there, the tracks make their way through farm fields and small towns, as the route traverses the rolling countryside of southeastern Minnesota. We visit Rochester, see trains climbing Byron Hill east of Byron, Minnesota, and explore several other points of interest before arriving in Owatonna. From Owatonna, we'll take a side trip over former Milwaukee Road rails, as we follow the Owatonna Sub to Austin, Minnesota and Mason City, Iowa. On this line, you'll enjoy the rhythm of 90-pound jointed rail, as heavy trains pound along at decent speeds. We then see a northbound Mason City to Waseca freight sprinting north on UP's Spine Line, and taking the junction at Curtis to connect to the Hartland Subdivision for the trip to Waseca. From there, we cover the final miles of the Waseca Sub between Owatonna and Waseca.
As seen in the thumbnail, DM&E and IC&E still employed several classic Griswold crossing signals at the time of production. Shortly before they were removed from service, we captured two pairs of these signals still equipped with rotating stop signs.
This was an exciting time on the DM&E, as the railroad was revitalized with track improvements and new traffic in the years leading up to the purchase by Canadian Pacific. Our coverage spans between 1996 and 2011, with most scenes documented shortly before and after the CP takeover.
Thank you to all who helped with the production of this program.
Original music provided by Erik Shicotte.
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