Waseca Subdivision
Encyclopedia
The Waseca Subdivision or Waseca Sub is a railway line in southern Minnesota
owned and operated by the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad
(DM&E) subsidiary of Canadian Pacific
. It stretches roughly 103 miles (165.8 km) from Winona, Minnesota
in the east to Waseca
in the west where the rails continue as the Tracy Subdivision
. There's also a connection south to the Hartland Subdivision. U.S. Highway 14 closely follows the railroad line.
Most of the line is dark territory
, meaning that it is not signalled and not equipped with centralized traffic control
or automatic block signalling systems. The line is dispatched via radio using track warrant control
. However, short stretches of track in and near Winona are under control of signaling systems of the Union Pacific Railroad
and Canadian Pacific.
, though it took the formation and collapse of a handful of different railroad companies before it was completely built. The first was the Transit Railroad Company, which formed in 1854 and included figures such as Henry Hastings Sibley
and Alexander Ramsey
who soon went on to become the first and second governors of Minnesota
, respectively (though Ramsey had already been an appointed governor of Minnesota Territory). However, construction didn't begin until a groundbreaking on June 9, 1858 in Winona. A contract had been awarded the previous day to DeGraff & Co., headed by Colonel Andrew DeGraff (only two weeks after Henry Sibley entered office as governor). The company was able to grade 50 miles of right-of-way and build bridges along the route, but was hit by the 1858–1859 financial crisis. Work stalled and the property eventually went into foreclosure.
The Winona, St. Peter & Missouri River Railroad Company was awarded the property in 1861, but failed to make sufficient progress toward a goal of having trains up and running to Rochester
by a deadline set by the state legislature, so ownership transferred to the Winona & St. Peter Railroad Company in 1862. The first passenger train, operated by Col. DeGraff, finally ran on December 9 of that year between Winona and Stockton
and back, and the first freight load was carried the next day. This was less than six months after the William Crooks became the first locomotive to run in the state, between Saint Paul
and St. Anthony (now Minneapolis
).
Many of miles of track were laid in the following years. The railroad reached Rochester in 1864, Kasson
in 1865 and Owatonna
in 1866. The Chicago and North Western Railway
(C&NW) bought the Winona & St. Peter in 1867, though it continued as a distinct subsidiary until 1900. Though the existing property was transferred to the new owner, the underlying land grant
s that made the line possible were transferred to investors in New York
headed by A. H. Barney, a figure in the early days of Wells Fargo & Company. Today's subdivision was completed in 1868 with the addition of 16 miles through Waseca, though the line continued to be built westward, reaching Dakota Territory
(now South Dakota
) in 1872.
Additional branch lines were added, including three in 1878: from Eyota
south to Chatfield
, north from Eyota to Plainview
, and north from Rochester to Zumbrota
. A fourth branch off the mainline was made farther west (in today's Tracy Subdivision) the same year, from Sleepy Eye
north to Redwood Falls
. Interchanges were also made between this line and other north-south rail lines operated by other companies. However, these branches have largely been abandoned today.
made its final run. Amtrak
's Empire Builder
still briefly runs along a right-of-way shared between the Waseca Sub and Canadian Pacific's main line along the Mississippi River from Tower CK in Winona to Minnesota City Junction. That train uses the former Milwaukee Road Hiawatha
route between Saint Paul and Chicago.
Chicago and North Western continued to operate the line across southern Minnesota and South Dakota until the 1980s, but was planning to abandon it. The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad was formed and took over the line in 1986.
, and hoped to run coal trains along this route. However, the city of Rochester objected to this and wanted a rail bypass to be built if the rail volume was going to increase. A bypass is currently estimated to cost about $325 million. If built, it would turn south from the main line west of Dodge Center
, go about as far south as the Rochester International Airport
, then go back and rejoin the main line east of Eyota. As the bypass debate continued, the Canadian Pacific Railway moved in to acquire the DM&E, which was completed in 2008.
There has also been renewed interest in passenger rail in southern Minnesota since the 1990s when Rochester was included in a study of possible high-speed rail
routes between Minneapolis–Saint Paul and Chicago. As of 2010, the Minnesota Department of Transportation
hopes to build passenger rail line between the Twin Cities and Rochester by 2030. As currently envisioned, new track would be laid for most of the distance south from the Cities and it would join the current DM&E line near Kasson to make the run into Rochester. If the line were to continue toward Chicago, some new track would likely need to be built to handle the descent to the Mississippi River
near Winona.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
owned and operated by the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad
Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad
The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad is a Class II railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway operating across South Dakota and southern Minnesota in the northern plains of the United States...
(DM&E) subsidiary of Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
. It stretches roughly 103 miles (165.8 km) from Winona, Minnesota
Winona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
in the east to Waseca
Waseca, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,493 people, 3,388 households, and 2,219 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,215.6 people per square mile . There were 3,563 housing units at an average density of 929.5 per square mile...
in the west where the rails continue as the Tracy Subdivision
Tracy Subdivision
The Tracy Subdivision or Tracy Sub is a railway line in southern Minnesota owned and operated by the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad subsidiary of Canadian Pacific....
. There's also a connection south to the Hartland Subdivision. U.S. Highway 14 closely follows the railroad line.
Most of the line is dark territory
Dark territory
Dark territory is a term used in the North American railroad industry to describe a section of track not controlled by signals. Train movements in dark territory are controlled by track warrants or train order operation, with train dispatchers issuing orders by radio communication with train...
, meaning that it is not signalled and not equipped with centralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America and centralizes train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher's office that...
or automatic block signalling systems. The line is dispatched via radio using track warrant control
Track warrant
Track warrants are systematized permissions used on some railroad lines to authorize a train's use of the main line. Dispatchers issue these permissions to train crews instead of using signals. The crews receive track warrants by radio, phone, or electronic transmission from a...
. However, short stretches of track in and near Winona are under control of signaling systems of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
and Canadian Pacific.
Construction
The line was originally planned in the 1850s when Minnesota was still Minnesota TerritoryMinnesota Territory
The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Minnesota.-History:...
, though it took the formation and collapse of a handful of different railroad companies before it was completely built. The first was the Transit Railroad Company, which formed in 1854 and included figures such as Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley was the first Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota.-Early life and education:...
and Alexander Ramsey
Alexander Ramsey
Alexander Ramsey was an American politician. He was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.Alexander Ramsey was elected from Pennsylvania as a Whig to the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the 28th and 29th congresses from March 4, 1843 to March 4, 1847...
who soon went on to become the first and second governors of Minnesota
Governor of Minnesota
The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial...
, respectively (though Ramsey had already been an appointed governor of Minnesota Territory). However, construction didn't begin until a groundbreaking on June 9, 1858 in Winona. A contract had been awarded the previous day to DeGraff & Co., headed by Colonel Andrew DeGraff (only two weeks after Henry Sibley entered office as governor). The company was able to grade 50 miles of right-of-way and build bridges along the route, but was hit by the 1858–1859 financial crisis. Work stalled and the property eventually went into foreclosure.
The Winona, St. Peter & Missouri River Railroad Company was awarded the property in 1861, but failed to make sufficient progress toward a goal of having trains up and running to Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
by a deadline set by the state legislature, so ownership transferred to the Winona & St. Peter Railroad Company in 1862. The first passenger train, operated by Col. DeGraff, finally ran on December 9 of that year between Winona and Stockton
Stockton, Minnesota
Stockton is a city in Winona County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 697 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
and back, and the first freight load was carried the next day. This was less than six months after the William Crooks became the first locomotive to run in the state, between Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
and St. Anthony (now Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
).
Many of miles of track were laid in the following years. The railroad reached Rochester in 1864, Kasson
Kasson, Minnesota
Kasson is a city in Dodge County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,931 at the 2010 census. The city is located 13 miles west of Rochester, Minnesota along U.S. Route 14 and is one of the endpoints of Minnesota State Highway 57. The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad's main...
in 1865 and Owatonna
Owatonna, Minnesota
Owatonna is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 25,599 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Steele County. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair in August....
in 1866. The Chicago and North Western Railway
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
(C&NW) bought the Winona & St. Peter in 1867, though it continued as a distinct subsidiary until 1900. Though the existing property was transferred to the new owner, the underlying land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
s that made the line possible were transferred to investors in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
headed by A. H. Barney, a figure in the early days of Wells Fargo & Company. Today's subdivision was completed in 1868 with the addition of 16 miles through Waseca, though the line continued to be built westward, reaching Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
(now South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
) in 1872.
Additional branch lines were added, including three in 1878: from Eyota
Eyota, Minnesota
Eyota is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,977 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
south to Chatfield
Chatfield, Minnesota
Chatfield is a city in Fillmore and Olmsted counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 2,779 at the 2010 census. The city's area is split almost equally between the two counties...
, north from Eyota to Plainview
Plainview, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,190 people, 1,157 households, and 824 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,452.5 people per square mile . There were 1,223 housing units at an average density of 556.9 per square mile...
, and north from Rochester to Zumbrota
Zumbrota, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,789 people, 1,141 households, and 741 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,412.6 people per square mile . There were 1,191 housing units at an average density of 603.2 per square mile...
. A fourth branch off the mainline was made farther west (in today's Tracy Subdivision) the same year, from Sleepy Eye
Sleepy Eye, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,515 people, 1,479 households, and 942 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,099.9 people per square mile . There were 1,591 housing units at an average density of 950.5 per square mile...
north to Redwood Falls
Redwood Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,459 people, 2,266 households, and 1,389 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,167.1 people per square mile . There were 2,377 housing units at an average density of 508.2 per square mile...
. Interchanges were also made between this line and other north-south rail lines operated by other companies. However, these branches have largely been abandoned today.
Decline of the Chicago and North Western
Passenger train service continued on the line from its formation until July 23, 1963 when the Rochester 400Rochester 400
The Rochester 400 was the last in a series of streamlined passenger trains operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway along the railroad's southern Minnesota line...
made its final run. Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Empire Builder
Empire Builder
The Empire Builder is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Northwestern United States. It is Amtrak's busiest long-distance route and busiest daily train, carrying more than 500,000 travelers annually since 2007. Overall, it is the railroad's 10th-busiest line. Before...
still briefly runs along a right-of-way shared between the Waseca Sub and Canadian Pacific's main line along the Mississippi River from Tower CK in Winona to Minnesota City Junction. That train uses the former Milwaukee Road Hiawatha
Twin Cities Hiawatha
The Twin Cities Hiawatha was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , and traveled from Chicago to the Twin Cities in Minnesota. The original train takes its name from the epic poem The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...
route between Saint Paul and Chicago.
Chicago and North Western continued to operate the line across southern Minnesota and South Dakota until the 1980s, but was planning to abandon it. The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad was formed and took over the line in 1986.
DM&E takeover and future plans
Starting in the late 1990s, DM&E began work on an extension from the western end of its line in South Dakota to coal mines in the Powder River BasinPowder River Basin
The Powder River Basin is a geologic region in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming, about east to west and north to south, known for its coal deposits. The region supplies about 40 percent of coal in the United States. It is both a topographic drainage and geologic structural basin...
, and hoped to run coal trains along this route. However, the city of Rochester objected to this and wanted a rail bypass to be built if the rail volume was going to increase. A bypass is currently estimated to cost about $325 million. If built, it would turn south from the main line west of Dodge Center
Dodge Center, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,226 people, 824 households, and 588 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,173.8 people per square mile . There were 859 housing units at an average density of 452.9 per square mile...
, go about as far south as the Rochester International Airport
Rochester International Airport
Rochester International Airport is a nonhub primary airport located seven miles southwest of the central business district of Rochester, a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. It is the second busiest commercial airport in Minnesota...
, then go back and rejoin the main line east of Eyota. As the bypass debate continued, the Canadian Pacific Railway moved in to acquire the DM&E, which was completed in 2008.
There has also been renewed interest in passenger rail in southern Minnesota since the 1990s when Rochester was included in a study of possible high-speed rail
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
routes between Minneapolis–Saint Paul and Chicago. As of 2010, the Minnesota Department of Transportation
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation oversees transportation by land, water, and air in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees...
hopes to build passenger rail line between the Twin Cities and Rochester by 2030. As currently envisioned, new track would be laid for most of the distance south from the Cities and it would join the current DM&E line near Kasson to make the run into Rochester. If the line were to continue toward Chicago, some new track would likely need to be built to handle the descent to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
near Winona.