Soo Line 6240

EMD SD39

Much of the following is from a March 18, 2003 telephone interview with Mr. Scott Wardrop, Chief Mechanical Officer of the Minnesota Commercial. He worked for the Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern's mechanical department in the later half of the '70s and into the '80s.

Soo Line 6240 was built as MN&S 40 in October 1968. It and sister 41 were the last power purchased by that road. They were EMD order number 7119, serial numbers 34127 and 34128. Using the same frame as the SD38, SD40, and SD45, they packed six D77 traction motors, a D32D main generator, and a turbocharged 12-645E3 prime mover, yeilding 2300 hp. Factory-standard weight was 368,000 lbs, but they were ballasted to increase the tractive effort. Optional dynamic brakes were not ordered.

The Minneapolis, Northfield, & Southern of 1968 was a belt-line railroad that ran west and south of the Twin Cities terminal area. They had many on-line industries, but also considerable interchange traffic taking the quick route around the cities. A fleet of aging Baldwins, road-switcher DRS-6-6-15 #15 and DT-6-6-20 centercab transfer units #20-23 handled the transfer runs north to the Soo Line at Humbolt yard and the BN at Northtown yard, and south to the Rock Island at Northfield and the North Western at Randolph. There were also branches into Richfield and downtown Minneapolis. A fleet of six EMD SW1200 and two EMD SW1500 switchers, almost brand new, and an antique Fairbanks-Morse H-10-44 switcher handled the remaining chores. The most significant geographical feature on the line was a steep grade down to the Minnesota river crossing in Savage.

(The MN&S was not a competitor the Minnesota Transfer, the terminal switching road which was the predecessor to Mr. Wardrop's Minnesota Commercial. In fact, he says the Transfer's SW1500's were built to the same specs as the MN&S's.)

The two SD39's were ordered to replace the aging Baldwins. The six traction motors and extra ballast reflect the need to drag heavy transfer runs up the hill in Savage. (Even so, they didn't match the pulling abilities of the Baldwins, whose Westinghouse traction motors enjoyed a reputation in the industry for being able to withstand the extended overloads typical of drag service.) The smallish 2300 horse power reflected the low speeds on the line. Presumably their improved reliability explains why two SD39's replaced a greater number of Baldwins. The author can't explain why, with the big hill, dynamic brakes were not ordered, and turbocharged, twelve-cylinder SD39's were chosen over the very similar roots-blown, sixteen-cylinder SD38's. (In four-axle units, the later was usually chosen to avoid the expensive-to-repair turbo charger.)

The two almost never operated together. Typically one took the northern transfer run, and the other the southern, with MU'd switchers if needed. Once they settled in as proven machines, the Baldwins rapidly disappeared. They were banned from the Air Lake industrial park because of their weight.

Maintenance was not a problem. According to Mr. Wardrop it was "just like going to the Hobby shop." Paint, however, sometimes could be - when the wheels needed turning, they were sent to the Soo Line's Shoreham shops. If the Soo washed them, the acid wash they used attacked the paint job. When it wore down to the primer, they would have to be repainted.

In 1982, the Soo Line purchased the MN&S. The SW1200's, SW1500's, and SD39's adopted Soo Line numbers and colors, and served system-wide. 6241, for example, has been photographed in Chicago, and was associated with the "Lake States Transportation Division" for a while. When the Soo Line was absorbed into owner CP Rail, after NAFTA, in the mid '90s, 6240 and 6241 went along, though they were not repainted or renumbered. By 1999 or 2000 they were deemed surplus, and put into storage at Thief River Falls. They had reached a very respectable thirty years of age, twice the expected minumum. 6241 was eventually sold to Helm Leasing and scrapped in 2003. MTM, meanwhile, had been negotiating with CP Rail for the donation of a locomotive. 6240 was chosen by MTM because of its local historical relevance. (In spite of rumors of a ground-fault problem.)

The donation became reality in 2001. 6240 and caboose Soo 31 (also donated) were delivered to the MTM at Withrow, MN, and stored at Osceola until the fall ferry move to Jackson Street. Both were tagged "home shop for repairs" with the stated defect "donated to MTM."

At Jackson Street, the shop forces began checking over 6240. (Basically doing an 1142-day FRA inspection.) Some minor items, due to storage, were corrected. The rumored ground-fault turned out to be a persistent false wheel-slip, which disappears if traction motors one and four are cut-out.

MNTX SD39 6240 Sold to Progressive Rail, Inc.

	MN&S 40 in Minneapolis July 31, 1983 - by Terry Zick, from Bob Schoneman collection, used with permission
	MN&S 40 with two Soo Line locos - used by permission of Mr. Bill Phillips
	Soo Line 6240 at Jackson Street, shortly after donation.
	Soo Line 6240 at Jackson Street, now wearing MTM's reporting mark MNTX.
	PGR 40 at Northfield, MN June 2005 - photo by Ralph Back.

MTM's collection includes several pieces from the MN&S, or it's predecessor the Dan Patch Electric Lines. In addition to SD39 40, from the road's last diesel locomotive purchase, is the road's first diesel locomotive, Dan Patch 100. There is also the Gopher, Win Stephen's business car, and box car 408. Aside from rolling stock, two interesting pieces in the collection are the stencils used to paint the diamond logo and the big "MNS" seen on the box car. Those are displayed in the Jackson Street roundhouse museum.

Beyond MTM, the most significant surviving pieces of MN&S rolling stock are Baldwin center-cab #21, preserved in Union, IL by the Illinois Railway Museum, and Fairbanks-Morse H-10-44 switcher #11, which today is on display in a town in Wisconsin (painted C&NW colors.)

Last updated: 10/10/2005

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