Just Two

Hello there - this week's work included disassembling and cleaning the shop vac, but it is still not running properly. I also had time to scrape two squares of the floor, but that's not a lot of progress!

The sixth in this series of future passenger train talks is the "Minnesota and Black Hills Express". This is a fictional five-car Chicago & North Western heavyweight passenger car train that heads northwest from Chicago to La Crosse, Wisconsin, and then traces the present route of Interstate 90 to Rapid City in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This route is special because it is the way we take when we visit Illinois. Highlights include the cheese stores of south-central Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Dells area, "Alice" of La Crosse, the Jolly Green Giant of Albert Lea, Goo's RV of Sioux Falls, the Corn Palace of Mitchell, the Bad Lands of south-western South Dakota, Wall Drug of Wall, and the limitless attractions and scenic views of the Black Hills themselves. The five-car heavyweight set was made by Custom Trains/Frank's Roundhouse, which was the first set of this type I purchased. "Heavyweight" refers to a type of passenger car manufactured with riveted steel. These cars started showing up in the 1910's and were generally more luxurious than their wooden predecessors, and offered a smoother ride because they were heavier. They are sometimes called "Pullmans", "Heavyweights", or just "passenger cars". My Minnesota and Black Hills Express would look well behind the same locomotives I've suggested for the "Fence Lake 400": O-Scale F7 diesel's, a 4-6-0, 4-6-2, or a big 4-8-4 steamer. Thanks for reading, and keep your rails shiny ~

A June 2008 sunset on Stockade Lake in Custer, SD (in the Black Hills). I waited amongst the mosquitoes for a while to get this shot...

A real C&NW heavyweight observation car

One of the cars on the Minnesota and Black Hills Express