Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway
The Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway (reporting mark MNTX) is a heritage railroad in Osceola, Wisconsin owned and operated by the Minnesota Transportation Museum. It operates on former Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad ("Soo Line") trackage now owned by the Canadian National Railway.
| Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway | |
|---|---|
 A Burlington Northern Railroad caboose near the entrance | |
| Locale | Minnesota Wisconsin |
| Terminus | Withrow, Minnesota Dresser, Wisconsin |
| Connections | Canadian National Railway |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Minnesota Transportation Museum |
| Reporting mark | MNTX |
| Stations | 1 |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1992 |
| Preservation history | |
| Headquarters | 114 Depot Road, Osceola, Polk County, Wisconsin |
| Website | |
| trainride | |
History and operations
The original Museum railway operated out of Stillwater, Minnesota, however urban crowding caused the railway to seek other areas for service. Invited to operate out of Osceola, Wisconsin, the railway moved in 1992, undergoing a name change to Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway.
The line itself has operating rights from Withrow, Minnesota up to Dresser, Wisconsin. Due to climate conditions, the line does not operate in winter.
Under successive railroad ownership of the rail line "right-of-way" itself, Operations are currently based in the historic 1916 Soo Line depot, owned by the Osceola Historic Society and leased to the Minnesota Transportation Museum for its rail operations.
The line follows the original route of the Soo Line, running down the bluffs of the St. Croix River, and crossing into Minnesota on the 1887 iron bridge at Cedar Bend, then on to Marine on St. Croix through William O'Brien State Park.
The railway operates every weekend May through October. On alternating weekends it operates the Osceola and St. Croix Dinner Train.
Equipment
The railroad uses historic diesel locomotives from its fleet of Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) locomotives. It uses a variety of passenger cars for historic presentation and tourist runs throughout the operational season. The railroad runs coach trains every weekend from mid-May through October to Marine on St. Croix (Saturdays and Sundays) and to Dresser (on Saturday).
All operational equipment is serviced at MTM's Jackson Street Roundhouse, a functional railway roundhouse constructed in 1907. The Museum has its headquarters and maintenance base co-located at JSR, which is open to the public for railroad history. Every fall, 2–3 locomotives and up to 5 cars are ferried to St. Paul for annual servicing before returning to Osceola in late spring. Over winter, the maintenance shop demonstrate the servicing and repairs, being one of the few such facilities open to the public.
Locomotives
These are the locomotives that are active or in restoration for service on the Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway:
| Railroad | Number | Model | Built | Retired | Acquired | Status | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington Northern Railroad | 6234 | EMD SD9 | 1959 | 2003 | Donated 2003 | Operational |  |
| Great Northern Railway | 325 | EMD SDP40 | 1966 | 2008 | Donated 2009 | Operational |  |
| Soo Line Railroad | 559 | EMD GP7 | 1951 | N/A | Purchased 1998 | Operational |  |
| Great Northern Railway | 454-A | EMD F7A | 1950 | 1981 | 2003 | Stored awaiting restoration |  |
| Great Northern Railway | 558 | EMD SD7 | 1952 | 1983 | 2018 | Stored awaiting restoration |  |
Passenger cars
| Type | Number | Name | Railroad | Trains in use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Streamlined lounge, observation, and business car | A-11 | Great Northern Railway | First-class brunch and dinner trains | In service | |
| Streamlined parlor-buffet | 1084 | "Twin Ports" | Great Northern Railway | First-class brunch and dinner trains | In restoration in Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Streamlined baggage | 265 | "Mariah" | Great Northern Railway | All trains | In service, concession car |
| Streamlined coach | 1096 | Great Northern Railway | Coach class | In service | |
| Streamlined coach | 1097 | Great Northern Railway | First-class brunch and dinner trains | In service, converted to dining car | |
| Streamlined coach | 1213 | Great Northern Railway | Coach class | In service | |
| Streamlined coach | 1215 | "City Of Osceola" | Great Northern Railway | Coach class | In service. |
| Heavyweight MU trailer commuter coach | 2232 | Erie Lackawanna Railway | Coach class/pumpkin trains | In service | |
| Heavyweight commuter coach | 2604 | Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad | Coach class and pizza trains | In service | |
| Heavyweight commuter coach | 2608 | Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad | Coach class and pizza trains | In service | |
| Heavyweight triple combination | 1102 | Northern Pacific Railway | U.S. mail car/Railway Express Agency | In service | |
References
Information used in this article is provided by Minnesota Transportation Museum, St. Paul, MN and based entirely on material in MTM archives or equipment inventories of the operating division of the Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway. Photos depict actual equipment in appropriate livery for the Railway.