railroad

Railroad crossing closes for repairs

Jun 18, 2025

Wabasha County Hwy. 30 at rail crossing near Hwy. 61/County Hwy 81 is closed to all traffic for rail crossing work, the county highway department said in a news release June 17. The road is closed to all traffic at the railroad crossing. This work is being scheduled and performed by the CPKC...

Steam locomotive passes through Lake City on international journey

May 8, 2024

A train pulled by a steam locomotive passed through Lake City on May 5 as it traveled from St. Paul to Portage, Wis., part of a three-nation, 11-stop tour to celebrate the anniversary of the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads. The “Final Spike Steam Tour” began at the...

Privately-owned rail cars roll through town with Amtrak Empire Builder train

Apr 10, 2024

Three cars at the end of a southbound Amtrak train on Wednesday, April 3, were a stark departure from the usual silver with red, white and blue stripe color scheme. That’s because these weren’t Amtrak cars, but instead were privately owned cars, according to an Amtrak spokesperson. Car owners can...

Whistling past the rail yard

Mar 13, 2024

In the long lamented days of the steam locomotive, train engineers had more freedom with the whistle. Some put wooden chocks right into the whistle and by artful use of the steam they could play tunes as they came into town or went roaring past. I never heard that myself but there have been so...

Amtrak train makes unexpected stop here

Sep 14, 2022

An Amtrak train spent some time stopped in Lake City on Labor Day, Sept. 5. “We were delayed by switching a railcar to the trailing position because of an electrical malfunction,” Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said in an email.  -Photo by Ben Threinen

Another milestone for ‘second train’ effort

Sep 30, 2020

After years of advocacy for expanded passenger rail in the Mississippi River Route, the Great River Rail Commission is extremely excited that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has announced a $31.8 million grant for capital improvements that will help make the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago...

MnDOT: Use railroad emergency signs

Jun 27, 2018

The Minnesota Department of Transportation reminds motorists to use railroad emergency notification system signs when there is a safety issue or emergency situation at a rail grade crossing. The blue and white signs are posted near the crossing on both sides of the road and should be clearly...

Letter: Gandy dancers on a Saturday night and other Great Depression memories

Apr 4, 2018

To the editor: In the “good old days” There were no TV’s, cell phones, email or Twitter. People actually conversed. Radio was in it’s infancy and telephone usually involved a party line. Families sat down at he table for meals and had meaningful discussions. At our house there was usually a guest...

History Center explores Goodhue and the railroad

Jan 10, 2018

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, from noon to 1 p.m., the Goodhue County Historical Society presents “T.B. Sheldon’s Railroad Town: An Exploration of Goodhue and the Railroad”. Featuring Goodhue County Area Historical Society board members, this program explores the history of Goodhue and the Duluth, Red...

Highway 63 railroad crossing detour begins June 12

Jun 8, 2017

Motorists on Highway 63 in Lake City will encounter a five-day detour beginning on June 12 as the Canadian Pacific Railway repairs its crossing, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Canadian Pacific will be replacing track and concrete panels at the crossing before...