Omaha, DMIR Photo Index

Click on Either Railroad

C.St.P. M. & O. Ry.

D.M. & I.R. RR.

Hit Your Back Button To Return To This page


The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, & Omaha Ry. and the Duluth, Missabe, & Iron Range RR. Two very different Northern mid-west railroads.

Contrasts in Steam Locomotives as of the late 1940's and early 1950's

All Photos by Larry Bohn

mollyandmick@lsol.net of Manitowoc, Wisconsin

NOTE: Copies of all of these photos, and locomotive photos of many other railroads

are available at sizes up to 24" long with heights proportional. Resolution and

tones of photos will be of much better quality than is shown on screen.

If you have any comments, or wish further information, please E-Mail Larry Bohn at

mollyandmick@lsol.net

These two railroads operating in the same general area and coming as close to each other as 10 miles, even in the days of steam, were a world apart in terms of use, and consequently, motive power.

The portion of the "Omaha" railroad involved in this series operated primarily in North Western Wisconsin as a "Granger Railroad" hauling primarily, general merchandise, farm products and, before the supremacy of the automobile, Passengers.

The "Omaha" had 3 general types of traffic up to the end of steam: Through Freight operating on a faster schedule than the Iron range. drag freights, Way freight traffic which stopped and did general switching at each station along the route, and passenger trains ranging from two or three cars to trains that occasionally had to be run in two sections because of their length. Other than a very few exceptions, The Omaha Locomotive roster consisted of only 6 different wheel arrangements.

The "Iron range operates exclusively in North Eastern Minnesota and is a single purpose railroad designed to deliver iron ore to the western ports of Lake Superior, and never did have much emphasis on passengers. The Iron range was primarily interested in moving heavy tonnage with not a great deal of interest in speed. Their locomotive pool was composed of what was at the time of their construction, the state of the art in brute strength. Their final Steam Roster was made up of locomotives from 5 different railroads, all owned by U.S.Steel. Consequently DM&IR had greater variety in power than it otherwise might have had with 10 different wheel arrangements.

The division yards at Spooner, Wisconsin was the hub of Omaha's Northwestern Wisconsin Operation . Trains made up in this yard might be going to any of four directions: North West to Itaska, (Superior), Wis. North East to Ashland, Wis. South West to Hudson, Wis. to connect with the main line for the Twin Cities, Minnesota. or South East to Altoona, (Wisconsin not Pennsylvania) to connect with the main line for Chicago. All that remains at Spooner (as of 1997) to remind one of the railroad activity of bygone years is an eight stall section of round house minus tracks that is used as a warehouse, a sanding tower, and a single track leading to Itaska that may or may not ever be used as a tourist RR.

The DM&IR on the other hand is still a very viable railroad and will continue as long as reclaimable Iron Ore exists in the Iron range.

Click on Either Railroad

C.St.P. M. & O. Ry.

D.M. & I.R. RR.

Hit Your Back Button To Return To This page

More About Steam Locomotives

You may wish to take a look at the following section of Great Northern

Photos also by me.

http://www.prostar.com/web/gngoat/gn27000.htm