Soo Line 2-8-0 headed to Michigan and a return to steam NEWSWIRE

CHISAGO CITY, Minn. — Minnesota’s Ironhorse Railroad Park has sold former Soo Line 2-8-0 No. 2425 to Mineral Range Inc., operator of the Mineral Range Railroad in Ishpeming, Mich. The locomotive has been stored at the museum since its acquisition in 2009. Despite being on outdoor display for more than 60 years, the Consolidation is in good mechanical condition and an excellent candidate for restoration.

No. 2425 was built in October 1909 by the American Locomotive Co.’s Schenectady Works for the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie (Soo Line) as No. 475, which was part of an order for six 2-8-0s numbered 473 through 478. However, at the time of its construction Soo Line had leased the Wisconsin Central, and No. 475 was renumbered into the Wisconsin Central number series and diverted to that railroad as No. 2425.

Consolidations were the workhorse locomotives of the Wisconsin Central and Soo Line, and they were used on the main line, for yard switching, and in branch line service. Over her long career No. 2425 worked out of Minneapolis; Schiller Park, Ill.; Stevens Point, Wis., and numerous other locations on the system; its last assignment being at Enderlin, N.D., from 1952 until 1954.

The locomotive was retired in January 1955 and donated to the city of Enderlin on July 21. It sat on display in Baxter Park until the mid-1990s when the city became concerned about its deteriorating condition, which included exposed asbestos boiler insulation. The city eventually built a large shed around the engine, which was completely sealed up with no access door, while they contemplated how to dispose of it.

Erik Thompson of the Ironhorse Central in 2005 contacted the city about acquiring the 2-8-0. A panel of the shed was removed and an inspection was performed in February 2008. “I had no clue what the condition of the boiler was, but the engine was basically complete and I thought she was a worthy candidate to save,” Thompson said. “And, besides, I didn’t want to see it cut up.”

Thompson made a proposal to purchase the 2-8-0 in 2008, and after Enderlin’s city government consulted with area residents, it decided to sell No. 2425 with the condition that the museum had less than a year to remove it. After its asbestos was removed by a contractor, the locomotive and tender were disconnected, and the boiler was separated from the chassis. It was loaded onto four semi-trucks for the trip to Chisago City, Minn., in July 2009.

Although No. 2425 was primarily purchased to save it from being scrapped and was intended to become a static display in Minnesota, it was found to be in surprisingly good condition with a sound boiler, and when the chance came up to send it to a home where it could be restored to operation the museum decided to sell it. Mineral Range is currently preparing the locomotive for the move to the Upper Peninsula, which is expected to take place in early September 2018. The new owners intend to return it to service.