As of 2006, the Minnesota Northern Railroad employed 11 people and handled approximately 11,000 carloads per year. The primary commodities hauled included grain, seeds, sugar and sugar by-products, coal, animal feeds, and fertilizers.
Prior to coming under the control of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, the 204 miles (328 km) of track initially purchased by the Minnesota Northern Railroad belonged to the Burlington Northern Railroad. Before being owned by the Burlington Northern Railroad, the P Line, Ada, and Warroad Subdivisions were owned by the Great Northern Railway. The Fertile Subdivision and spur from Tilden Junction to Red Lake Falls, meanwhile, had been owned by the Northern Pacific Railway.
The portion of the Fertile Subdivision sold to the Minnesota Northern Railroad was once a part of the Northern Pacific Railway’s 250-mile (400 km) mainline from Hawley, Minnesota to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Though the line was an important route for passenger and freight trains to and from Winnipeg in its heyday, currently only a few portions have been spared from abandonment. A segment of the abandoned grade between Crookston, Minnesota in the north and Ulen, Minnesota in the south has been converted to a multi-use trail known as the Agassiz Recreational Trail[1]
The majority of the Minnesota Northern Railroad’s locomotives contain maroon paint with gold lettering. The colors are reminiscent of the school colors used at the University of Minnesota.
Besides possessing locomotives, the Minnesota Northern Railroad also leases 80 covered hoppers. All other freight cars used on the railroad are supplied by both the BNSF and Canadian Pacific railways.
Stations on the Minnesota Northern Railroad
The Minnesota Northern Railroad owns track that goes through the following communities:
