Uploaded August 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In this C. Vision video presentation, we feature the Progressive Rail's Minnesota operations in 2005. This era of the PGR is remembered as one of its most interesting, with a variety of classic EMD locomotives adorned in Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern colors handling a majority of the assignments. We begin our coverage with Progressive Rail's Dan Patch Line between Northfield and Lakeville, Minnesota. The railroad assigned PGR 40 (SD39) and PGR 42 (SD38-2) to this operation during the time of production. We follow two sizable Progressive Rail trains over this portion of the former MN&S mainline, with the pair of six-axle units put to good use on the line's undulating profile. In between the northbound and southbound trips, we view some switching in Lakeville at the Airlake Industrial Park, and bring you a special tour of PGR's unique rail warehouse and transload facility. We also include two scenes of CP's Northfield to Lakeville turn, documented shortly before this operation was handed over to PGR. Next, our coverage shifts to the former Chicago Great Western (CGW) line east out of Northfield, to Randolph, Minnesota. We follow PGR's Randolph train in both directions over this branch, with one of PGR's Hancock Air Whistle-equipped SW1500s handling this run. We also see the crew performing a little switching in Randolph before turning back to Northfield. Next, we take a cab ride on PGR's job to Faribault aboard one of Progressive Rail's former MN&S SW1500s, PGR 37. We'll head south over Union Pacific's Spine Line (former Milwaukee Road/Rock Island joint track) between Northfield and Comus, then over IC&E rails into Faribault. Upon arrival in Faribault, we negotiate spindly industrial trackage and switch Faribault Foods before heading back north. We then move up to PGR's operations between Rosemount and Eagan, Minnesota over former Milwaukee Road trackage, known as the "Eagandale line". As with the previous segments, we see several run-bys, as well as some switching, with a surprise appearance by a well-known father and son railfan team. To complete our coverage, we’ll tour the former MN&S High Line in Bloomington and Richfield, Minnesota, with another classy former MN&S SW1500 documented here.
Copyright 2005, C. Vision Productions
Progressive Rail Locomotives seen:
PGR 34 (SW1500)
PGR 36 (SW1500)
PGR 37 (SW1500)
PGR 38 (SW1500)
PGR 40 (SD39)
PGR 42 (SD38-2)
Check out C. Vision's other videos below:
Black Hills SD40-2 Cab Ride: Chicago & North Western Colony Line - FULL VIDEO (1994):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4FAbtVHgMEg
Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Vol. 1, The East End: SD40-2 Marathon - FULL VIDEO (2012):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JiPJ58X3IdA
Burlington Northern’s Hi Line in Montana: Autumn on Marias Pass:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uDo1PvSrVGk
Classic BNSF Railway: Volume 2 of Crossing The Cornbelt - FULL VIDEO (1998):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2rqcJK7DUfo
Montana Rail Link SD45 Renaissance Vol. 1, The East End - FULL VIDEO (2016):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=reRpteUo1D0
Montana Rail Link Vol. 2, The West End - Updated FULL VIDEO (2016):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qqkYMo2TEQA
Montana Rail Link Vol. 3, The Final Countdown: GP9, SD40-2XR, and SD45 Locomotives:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G_7bn1HCtJY
A Tribute to the Soo Line - FULL VIDEO (2000):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aA3rCBiVVJw
Nebkota Railway F Units and BN C30-7’s on Crawford Hill in Nebraska:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zOgeV9SXY70
Classic BNSF Railway: Crossing The Cornbelt, The Marshall Subdivision - FULL VIDEO (1997):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vFTnF2PtYKo
Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern FULL VIDEO - RCPE SD40-2 Locomotives (2016):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7ugEhjtXUK0
BNSF Hinckley Subdivision in 1998-1999. 4 Class 1 Railroads! Pre-Merger Locomotives!:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YhCzMZzQrTQ
DMVW SD45 Locomotives:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TXEuCr4zDOo
Wyoming Coal Trains - FULL VIDEO (1995):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cwM8KsMh0u8
Rare Views of CP Industrial Switching: MP15AC Locomotives on CP’s Camden Job - SOO 1540 & CP 1404:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1jbUJWLXapI
Sisseton Milbank Railroad (SMRR) - South Dakota Shortline Survivor:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-_UB82mquzg
SD40-2 Stronghold: EMD Locomotives in Minnesota’s Iron Ore Country FULL VIDEO (2018):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kvaEVuFQlhU
Trona Railway in the Mojave Desert: EMD SD40-2, SD40T-2, and Baldwin AS-616 Locomotives:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hkwck9cSRHo
Where did MRL's SD35 Fleet Go? Great Lakes Central!:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QyPFjzXdg1o
NKCR: Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado Railway on the Stormy High Plains:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LkgjlTCMwuk
Central Montana Railroad: Shortline Survivor - GP9 and GP30 Territory:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc6WqSivG6k
In this C. Vision video presentation, we feature the Progressive Rail's Minnesota operations in 2005. This era of the PGR is remembered as one of its most interesting, with a variety of classic EMD locomotives adorned in Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern colors handling a majority of the assignments. We begin our coverage with Progressive Rail's Dan Patch Line between Northfield and Lakeville, Minnesota. The railroad assigned PGR 40 (SD39) and PGR 42 (SD38-2) to this operation during the time of production. We follow two sizable Progressive Rail trains over this portion of the former MN&S mainline, with the pair of six-axle units put to good use on the line's undulating profile. In between the northbound and southbound trips, we view some switching in Lakeville at the Airlake Industrial Park, and bring you a special tour of PGR's unique rail warehouse and transload facility. We also include two scenes of CP's Northfield to Lakeville turn, documented shortly before this operation was handed over to PGR. Next, our coverage shifts to the former Chicago Great Western (CGW) line east out of Northfield, to Randolph, Minnesota. We follow PGR's Randolph train in both directions over this branch, with one of PGR's Hancock Air Whistle-equipped SW1500s handling this run. We also see the crew performing a little switching in Randolph before turning back to Northfield. Next, we take a cab ride on PGR's job to Faribault aboard one of Progressive Rail's former MN&S SW1500s, PGR 37. We'll head south over Union Pacific's Spine Line (former Milwaukee Road/Rock Island joint track) between Northfield and Comus, then over IC&E rails into Faribault. Upon arrival in Faribault, we negotiate spindly industrial trackage and switch Faribault Foods before heading back north. We then move up to PGR's operations between Rosemount and Eagan, Minnesota over former Milwaukee Road trackage, known as the "Eagandale line". As with the previous segments, we see several run-bys, as well as some switching, with a surprise appearance by a well-known father and son railfan team. To complete our coverage, we’ll tour the former MN&S High Line in Bloomington and Richfield, Minnesota, with another classy former MN&S SW1500 documented here.
Copyright 2005, C. Vision Productions
Progressive Rail Locomotives seen:
PGR 34 (SW1500)
PGR 36 (SW1500)
PGR 37 (SW1500)
PGR 38 (SW1500)
PGR 40 (SD39)
PGR 42 (SD38-2)
Check out C. Vision's other videos below:
Black Hills SD40-2 Cab Ride: Chicago & North Western Colony Line - FULL VIDEO (1994):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4FAbtVHgMEg
Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Vol. 1, The East End: SD40-2 Marathon - FULL VIDEO (2012):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JiPJ58X3IdA
Burlington Northern’s Hi Line in Montana: Autumn on Marias Pass:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uDo1PvSrVGk
Classic BNSF Railway: Volume 2 of Crossing The Cornbelt - FULL VIDEO (1998):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2rqcJK7DUfo
Montana Rail Link SD45 Renaissance Vol. 1, The East End - FULL VIDEO (2016):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=reRpteUo1D0
Montana Rail Link Vol. 2, The West End - Updated FULL VIDEO (2016):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qqkYMo2TEQA
Montana Rail Link Vol. 3, The Final Countdown: GP9, SD40-2XR, and SD45 Locomotives:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G_7bn1HCtJY
A Tribute to the Soo Line - FULL VIDEO (2000):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aA3rCBiVVJw
Nebkota Railway F Units and BN C30-7’s on Crawford Hill in Nebraska:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zOgeV9SXY70
Classic BNSF Railway: Crossing The Cornbelt, The Marshall Subdivision - FULL VIDEO (1997):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vFTnF2PtYKo
Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern FULL VIDEO - RCPE SD40-2 Locomotives (2016):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7ugEhjtXUK0
BNSF Hinckley Subdivision in 1998-1999. 4 Class 1 Railroads! Pre-Merger Locomotives!:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YhCzMZzQrTQ
DMVW SD45 Locomotives:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TXEuCr4zDOo
Wyoming Coal Trains - FULL VIDEO (1995):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cwM8KsMh0u8
Rare Views of CP Industrial Switching: MP15AC Locomotives on CP’s Camden Job - SOO 1540 & CP 1404:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1jbUJWLXapI
Sisseton Milbank Railroad (SMRR) - South Dakota Shortline Survivor:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-_UB82mquzg
SD40-2 Stronghold: EMD Locomotives in Minnesota’s Iron Ore Country FULL VIDEO (2018):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kvaEVuFQlhU
Trona Railway in the Mojave Desert: EMD SD40-2, SD40T-2, and Baldwin AS-616 Locomotives:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hkwck9cSRHo
Where did MRL's SD35 Fleet Go? Great Lakes Central!:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QyPFjzXdg1o
NKCR: Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado Railway on the Stormy High Plains:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LkgjlTCMwuk
Central Montana Railroad: Shortline Survivor - GP9 and GP30 Territory:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc6WqSivG6k
