DME 6615 climbs Stockton Hill with a westbound train as it leaves Winona, MN and the Mississippi River valley in September of 1993.

It was once common to see grey SD40 leaders along the DM&E but since the sale to the Canadian Pacific Railway in 2008 these work horses have went away. With NS run through power on over half of th... (more)

The woods and fields of the Stockton Valley are in transition from winter to spring as an empty ethanol train makes its way west across the Waseca Sub. Up ahead is the tough pull up Stockton Hill ... (more)

DME 6070 is notched out under the Tunnel O trees.

SOO Line SD60 #6026 and sister unit #6044 begin their assault on the former C&NW's line up Stockton Hill.

SOO Line SD60 #6026 and sister unit #6044 roll past a quiet farm, and begin their assault on the massive climb out of the Mississippi River Valley, just East of Stockton, MN with empty ethanol tra... (more)

An ex-Milwaukee Road GP40 leads into some nice light on the old NorthWestern.

From the extreme west end of the DME, to the extreme east end, I covered it all in two days. If you are wondering, yes, the bluff is as steep as it looks. B27 doubles the hill with an SD40-2, an S... (more)

It's always upsetting to look at a photo that I took and say to myself "Well, that'll never happen again". Such is the case here as we find now-terminated CP train 277 pulling up the incline of St... (more)

DME 6370, a former Milwaukee Road unit, leads another DME SD40-2 on job B27 as they round a bend near Farmers Park. A blizzard is in full force in SE Minnesota but we are protected behind the blu... (more)

B27 passes by one of the many farms nestled in the bluffs of the Mississippi River valley. In a few short months these bluffs will be lush with greenery and the fields will be planted with crops.... (more)

CNW 404 leads a Westbound as it makes a run for Stockton Hill. The train would end up having to double the hill between Stockton and Lewiston.

Train 685 is seen here working hard climbing Stockton Hill. This is the last location where the road and rails parallel each other during this climb out of the river valley. The tracks snake sou... (more)

Train 685, fertilizer loads destined for Springfield, MN, is seen here passing a farm as it climbs out of the Mississippi River valley. With the river fog in its rear view mirrors the crew catche... (more)

Climbing Stockton hill on the DM&E. ICE 6211, CP 6021 and ICE 6102 behind the trees.