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Railroad
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South/West Terminal
North/East Terminal
Description
Former Luce Line Railroad between Minneapolis and Gluek
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<p>In 1909, the Electric Short Line Railway (ELSR) began construction of a 54-mile route extending from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Hutchinson, Minnesota. Due to financial troubles, the railroad would not be completed until 1916. By 1922, further extensions were being made to Cosmos, and in 1923, the railroad would be extended to Lake Lillian. Financial trouble in 1924 caused the foreclosure of the ELSR, and the railroad would be reorganized as the Minnesota Western Railroad (MW) the same year. The goal of the railroad was to eventually reach Brookings, South Dakota. The final extension was completed in 1927, when the railroad reached Gluek, Minnesota. The railroad, nicknamed the "Luce Line" due to its operation by the Luce Family, was intended to serve under served farming communities in western Minnesota. Due to the late start and little capital, the railroad was often struggling financially.</p><p>In 1956, the railroad would be purchased by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway (M&StL), which operated the route as a subsidiary known as the Minneapolis Industrial Railway. In 1960, the M&StL would be purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW). The C&NW saw little use for this branch line, and deferred maintenance with the goal of abandoning the route. In 1970, the C&NW would remove 104 miles of railroad between Gluek and Plymouth, Minnesota. The route between Cosmos and Plymouth was purchased by the Minnesota DNR for trail use. In 1995, C&NW was purchased by Union Pacific Railroad (UP). In 2023, UP continues to operate the Plymouth to Minneapolis segment of the line, while the portion between Plymouth and Cosmos has become part of the Luce Line State Trail. The remainder of the route has been abandoned and reverted to adjacent landowners<br></p>
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