Two SOO Bandits idle as their train is getting looked over for the move to Cardigan Jct. This is an extremely rare scene, not only with two bandits for power, but SOO freight at New Brighton. In 1985, when the SOO bought the Milwaukee, the routing changed overnight. New Brighton was reduced to one main, the depot was taken out, and all traffic went via St. Paul to Chicago. The WC brought traffic back to line in 1987, and continued daily manifests and even coal and coke trains up until the CN takeover in 2001. They even brought a depot back in 1996. Today only a daily manifest (CN A405) is a safe bet on the rails. Ironically, the railroad that brought about all of these changes, the Milwaukee Road, is the only real icon in this image, sitting on rails that they abandon 24 years ago.
