Just before Christmas 2016, OTVR ran a special "Santa Train" over its route. Behind the scenes, Santa rode in a warm pickup to the outskirts of each town and then would hop on to ride t... (more)

An Otter Tail Valley Railroad GP40 still in Burlington Northern green sits with a couple other EMD's in Fergus Falls on a nice spring morning in 2019.

A high hood GP9 leads an Otter Tail Valley Railroad train of empty tank cars across the frozen Minnesota landscape just south of Barnesville.

Just underway out of Fergus, the OTV local rolls above Vine St, on its way to interchange with the BNSF in Dilworth. The mornings dense fog advisory is slowly burning off just after sunrise.

The day after a snowstorm dumped 12 inches of snow in the area, the OTVR wayfreight finds a drift at one of the many farm crossings on the prairie. They'd shortly stop and set out their train of ... (more)

The day after a snowstorm dumped 12 inches of snow in the area, the OTVR wayfreight has finished their work and heads home toward Fergus Falls for the night, but not before clearing some plow ridg... (more)

A ratty old timer fronts the daily Otter Tail Valley Railroad interchange train as it reverses eastward into BNSF's Dilworth Yard. OTVR 4021 has passed through many hands, built for B&O, later own... (more)

OTVR 181 brings a transfer freight past Hoffmann Avenue in October of 1991.

With a 50s era GP9 leading the way, the local heads back to Fergus Falls over the south fork of the Buffalo River on a chilly, but clear, winter afternoon.

Ethanol tanks for the plant at Fergus Falls venture across the frozen western Minnesota landscape just north of Baker.

My last shot of the day and of the OTVR 1483 was appropriately a backlit sunset shot south of Lawndale. Originally built for the Nickel Plate Road almost 60 years ago, this veteran of the rails h... (more)

The Otter Tail Valley Railroad's high hood GP9 leads a train of ethanol tanks south on their former Great Northern line from Moorhead to Fergus Falls, MN. They're seen crossing the south branch o... (more)

After Santa's first appearance of the day, the Otter Tail Valley Railroad crew awaits their departure from Barnesville, MN. Besides this show, they'd also stop in Rothsay and Fergus Falls. Hats o... (more)

OTVR 1483 brings their Santa Train into Fergus Falls for the last showing of the day. Once a busy GN line, the tracks here only see a few trains a week. Mostly grain and ethanol, as well as BNSF g... (more)

After some switching in Dilworth with BNSF and industries in Moorhead, the usual OTVR GPs head back to Fergus Falls near Sabin.