The Ford Hauler Remembered
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- The Twin Cities was once the home of the Ford Ranger, and the large Twin Cities Assembly Plant. This ended in December of 2011 when production ceased, and so did the daily trains which served it. This concluded decades of service by the Milwaukee Road, Soo Line, and lastly Canadian Pacific Railway.
After the last trains traversed the line in Nov of 2013, the rails have sat in silence...waiting, wanting, and hoping for a train that will never come again. We'll trace the Ford Line from Fordson Jct, to the former Ford Plant, while comparing how it looks now, and how it was during its operation. There are MANY then and now views, and provides a stark contrast showing what once was.
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Copyright 2023 Douglas Hildebrandt, all rights reserved.
I used Amtrak to travel for business to the Ford KCAP and TCAP plants in the 2006-2008 timeframe. TCAP was my favorite destination to travel to. Once I arrived as a **Pepto Bismol PINK** Ranger came off the line, and as I looked up the line I saw others in this same color sprinkled along the line. What in the actual heck? So I went into the office to ask my plant contact about this. It was a periodic special order from the State of Idaho Parks & Recreation Dept., each time for a batch of 60 trucks, and always in PINK. The reason for this? They figured nobody would steal them. I can't argue with that logic. 😆😆😆
Wow, that's just sad. The Ford Ranger was such a great little truck too. How the times have changed...
I have one and its still the best truck :)
I have a couple of them. Now that I know the plant no longer exists, I'll try to preserve the Twin Cities plant sticker on the back window of the one I'm rebuilding.
That it is! If you look at the rear driver side window, you can see the Twin Cities Assembly Plant sticker. Thanks for watching!
Fantastic presentation of a really interesting operation! The before and after shots make it easy to see just how much has changed in the last 10 years. It's a shame to see it go.
This was one of my favorite recent videos to make. It amazes me just how fast nature can take things back over. Glad to hear you enjoyed the video, and thank you for watching!
I cannot fathom the amount of time and effort you put into the production of this video. Both the videography and narration throughout were extraordinary! Astounding work!
Nice documentary on the Ford Hauler ..... very well done! Showing the current state of the line and action shots from past operations makes for a great historical story. Top notch video! Mike
Thank you very much! This was a fun, and sobering video, to make. Lots of neat memories, and things to see on the route.
Ford plant will never forgotten
Agreed! It would have been nice if they had saved part of the plant, and integrated it into the redevelopment.
Very nice video. Growing up in Rockford, IL, There was a fmr MLW (then SOO, now CP) line that ran from Davis Junction IL to Janesville, WI. Janesville had a very large GM truck plant. Many childhood memories watching those "frame trains" rock violently side to side on poorly maintained trackage. Some of those same number 4400 series SOO's I saw on that line back in the late 80s/early 90s. Its terrible what the rail industry has become due to closures such as automotive plants like these.
Wow, this is a throwback! I miss this so much it’s a by gone era! Use to watch them all the time growing up!
This line was at its peak in the 80s. So much stuff going on. Pearsons was even getting tank car deliveries.
Glad you enjoyed the video! It is such a shame how this once was, and how it now sits. Thank you for watching!
I thought Pearson's once got rail service!
@@SD457500 Yes! The siding started right off Rankin St. You can somehow still see evidence from it on Google Maps. Only one time in 84, I saw a long black tank car parked on this siding near the switch.
Those Afternoon Ford jobs were great to work especially if you had an engineer that knew how to manage the slack
could you give us a rundown on the types of jobs and how they worked
I am surprised no one has thought of converting this line into a railway museum.
The trestle needs replaced, and all that running through people's back yards would probably make insurance expensive.
While it would be neat, the bridge is a gating factor, and ALL of the grade crossings would be an operational nightmare for a museum. Thanks for watching!
@@SD457500 Perhaps we can create an organization dedicated to doing that.
The irony of an EMD(GM) locomotive serving a Ford plant. 😅
You make a good point there! ha ha ha! Thanks for the comment, and watching!
Really well done Hilddie. Loved how you matched up the framing from past to present.
Thank you very much, and I appreciate the kind words! Lining up the shots was the most difficult part; lots of shooting, reshooting, and edits to make it all work. In the end, all well worth it!
I still have a very well preserved 2001 Twin City Ranger I purchased new. A silver 4x4, flare side extended cab, 4.0L that looks and drives as new. I seldom drive it but when I do I always get complements that usually include 'why did Ford stop making these'. This video is special to me. Thank you!
I want to take a moment to thank you and all other videographers who have preserved on video the histories of so many now defunct lines and companies. Those of us who grew up and love trains are often heartbroken by seeing once active lines fall into disrepair. At least this way, we can go back in time to enjoy once again the things we've come to love. Thank you very much for all you've done, especially this video.
What a shame. Today big business will call this PROGRESS.
Jim
Hatboro, PA
It's crazy to see all of the trees coming up, I know of a few lines around where you can tell where the tracks are simply because the trees mark the right of ways
It is amazing how fast those trees are growing between the rails! It really didn't take off until the last two years too; crazy growth. Thanks for watching!
Holy s... This is a far cry contrast then and now! And this is so sad to see those places today... Anyways your video was excellent and amazing, I'm loving it Doug ;)
Thank you very much, and glad you enjoyed it! Even though I saw this line when it was in operation, it is stunning to see how much nature is slowly taking over. Thanks for watching!
Great video, reminds me of when GBW had some of this business and handed it off to the MILW at Winona!
Love the past mixed with present day! Shows just one line that has been forgotten out of the thousands!
Interesting to see where my Ranger trucks started their lives. Sad to see Ford didn't repurpose the plant after Ranger production ceased.
Excellent production…story, audio, video, editing…seamless…really nice work!
excellent video and commentary, sd45700 !! we don't see soo here in western ny state ( right on lake erie) but we see a ton of cp... i do remember seeing soo sd 60's on the ns southern tier line but they were stenciled for cefx. again, great work and merry christmas !!!
Thanks. I will have to find Fordson Jct. My mom worked at Ford there during WW2, building hydraulic assemblies for B-24s.
Very neat family history tied to the Ford Plant! Fordson is just west of Chestnut St, by about a mile or so.
railfanin stpaul 1949,9 r.r.served msp...live 100 ft from davern st...45 yrs...hopped freight line into dntn stpaul on 10 mph track,took bus home,sat in pick up trk boxes...so so happy you did this history/ post 👍👍
I bet you've got some good memories of this line when it was in service! Thank you for watching, and the comment.
My grandparents owned a house two doors down from that bridge. The house has been torn down a couple benches are now where her bedroom and living room were.
Love it. What a fascinating look at past and present...and how quickly things can change.
Thank you for the kind words about the video! I used to spend so much time on this line, and its amazing how fast things change.
Great video, I missed the Ford Line by about 2 years when I hired out up here. Congrats on 60K subs BTW!
Oh sad day; so close to being able to operate on it. :/ Thank you; hopefully 70k, and eventually 100K next!
I remember these scenes from the CP Ford Hauler video by C Vision Productions
They used a lot of these for the video back then. :D Thanks for watching!
Nature reclaims things quickly.
It really does, and FAST! Just a few years ago, maybe three, there was very little growth. Things have really taken off a lot in the last few years. Thanks for watching, and the comment!
Ford did same when shift the Ford Rangers from it Metuchen Plant in Northern New Jersey they close in 1997 the Metuchen Plant is along Amtrak Northeast Corridor the plant is long gone but when Conrail back in the Day own that line now it own by Conrail Shared Assets of North Jersey (NS/CSX)
I heard about that plant, and it closing! Sad days... :/ Thank you for watching, and the comment.
6:35 Wow, rebuilt GP40X. Crazy rare!
Yeah, it was a neat locomotive to see! It was a normal unit around here until just a few years ago. Last I checked, I think its working in Canada now.
There is a small glimmer of hope for the right of way, although not in the form of heavy rail. It is being considered for the "Riverview Line," a proposed light-rail/streetcar line, that would split from the Metro Transit Blue line at fort Snelling, and then head to downtown St. Paul. However, that project is still in very early planning stages, and reusing part of the route (likely from the crossing of Highway 5 to Toronto Street), is one of the many potential route options that is being considered by Ramsey County, who is heading the project at the moment.
That would be interesting to see how it shakes out, long term. I know that there are many ideas floating behind the scenes for this. I'd rather see some type of rail come back to this, vs it being torn out. Thank you for watching!
Damn shame.And no other industries
have thought to move in?
Nothing yet. :/ Nearly all of the Ford Plant is being turned into condos/apartments. It would be nice IF a new industry came in, but nothing has yet.
I assumed that Ford Motor Company owned the land that the rail yard was on. Too bad another business didn’t build on that property. I drove there on the last day of Ranger production in my 2009 Ranger. My 2004, 2009 and 2011 Rangers were all built there. My 2011 in November 2011 so it was possibly there the day of my visit. I didn’t buy it until Summer 2015.
Would there happen to be an overall track plan for Ford Yard anywhere, wanting to recreate this line in HO, but am not having much luck
This is a really neat video! Great work!
Thank you very much, and glad you enjoyed it!
It sure is an unhappy sight, watching the Milwaukee Road line into the vacant site of the Ford plant in Minnesota go to flora and fauna!
I use to switch out this industry, when the regular engineer would lay off. We called it "the Ford crawler". It was one of the better job to work.
Superb editing, the “then & now” footage is fascinating. Astonishing how quickly nature reclaims the territory.
Glad you enjoyed it, and I appreciate the kind words. Its amazing how fast nature is creeping back into places.
Very nice video! 👍
Thank you very much; glad you enjoyed the video!
Kinda odd that the trestle caught fire after the rail cars were gone?
The local vandals probably heard the line had closed, so figured they could get away with it.
Could be, but we can't prove that the rr did it so they wouldn't have to use it
@@coryhoover01 If you want to make wild accusations like "the railroad did it so they wouldn't have to use it", those accusations need to be supported by evidence. You don't get to say "Well, I can't prove they didn't do it, so I guess they did", just like the police don't get to throw you in jail for murder every time somebody dies, because they can't prove you didn't kill them.
@@beeble2003 nobody can prove they did just like no one can prove they didn’t. I find it odd it happened after ALL rail cars were removed. Sounds fishy. Btw the 1st amendment gives me the freedom of speech. I am entitled to my opinion and never said they did.
@@coryhoover01 Yes, you are entitled to your completely baseless opinion, and you're also entitled to share it with everybody to show how smart you are. Enjoy your freedom. I hope you do something productive with it, some day.
Very nice video. Just think, at one point, there was steam locomotive on this spur.
It's the same thing CN did to BC Rail, they don't preserve it they bought it to shut it down 😢
Please reveal info on Johnson Bros.
What sort of information are you seeking about them?
I spent many hours working that job.
really sad... one more industry down for the count
Sounds like arson
Well, yes. No other reason for it to catch fire in one place, let alone two.
That old trestle is still an impressive structure!
We had such trains in Belgium/Germany/Netherlands all ceased in 2015
I bet that was a sad day when that happened. :/ What type of vehicles were made there which used rail to ship items?
@@SD457500 ford focus, Fiesta,station cars
@@SD457500 the cars now come from Romania,on open trains
@@frankgeurts3912 That's no fun :/
@@SD457500 same happened with Opel,a huge plant in Antwerp,3 trains daly.the production went to Poland
Nicely done
Thank you for the kind comment!
Nice video!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching.
Excellent video. I enjoyed very much. You’ve preserved the history of this now abandoned branch line for future railfans.
Excellent comparisons! A shame to lose all the jobs, the history and the backyard railroad. I'd love to have that close up and personal in my neighborhood
Rails to trails is the next usage!
Cool random thing to pop up in my feed. I worked right next to where this line crossed west 7th during this time.
What a great video, capturing this history. I never realized how impressive that bridge was.
Used to be numerous auto plants in my area now they're all gone. Remember seeing a lot of those parts boxcars / flat cars on the ns
That was interesting
Well the rails are still there love to salvage them, or theoretically parts of it could still be reactivated even a couple signals are still there
Great video, love the past and present scenes!
Glad you enjoyed it! This was a fun one to make, and the differences in the then and now scenes was mind blowing in spots.
More of this!!..
Will do! Lots of neat things in the pipeline for 2024. Thanks for watching!
Great video
Thank the foreign car companies and the people who bought them.