St. Cloud Hosts International Rail Convention

(KNSI) – The Great Northern Railway Historical Society’s annual convention in St. Cloud this week drew attendees from across the country, and even the world.

Member Barry Schreiber, who is also the president of the board of the St. Cloud Area Rail Legacy Museum, says over 100 people came for the five-day event. “We had about 130 people from all over the country that came to this convention. Convention goers came from New Jersey, Arizona, Washington state, Oregon, Montana, Illinois, Minnesota, and a variety of other destinations, including Malaysia,” he notes.

Central Minnesota was an important region for Great Northern. The rail cars used to be painted at a facility in Waite Park. The convention consisted of several presentations at the Kelly Inn. Schreiber says this area had a huge demand for cooled cars for agricultural products, which was the focus of one of the talks.

“Refrigerated cars carried dairy, they carried vegetables, they carried sides of beef and were very popular starting in the 1920s,” he says.

The gathering is an annual event. It alternates between the eastern end and the western end of the line. Schreiber says the group got a chance to check out the STARail. He says everyone was impressed by it. If you would like to set up a tour of the museum, call 763-607-3195.

Schreiber says one of the most popular excursions was a visit to the preserved steam locomotive in Willmar, about an hour away. Next year’s convention is in Everett, Washington, near Seattle. In 2025, it returns to Minnesota. It will be held in the Twin Cities.

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