Minnesota Transfer

Company History: MTFR was established in 1883 to be a neutral terminal and transfer railroad for the greater Minneapolis – St. Paul, Minnesota area. The company was jointly owned by the following Class One railroads that served the area: Chicago Burlington & Quincy; Chicago Great Western; Milwaukee Road; Rock Island; Chicago St. Paul Minneapolis & Omaha (a subsidiary of C&NW); Great Northern; Minneapolis & St. Louis; Minneapolis St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie (Soo Line); Northern Pacific.

The diesel era on the MTFR began in 1939 with a trio of Alco HH900’s. After a swing through Alco’s switcher catalog (18 units of 4 models,) they closed the first generation with a pair of RS-3’s. Later, an ex-Soo RS-2 also joined the party. In 1967, MTFR switched to EMD for the first of seven SW1500’s. In 1987, the Class One lines decided to sell the Minnesota Transfer to a group of independent investors who re-christened the line Minnesota Commercial Railway.

Successor/Parent History: The Minnesota Commercial Railway operates 150 miles of trackage dedicated to serving the Twin Cities. We serve manufacturers, warehouses, lumber and steel transloads, and grain mills. We operate a transload facility equipped to handle multiple commodities. We offer competitive rates and we can provide arrangements for leasing tracks, transloading, team track services in many locations as well as logistical assistance.

We operate 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Our professional staff is committed to ensuring your freight arrives when you want it. The Minnesota Commercial Railway is located in the Midway, between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Daily connections are made with BNSF, CP, UP, CN and TC & W.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.