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Shelton |
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LDE - SheltonShelton Junction on the original DM&N (blue lines below) was a controlled crossing at grade with the Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific (green lines below) just south of Rainy Junction Yard in Virginia. The crossing and other nearby trackage were controlled from a tower. The tower, although located on the DM&N at Shelton, was called Largo Tower by the Missabe. In this 1920's map, the 'Peg only crossed the Missabe. Later an interchange track was added running (in this view) from the upper 'Peg track, parallel with the Missabe track for a while before connecting to it to the left of the diamond. Eventually, the Missabe was single-tracked through here - but after my target era.
Largo was some 50 feet from Shelton Junction, and was the name given by the D&IR to this place on their Western Mesaba branch. The DM&N beat the D&IR to the Virginia, MN area, and the D&IR line (red line above) ran from Eveleth to Largo, where it met the DM&N, and swung sharply north. At Largo was a junction with the DM&N, also controlled by the tower.
Trains departing southbound out of Rainy whistled for the Largo tower as they rounded the bend just past Rainy yard limits. There was a DM&IR passenger local called the "Allen Scoot" that ran from Allen Junction to Iron Junction, connecting Missabe division passenger trains with Iron Range division passenger trains, running via Largo and on to Iron Junction, then up the DM&N tracks back to Virginia. The photo above was taken from the last car of this local as it headed back towards the Fayal Hill grade and Eveleth. (Photo by Roy Gordon)
A new Atlas DW&P RS11 shoves a string of cars onto the interchange track with the DM&IR at Shelton Junction. The plastic tower is a stand-in for now.
Here's another view from the DW&P track, which serves double duty as part of the Sherwood trackage (behind me when the photo was taken). The line to Fayal Hill and Eveleth will be to the right of this shot, but will only be a short track that runs off the edge of the layout. |
