Birchwood & St. Croix Railroad

Scale: G

Birchwood & St. Croix Railroad models narrow gauge railroad from the late 1800’s through early 1900’s. The Shay locomotive on the logging train is a scale model of the Shays invented specifically for logging in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The other locomotives are also scale models of narrow gauge steam engines with specific histories from that era. The layout covers approximately 2000 square feet and includes water features, mountains, more than 50 scale model buildings (many scratch built), 1100 feet of track, and six trains running simultaneously. The Old West area on the north end aims to depict late 1800’s while the town on the south end aims to depict early 1900’s.

Era/Locale: 1880s – Early 1900s
Size: 2,000 square feet
Track: 100%
Scenery: 100%

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From Minnesota Digital Library:

“The growth of Minnesota can be tied directly to the growth of railroads. The railroads supported farmers, millers, miners, and loggers by moving the raw materials they produced to sell at markets. In turn, the railroads brought other goods and products to the people to build their homes, businesses, and towns. Railroads also brought immigrants to settle the land and provided jobs and income to laborers and investors.

Three of Minnesota’s major railroads were the Northern Pacific, the Great Northern, and the Soo Line. While these three were not the only railroads that operated in Minnesota, they had a major impact on the state.

The U.S. Congress chartered the Northern Pacific Railway in 1864 to build a transcontinental railroad from Lake Superior to the Pacific coast. When it was completed in 1883, the railroad had laid nearly 6,800 miles of track through Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Its headquarters were in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

From ThievesRiver.com:

1) Uff da

Background: A Scandinavian import, particularly from Norwegian, “uff da” is widely used to express dismay, exhaustion or sometimes even relief. It embodies the stoic yet expressive nature of Minnesotans.

Example: “Uff da! I forgot my wallet at the cabin. Now I can’t pay for the meat raffle tickets, gosh darn it!”

2) You Betcha

Background: This phrase epitomizes the friendly and positive attitude of Minnesotans. It’s often said with enthusiasm and is used to mean “absolutely” or “you can count on it.”

Example: “Do you want to come to the hockey game this weekend? Grain Belts are on me!” – “You betcha!”

Read more at ThievesRiver.com