SOO LINE Railroad Books
This book list features only books featuring the Soo Line Railroad. I grew up fascinated with the Soo Line probably because my father worked for them for a number of years. I’m actually amazed by the number of books out there about this railroad. The books range from complete histories to photography only. If you love the Soo, I would start by getting the very thorough Saga of the Soo series.
How to Use
This Soo Line book list is subject to change as more books are added. All the titles on this list I have personally viewed or I own. Below each title is a list of information about the book. This information comes from my copies, as other versions may exist. Photographs: This describes if the book contains a variety of color and/or black and white images. Main Image Style: This describes the images in the book being more traditional in nature or dramatic or artistic. Content: This will let the reader know what they should expect regarding how much text is in the book. Text means there are pages of writing and captions indicate that text is limited. Recommended: A 1/10 scale of my personal rating of the book. This is based off the overall quality and value the book has to me. Many factors come into play including photos, print quality, size, layout, content, page count, and how well it covers it’s subject.
Saga of the Soo: West from Shoreham
Recommended | 10/10
Second, revised edition of this book is almost twice as long as the first edition and packed with photos, maps, rosters, and advertisements. The book is a pictorial history of the Soo and its predecessors (the Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie and Atlantic, the Minneapolis and Pacific, and the Aberdeen, Bismark and Northwestern Railways), detailing the acquisition of the small lines in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana and the purchase of the Milwaukee Road, and bringing the history up through CP’s acquisition of the line in 1990. Includes sections on the Soo’s depots, branch lines, station names, winter operations, rolling stock and motive power. Illustrated with black and white and some color photos. With bibliography. End papers show system map. Read Customer Reviews
Author | John A. Gjevre
Photographs | Black & White and Color
Main Image Style | Traditional + Diagrams
Content | Text and Images
Time Period | Historical
Pages | 216
Three Generations West: Saga of the Soo
Recommended | 10/10
Volume 2 in this series provides a detailed look at the Soo Line Railroad over three generations until its purchase by the Canadian Pacific in 1990. This volume details the specific lines, cities and revenue producing industries that made up the Soo and then provides human stories with immigrant accounts and analyses. Four special sections provide the reader with an understanding of the role the railroad played in settling the northern plains as well as the settler’s impact on the Soo. There is also a touching account of home life in the second story of a Soo Standard depot shared by the wife of a former depot agent while Patrick Dorin provides an essay on Soo ore trains and traffic. Illustrated throughout with over 550 photographs (18 pages in full color), maps, drawings, and vintage advertisements. Read Customer Reviews
Author | John A. Gjevre
Photographs | Black & White and Color
Main Image Style | Traditional + Diagrams
Content | Text and Images
Time Period | Historical
Pages | 224
Saga of the Soo Volume III: East, West and to the North
Recommended | 10/10
An illustrated history of the Soo Line and the Wisconsin Central with special emphasis on their relation to the Canadian Pacific Railway. Read Customer Reviews
Author | John A. Gjevre
Photographs | Black & White and Color
Main Image Style | Traditional + Diagrams
Content | Text and Images
Time Period | Historical
Pages | 240
The Little Jewel: Soo Line Railroad and the Locomotives That Made it Go
Recommended | 8.5/10
Fascinating pictorial history of the Soo lines steam and diesel locomotives, covering all three predecessor lines (the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic, the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie, and the Wisconsin Central). With detailed rosters for the diesel-electric locomotives. Illustrated throughout with black and white photos. With maps and bibliography. Read Customer Reviews
Author | Wallace W. Abbey
Photographs | Black and White
Main Image Style | Traditional
Content | Text and Images
Time Period | Historical
Pages | 216
Soo Line in Color
Recommended | 8.5/10
Usual beautiful full-color pictorial from Morning Star Press — this one is for the Soo Line and covers each of the branch lines. Includes rosters. Read Customer Reviews
Author | Robert J. Wise
Photographs | Black & White and Color
Main Image Style | Traditional + Diagrams
Content | Text & Images
Time Period | Historical
Pages | 128
The Soo Line
Recommended | 8.5/10
Discusses the history, services, and equipment of the Soo Line Railroad, which is known throughout the Midwest for its dependability. Read Customer Reviews
Author | Patrick Dorin
Photographs | Black and White
Main Image Style | Traditional
Content | Text & Images
Time Period | Historical
Pages | 192
Soo Line 1993 Review
Recommended | 8/10
1993 review of the Soo Line’s activities. Includes history of the Soo, details of the merger with the Milwaukee Road, its acquisition by Canadian Pacific, the sale of lines to the Wisconsin Central, the Monon Route, the River Line, the Upper Peninsula, Caterpillar engines, and other insights into a railroad that was in the midst of major transformations. With maps. Illustrated throughout with black and white (and some color) photos. With locomotive roster, lists of locomotive dispositions and leased power. Read Customer Reviews
Author | Frederick W. Hyde
Photographs | Black & White and Color
Main Image Style | Traditional
Content | Text & Images
Time Period | Historical
Pages | 144
Soo Line 1975-1992 Photo Archive
Recommended | 6/10
Between 1975 and 1992, Soo Line’s aggressive marketing and operating plans, new equipment and paint schemes, and acquisitions, such as that of Milwaukee Road, marked its efforts to modernize and expand. In March 1992, however, the Soo Line passed into history, when it assumed the name of its parent and began operating as CP Rail System. This is a nostalgic collection of Soo Line photographs that includes heavy freights, terminal switchers, transfers, and more. Read Customer Reviews
Author | Frank W. Jordan
Photographs | Black & White
Main Image Style | Traditional
Content | Images
Time Period | Historical
Pages | 128
About the Author
Travis Dewitz is a professional photographer located out of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He has been published in many books and magazines including many in the railroad industry. He does a lot of photography work and environmental portraitures for many companies and heavy industries in and around Wisconsin. He has grown up with trains and railroads are one of his passions that he pursues. His railroad photography can be seen on his website The Railroad Collection.
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Tom Bryant
What about Leslie Suprey’s “Steam Trains of the Soo”?
I have a couple of copies of that…one that I bought for myself when it was first released, and one that I bought later for my father. The latter seemed to have been somewhat revised from the first. I haven’t thumbed through either of them for a long time…but enjoyed both. They tended to be a bit hokey compared to most of the others, but who cares? There were a lot of good photos.
Tom Bryant
Nashville, TN
(grew up along Soo branch line tracks in southern North Dakota)