On the Move: Stillwater's Famed Zephyr Train Starts a Trip West

The is on the move.

Crews pulled into the today with a crane, a flatbed trailer and a plan to move the Zephyr from its tracks on the north end of downtown, south on Main Street to be temporarily stored on the tracks at Andersen Windows.

The move will allow for crews contracted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to remove the railroad ties and begin grading the

From there, the hope is that the Zephyr will head west to Oregon where it will be refurbished and used as a dinner train once again.

"I haven't sold the trains yet," David Paradeau said Tuesday morning. "There are a couple of interested parties, but no cigar."

So what does it take to move the train?

The crews with Savage Heavy Hauling Inc. and Vic’s Cranes will use two cranes—one 175-ton crane and a 220-ton crane—and a 13-axel rig to move the train from Stillwater to Bayport.

The operation started today and the Zephyr is expected to start moving early Wednesday morning.

Six cars and two locomotives will be moved this week during the relocation operation.

The train cars will be hoist onto the trailer with two cranes (one on the front and the other on the back). A truck will then haul the trains down Main Street.

The move down Main Street could start as early as 3 a.m. Wednesday. The move will happen during the early-morning hours to limit impact on traffic through downtown Stillwater.

During the move, parking will not be allowed on Main or Mulberry streets or between the condos and P.D. Pappy's.

The crews will move one train car per trip with the hopes of moving two cars per day.

RELATED CONTENT: 

Check back for updates on the move and please add your photos and videos to this post.