Transit Fantasy Photoshops

[DanPatchToget]

This part of the forum has been dead for awhile, but this seemed like the best place to post some of my non-map Photoshop projects that pertain to fantasizing about the Twin Cities transit system, as well as a little bit of Greater Minnesota. I started doing these in 2017, and while I have improved in using Photoshop I'm still nowhere near an expert at it, and that can definitely be seen with most of these. But hey, I think it's still better than resorting to AI slop.

If anyone else happens to do these then feel free to post your own.

I'll start off with this one, an ex-Northstar train at a station in the West End area of St. Louis Park along the existing BNSF tracks. A skyway over the tracks gives more convenient access between West End and the North Cedar Lake Trail. Willmar seems like a safe bet for where this train is going. When I made this in 2020 I removed the Northstar titles on the train just so it wouldn't be confused with the route between Minneapolis and Big Lake, but depending on Northstar's fate this may have accidentally been prophetic.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Lu72ppsd7xNB3mur7

[DanPatchToget]

In light of today's news about Northstar, here's a couple photos of what should have been.

First this one I made recently of an Amtrak train in St. Cloud, and unlike the Empire Builder that stops here in the early morning eastbound and late at night westbound, this train is serving the city during the day. It will follow the route of the Empire Builder up to Grand Forks, and from there continue northward to Winnipeg.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pTinK7qbsdJfsb7SA


At the same spot as the Amtrak train, here's Northstar serving the city it should have a long time ago:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zuBVsywC3X2CpzLx6

I should have added some cars and people since it looks kind of desolate, but we'll just say everyone whose destination is St. Cloud has already left the station area, and those taking the train have already boarded.

[Chuggachuggachoochoo]

Hey, that's where I work! Woe, what could have been...

Awesome fantasy photo!

[DanPatchToget]

Here's some modern interurban trains on the Luce Line.

Glenwood Junction in Golden Valley.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/HD2c3NJifp11YNkx6

Crossing CPKC's MN&S Spur in Golden Valley while a southbound freight train waits.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CX6rNgvFi25s9L55A

At the southern edge of the town of Independence in an area called Lyndale. If you ever happen to go through here while on the Luce Line Trail, the Ox Yoke Inn is a good place for a food and rest stop.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3zY6pyLri8eMKaTx7

The railroad company that built the Luce Line intended to reach Brookings, South Dakota, but only got as far west as the tiny unincorporated community of Gluek (unrelated to Gluek Beer). I'd like to think that in an alternate reality where there was still interurban service on the Luce Line, most trains would go as far as Wayzata, less frequency to Hutchinson, and the least frequency to Clara City. The section between Clara City and Gluek would still be abandoned, and I do wonder how much use that part of the Luce Line received even before cars and paved roads were commonplace, although amazingly it wasn't abandoned until 1967.

[DanPatchToget]

A couple of Stadler FLIRT electric-multiple units (in this case battery electric-multiple units as I was too lazy to try adding overhead wires) on the Dan Patch Corridor.

In southern Bloomington having a meet with a Progressive Rail train:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vpycHQ9EEfcJHrr98

In Edina about to cross over Minnehaha Creek:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RVZ5EFXE2vsy12iTA

I particularly like these since of course they're on the Dan Patch Line, but also because the trains are in the colors of Norges Statsbaner/Norwegian State Railways (NSB). 10 years ago when I studied abroad in Oslo I regularly rode their regional rail system, which often times was on these specific trains. It gave me a lot of inspiration for what a regional rail system could look like in the Twin Cities.

[DanPatchToget]

Here's a few from the Dan Patch Line crossing the Minnesota River between Bloomington and Savage, with the existing swing bridge replaced by a new lift bridge.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zkJPWZWpVATL41jL9

Comparison shot between the old and new bridge. The new bridge would have a much higher elevation, so river flooding should no longer be an issue.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RjdTAmLzAsfVPcMs7

This photo looks north in Bloomington with the river behind the camera. With the existing swing bridge the tracks are at ground level at this spot, but with the higher elevation of the new bridge the tracks would be on a pretty long viaduct across part of the Minnesota River Valley. As part of the planned paved trail along the river there would be a trail connection at this spot that would go up to Normandale Boulevard/Auto Club Road. While this photo doesn't show it, and it's something I should include if/when I make an updated image, there would of course also be a trail deck with the new bridge across the river.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4KeY2CwTQojCpgnWA

[DanPatchToget]

Progressive Rail on the old Dakota Rail tracks crossing the northern edge of Tanager Lake near Wayzata:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vfNB1BFpZGqT4Hf99

I wanted to Photoshop a train in this spot in a summer scene, but that would've required either a boat or somehow reaching there with a paddle board, so I opted for the winter when I could walk out on the ice.

Not really transit per se, but I wonder if there would've been serious interest in developing light rail or regional rail on this line if Dakota Rail hadn't been abandoned. Supposedly when Dakota Rail called it quits in the early 2000s there was interest, particularly out in the rural areas of this line, to find a new freight railroad company to take over, Progressive Rail was interested, but NIMBYism won out. However, I haven't found any official sources showing that was the case, so take it with a grain of salt. I think there was potential for this railroad to survive, but it would've required significant assistance from the state as a lot of track needed to be replaced.