RR map of Spring Valley Minnesota - Trains Magazine

Boyd,

  The CGW and MILW had no connection in Spring Valley.  The CGW passed 'over' the MILW line on it's way south to the Iowa state line.  I am not sure when the lines were removed, but the late 70's/early 80's seems right.  I had railfanned both lines in the early 70's, and by they time I moved to Rochester in 1984, both lines were gone.  The Milwaukee went east/west through Spring Valley and had 2-3 tracks in town(including that junk yard and a couple of elevators).  The CGW had a house track and a spur off of the house track.  I am not sure what industries were there as they were no longer rail served.

  The CGW and MILW did have an interchange south of Spring Valley at LeRoy.  The CGW had a spur out of Ostrander that served iron mines.  The ore was transferred to the MILW at LeRoy at times.  This was the MILW line between Calmer, IA and Austin, MN.  Spring Valley was on the MILW line between IM&D Jct(south of La Crescent, MN) and Austin, MN.  All of these lines were gone by the eary 80's.  Part of the Spring Valley line is now the Root River Bike Trail.

Jim Bernier