Riding the Red Jacket Trail on the Abandoned Central Railroad of Minnesota

Many railroad lines across Minnesota have been abandoned. One of these lines was the Central Railroad of Minnesota, which ran from Mankato to Wells. A portion of this railroad followed the Le Sueur and Blue Earth rivers from Rapidan into Mankato. This was a very scenic stretch, and featured a large trestle over the Le Sueur River. Today, the old track from Rapidan to Mankato has been turned into a paved bike trail, giving people a chance to walk or bike the old line. This video was taken along the route during the summer of 2022. All aboard!

[@MilePost106]

I love the history of the railroads

[@coffeehubby]

😊 That was my favorite biking and hiking trail for many years and then I would reward myself stopping at the Bagel Bros for a soup, sandwich and coffee

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

How about a video series dividing Minnesota into 4, 6, 8 or 10 sections showing current and former lines. I definitely would watch every one of them.

[@timheller8475]

What a great idea to show the path of the old RR bed, I really enjoy these videos

[@diegomontoya796]

The Minnesota I loved.

[@kevinhelgerson982]

To bad they tore up all those lines

[@cyclistx]

I gotta ride this one!

[@djmpvae27091978]

They should kept the railroad, instead of taking the railroad away.

[@heatherrussell8255]

12:06 one of the telegraph poles

[@RobertBardos]

Well, I know where I’m headed next weekend! Awesome thank you from Saint Cloud 🚴 👋

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

Did you use any specific phone or camera mount on the bike? Bumps cause vibration in the video. I live right next to the Browns Creek trail that goes from downtown Stillwater and turns west linking with the trail that goes into Saint Paul.

[@MNBricks]

A GoPro camera. Can be mounted on a bike, hat, or your chest! They limit the bouncing..

[@sparkplug5481]

Very good

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

Which RR line was it that went in front of Welch Village?

[@ekslycooper123]

Chicago Great Western