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This timetable shows six trains a day between Chicago and the Twin Cities, but two of them — the Pioneer and the Columbian — are really the same train, so there were in fact just five. In addition to the … Continue reading
Category Archives: Milwaukee Road
Several months ago, I wrote that since the St. Paul road was the last to reach the Pacific Northwest, it needed to “make a statement” with its transcontinental passenger trains. This booklet shows how it did so. Click image to … Continue reading
The 19th-century timetables recently presented here revealed that passenger train speeds in the 1870s averaged about 18 miles per hour including stops. Two decades later, the New York Central was running a passenger train that averaged more than 50 miles … Continue reading
The first railway post office car began operating in 1862 on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, a predecessor of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. In 1884, the Post Office Department decided it needed a fast-mail service between the east … Continue reading
In 1862, the first steam locomotive in Minnesota arrived in St. Paul, then a bustling frontier town of about 12,000 people. But the locomotive didn’t arrive by rail. Thanks to St. Anthony Falls, which were 16 to 20 feet high, … Continue reading
Milwaukee introduced its full-length domes to the Olympian Hiawatha with a 16-page booklet in 1953. By 1960, the year before it cancelled the train, it was still advertising them but with this six-panel brochure. Click image to download a 1.7-MB … Continue reading
As noted yesterday, the Olympian was the Milwaukee Road’s entry into the battle of the limiteds for passenger travel to and from the Pacific Northwest, competing directly against the North Coast Limited for much of its journey and slightly less … Continue reading
In 1905, the St. Paul Road (which is what people called the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul in the early 20th century) reported earnings of nearly $50 million against operating costs of $32 million, which made it one of the … Continue reading
Since 1885, the St. Paul Road had expanded in several states. It purchased the Milwaukee & Northern, giving it access to northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s upper peninsula. It built new branch lines in the Dakotas and Iowa. Most importantly, it … Continue reading
In 1885, the St. Paul Road (as the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul then styled itself) was highly profitable, earning $24.4 million in revenues on $14.5 million in operating expenses. Although much of its profits came from shipping grain, $5.5 … Continue reading