Arrowhead (train)

The Arrowhead was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) between Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, in the United States. After two years of operation, service was extended from Superior to Duluth, Minnesota.

Arrowhead
View from the Arrowhead at Sandstone in 1976
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleMinnesota / Wisconsin
 United States
First serviceApril 15, 1975
Last serviceApril 30, 1978
SuccessorNorth Star
Former operator(s)Amtrak
Route
StartMinneapolis, Minnesota
Stops3-5
EndSuperior, Wisconsin 1975-1977
Duluth, Minnesota 1977-1978
Distance travelled148 miles (238 km)
Average journey time3 hours 20 minutes
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)760-761
On-board services
Class(es)Unreserved coach
Catering facilitiesOn-board cafe
Technical
Rolling stockAmfleet coaches
Track gauge4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)Milwaukee Road

Description

The Arrowhead began on April 16, 1975, as a daily all-coach train between Minneapolis and Superior, Wisconsin, with no intervening stops along the 144-mile (232 km) route. The Arrowhead departed Superior in the mornings and returned in the evenings; its schedule allowed an easy connection to the North Coast Hiawatha, which offered daily service from Minneapolis to Chicago, Illinois. A bus covered the final 4 miles (6.4 km) to Duluth. Both the state of Minnesota and the Upper Great Lakes Regional Commission provided financial support for the train. Initially the Arrowhead carried an on-board cafe.[1] In November Amtrak added Sandstone, Minnesota, and Cambridge, Minnesota, as intermediate stops, and augmented the train's consist with a lounge car and a baggage car.[2] A schedule change to the North Coast Hiawatha broke the northbound connection to the Arrowhead from Chicago beginning in October 1976; the southbound connection was unaffected.[3]

A major change came in February 1977: Amtrak extended the Arrowhead to Duluth, eliminating the bus connection. The entire schedule flipped; the Arrowhead departed Minneapolis in the morning and returned from Duluth in the evening. Gone was any same-day connection to Chicago. The Arrowhead also gained one of the new Amfleet "Amcafes" and Amfleet coaches.[4] Another schedule change in January 1978 restored a same-day connection to Chicago with the combined Empire Builder/North Coast Hiawatha. Amtrak also increased Friday service: a morning and evening train from Minneapolis with a mid-day and late night return from Duluth.[5] On April 30, 1978, Amtrak replaced the Arrowhead and the Twin Cities Hiawatha (a Chicago-Minneapolis train) with the North Star, a Chicago-Minneapolis-Duluth sleeper. The Arrowhead was one of the last trains to use Minneapolis' Great Northern Depot; Amtrak shifted all Twin Cities service to the Midway station in Saint Paul.[6]:116

See also

References

  1. Amtrak (15 May 1975). "All-America Schedules". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 43. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  2. Amtrak (30 Nov 1975). "All-America Schedules". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 45. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  3. Amtrak (31 Oct 1976). "National Train Timetables". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 45. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  4. Amtrak (15 Feb 1977). "National Train Timetables". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 26. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  5. Amtrak (8 Jan 1978). "National Train Timetables". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 37. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  6. Holland, Kevin J. (2001). Classic American Railroad Terminals. Osceola, WI: MBI. ISBN 9780760308325. OCLC 45908903.
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