Arrowhead (train)
Encyclopedia
The Arrowhead was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak
between Minneapolis, Minnesota
and Duluth, Minnesota
.
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 miles (231.7 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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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 Midway
in St. Paul.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
between Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
and Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
.
The Arrowhead began on April 16, 1975 as a daily all-coach train between Minneapolis and Superior, Wisconsin
Superior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
with no intervening stops along the 144 miles (231.7 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
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and the Upper Great Lakes Regional Commission provided financial support for the train. Initially the Arrowhead carried an on-board cafe. In November Amtrak added Sandstone, Minnesota
Sandstone, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,549 people, 580 households, and 359 families residing in the city. The population density was 292.5 people per square mile . There were 634 housing units at an average density of 119.7 per square mile...
and Cambridge, Minnesota
Cambridge, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,520 people, 2,237 households, and 1,353 families residing in the city. The population density was 894.1 people per square mile . There were 2,373 housing units at an average density of 384.4 per square mile...
as intermediate stops, and augmented the train's consist with a lounge car and a baggage car. 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.
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
Amfleet
Amfleet is a series of intercity railroad passenger cars built for the operator Amtrak by the manufacturer Budd Company in two series during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today, Amfleet cars are used extensively throughout the Amtrak system outside the western United States...
"Amcafes" and Amfleet coaches. Another schedule change in January 1978 restored a same-day connection to Chicago with the combined Empire Builder
Empire Builder
The Empire Builder is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Northwestern United States. It is Amtrak's busiest long-distance route and busiest daily train, carrying more than 500,000 travelers annually since 2007. Overall, it is the railroad's 10th-busiest line. Before...
/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. On April 30, 1978, Amtrak replaced the Arrowhead and the Twin Cities Hiawatha
Twin Cities Hiawatha
The Twin Cities Hiawatha was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , and traveled from Chicago to the Twin Cities in Minnesota. The original train takes its name from the epic poem The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...
(a Chicago-Minneapolis train) with the North Star
North Star (Amtrak)
The North Star was a passenger train operated by Amtrak along the "Hiawatha Corridor" during the late 1970s and early- to mid-1980s. It originally operated as a Chicago, Illinois–Duluth, Minnesota train via Saint Paul, Minnesota, but was soon converted to a Saint Paul–Duluth local...
, a Chicago-Minneapolis-Duluth sleeper. The Arrowhead was one of the last trains to use Minneapolis' Great Northern Depot
Minneapolis Great Northern Depot
The Minneapolis Great Northern Depot was a passenger train station that served Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was built in 1913 and demolished in 1978...
; Amtrak shifted all Twin Cities service to Midway
Midway (Amtrak station)
Midway Station is the Amtrak train station in Saint Paul, Minnesota, so named after the Midway area which is roughly halfway between the downtowns of St. Paul and neighboring Minneapolis. Its Amtrak station code is MSP and serves as the only intercity train station for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul...
in St. Paul.
See also
- Northern Lights ExpressNorthern Lights ExpressThe Northern Lights Express is a proposed passenger rail service running along the corridor between Minneapolis and Duluth primarily in the U.S. state of Minnesota. A portion of the line will run through neighboring Wisconsin to serve Duluth's "Twin Port" of Superior. Plans are to upgrade an...
, proposed passenger rail service between Duluth and Minneapolis