Twin Cities 400
Encyclopedia
The 400 was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway
between Chicago and Saint Paul
, with a final stop in Minneapolis
. The train took its name from the schedule of 400 miles between the cities in 400 minutes, and was also a nod to "The Four Hundred Club", a term coined by Ward McAllister
to refer to the social elite of New York City
in the late 19th century. It was an express train
with limited stops between Chicago and the Twin Cities
. The line operated from 1935 to 1963, and spawned a number of other "400" trains.
trains in the United States. The railroads who developed them hoped these futuristic trains would stem the tide of customers turning away from train travel to cars and air travel. However, the Chicago and North Western Railway had not invested in this new technology, but determined that they could upgrade track and motive power to achieve higher speeds and still make an impact with their heavyweight, steam-powered equipment.
C&NW made their first upgrades in 1934 along the 85 miles (136.8 km) line between Chicago and Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, introducing the 90-minute Pacemaker service to compete with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) which introduced a similar train. Attention then turned to running faster trains to Saint Paul: The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
ran a Zephyr
demonstration train between Chicago and the Twin Cities that summer with the intent to run regular service the next year, and the Milwaukee Road introduced similar plans.
While C&NW's existing Chicago to St. Paul Viking train went through Madison
, taking about 12 hours, the railroad focused on upgrading a more rural northern route which turned west from Milwaukee. The railroad also worked on upgrading its locomotives and passenger cars. A set of C&NW Class E-2
4-6-2
Pacific locomotives originally built by American-Schenectady
in 1923 were converted to run on oil
rather than coal
and had other upgrades made to help them run at high speed, becoming Class E-2-a engines. The passenger cars were primarily modified to include air conditioning
, though they also received improved suspension
components to ensure a smoother ride.
On the first day of service, the train reached a peak speed of 91 miles per hour (40.7 m/s). On April 28, the schedule was shortened by 30 minutes to truly reach the mile-a-minute pace the line promised, and matching the 6½-hour pace of the newly-introduced Milwaukee Road Hiawatha
and the Burlington's Twin Cities Zephyr
. This included a 75-minute schedule between Chicago and Milwaukee, averaging 68 mph (30.4 m/s) on that link, and a 63 mph (28.2 m/s) pace overall. In late 1935, there was an instance where the 400 needed to make up time, and reached more than 108 mph (48.3 m/s). Eventually, streamlined diesel trains would reach at least 112 mph (50.1 m/s) along the route.
C&NW eventually renamed the first 400 to the Twin Cities 400 in late 1941 as the C&NW prepared to rename almost all of its passenger trains as part of the 400 fleet, including the Flambeau 400, Minnesota 400, Peninsula 400, Shoreland 400, Valley 400 and the later Kate Shelley 400.
From 1950 to 1955, the train ran its shortest schedule, 6¼ hours between St. Paul and Chicago. In 1952, the railroad installed automatic train stop
systems along the eastern half of the route from Chicago to Wyeville due to regulations from the Interstate Commerce Commission
. This allowed the train to run at 95 mile per hour on those segments, although the western part of the line did not get upgrades and was restricted to 79 mph (35.3 m/s). The pace slackened back to a 6½-hour schedule in 1955, then in 1960 fell back to the original 7-hour pace established at the beginning of service in 1935. C&NW ceased running the Twin Cities 400 in 1963, and all intercity passenger service on C&NW ended with the formation of Amtrak
in 1971. Today, the only Twin Cities to Chicago service is the Amtrak Empire Builder
, which takes more than 8 hours.
and the Burlington Zephyrs
, each of which first ran with brand new locomotives and cars. Each 400 train required two steam locomotives, which were swapped partway through the trip, primarily because some grease fittings on the train could not withstand the entire journey at high speed.
The steam locomotives were upgraded to feature a 45° lamp on top of the boiler just ahead of the smokestack. These lights were intended to announce the approach of the train and could be seen for a great distance in rural areas. In 1937, one locomotive was equipped with a prototype Mars light
, the first ever put into use. The three-million-candela lamp had a gyrating reflector which traced a figure-8 pattern ahead of the engine.
C&NW updated the train in 1939 with two pairs of EMD E3A locomotives and lightweight streamlined passenger cars. Two engines were required because the diesels didn't have as much power as the older steam locomotives. However, they were extremely reliable, with only one major breakdown in the first two years of service. These were followed by E6
locomotives in 1941, and E7
s in 1947. E8
s saw some service in the 1950s, though they were initially purchased for other routes.
) on Madison Street in Chicago. It ran to Milwaukee on the lakefront commuter line and stopped at the Lakefront station on Wisconsin Avenue. It ran to Wyeville, Wisconsin
where it followed the Omaha Road
route to St. Paul. It terminated at Saint Paul Union Depot
, with a short run to the Minneapolis Great Northern Depot
over the Stone Arch Bridge.
The Viking was another named C&NW passenger train that followed a slightly different route through Madison, Wisconsin
, and made all the local station stops between Chicago and St. Paul. It took roughly 12 hours.
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
between Chicago and Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, with a final stop in Minneapolis
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...
. The train took its name from the schedule of 400 miles between the cities in 400 minutes, and was also a nod to "The Four Hundred Club", a term coined by Ward McAllister
Ward McAllister
Samuel Ward McAllister was the self-appointed arbiter of New York society from the 1860s to the early 1890s.-Life and career:...
to refer to the social elite of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the late 19th century. It was an express train
Express train
Express trains are a form of rail service. Express trains make only a small number of stops, instead of stopping at every single station...
with limited stops between Chicago and the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
. The line operated from 1935 to 1963, and spawned a number of other "400" trains.
Background
1934 had seen the introduction of the first lightweight, streamlinedStreamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
trains in the United States. The railroads who developed them hoped these futuristic trains would stem the tide of customers turning away from train travel to cars and air travel. However, the Chicago and North Western Railway had not invested in this new technology, but determined that they could upgrade track and motive power to achieve higher speeds and still make an impact with their heavyweight, steam-powered equipment.
C&NW made their first upgrades in 1934 along the 85 miles (136.8 km) line between Chicago and Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, introducing the 90-minute Pacemaker service to compete with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) which introduced a similar train. Attention then turned to running faster trains to Saint Paul: The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
ran a Zephyr
Twin Cities Zephyr
The Twin Cities Zephyr was a streamlined passenger train service of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad . It was the second Zephyr service introduced by CB&Q following the record-setting Denver–Chicago "dawn to dusk dash" of the Pioneer Zephyr trainset...
demonstration train between Chicago and the Twin Cities that summer with the intent to run regular service the next year, and the Milwaukee Road introduced similar plans.
While C&NW's existing Chicago to St. Paul Viking train went through Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, taking about 12 hours, the railroad focused on upgrading a more rural northern route which turned west from Milwaukee. The railroad also worked on upgrading its locomotives and passenger cars. A set of C&NW Class E-2
CNW Class E-2
The Chicago and North Western Railway's Class E-2 was a 4-6-2 "Pacific" type locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York in 1923. Twelve were originally built, and all were later converted...
4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
Pacific locomotives originally built by American-Schenectady
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
in 1923 were converted to run on oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
rather than coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and had other upgrades made to help them run at high speed, becoming Class E-2-a engines. The passenger cars were primarily modified to include air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
, though they also received improved suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
components to ensure a smoother ride.
Service history
An initial test run was made on December 30, 1934, but the first regular-service train started running on January 2, 1935. At its inception, Time dubbed the 400, "the fastest train scheduled on the American Continent, fastest in all the world on a stretch over 200 mi." While the 400 name was meant to imply "400 miles in 400 minutes", the actual distance and time was somewhat larger. The distance between Chicago and St. Paul was 408.6 miles (657.6 km), and the initial schedule was 420 minutes (7 hours), with the additional distance to Minneapolis taking another 30 minutes for a total of 450. However, continuing upgrades would reduce both running time and distance. The railroad timetables also gave the special instruction, "Nos. 400 and 401 are superior to all trains. Freight trains, transfer trains, and switch engines must clear the schedules of Nos. 400 and 401 [by] fifteen (15) minutes." Other 400 trains would receive similar instructions in later years, and the rule remained in effect for most of the Twin Cities 400s existence.On the first day of service, the train reached a peak speed of 91 miles per hour (40.7 m/s). On April 28, the schedule was shortened by 30 minutes to truly reach the mile-a-minute pace the line promised, and matching the 6½-hour pace of the newly-introduced Milwaukee Road 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...
and the Burlington's Twin Cities Zephyr
Twin Cities Zephyr
The Twin Cities Zephyr was a streamlined passenger train service of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad . It was the second Zephyr service introduced by CB&Q following the record-setting Denver–Chicago "dawn to dusk dash" of the Pioneer Zephyr trainset...
. This included a 75-minute schedule between Chicago and Milwaukee, averaging 68 mph (30.4 m/s) on that link, and a 63 mph (28.2 m/s) pace overall. In late 1935, there was an instance where the 400 needed to make up time, and reached more than 108 mph (48.3 m/s). Eventually, streamlined diesel trains would reach at least 112 mph (50.1 m/s) along the route.
C&NW eventually renamed the first 400 to the Twin Cities 400 in late 1941 as the C&NW prepared to rename almost all of its passenger trains as part of the 400 fleet, including the Flambeau 400, Minnesota 400, Peninsula 400, Shoreland 400, Valley 400 and the later Kate Shelley 400.
From 1950 to 1955, the train ran its shortest schedule, 6¼ hours between St. Paul and Chicago. In 1952, the railroad installed automatic train stop
Automatic Train Stop
An automatic train stop is a system on a train that will automatically stop a train if certain situations happened to prevent accidents from happening....
systems along the eastern half of the route from Chicago to Wyeville due to regulations from the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
. This allowed the train to run at 95 mile per hour on those segments, although the western part of the line did not get upgrades and was restricted to 79 mph (35.3 m/s). The pace slackened back to a 6½-hour schedule in 1955, then in 1960 fell back to the original 7-hour pace established at the beginning of service in 1935. C&NW ceased running the Twin Cities 400 in 1963, and all intercity passenger service on C&NW ended with the formation of Amtrak
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...
in 1971. Today, the only Twin Cities to Chicago service is the Amtrak 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...
, which takes more than 8 hours.
Equipment
The 400 was notable for fast trains of its day in that it originally ran with rebuilt or upgraded, rather than new equipment. This stood in stark comparison to the Milwaukee Road's HiawathaHiawatha (passenger train)
The Hiawathas were named passenger trains 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 Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...
and the Burlington Zephyrs
Twin Cities Zephyr
The Twin Cities Zephyr was a streamlined passenger train service of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad . It was the second Zephyr service introduced by CB&Q following the record-setting Denver–Chicago "dawn to dusk dash" of the Pioneer Zephyr trainset...
, each of which first ran with brand new locomotives and cars. Each 400 train required two steam locomotives, which were swapped partway through the trip, primarily because some grease fittings on the train could not withstand the entire journey at high speed.
The steam locomotives were upgraded to feature a 45° lamp on top of the boiler just ahead of the smokestack. These lights were intended to announce the approach of the train and could be seen for a great distance in rural areas. In 1937, one locomotive was equipped with a prototype Mars light
Mars Light
Mars Lights are signal-safety lights used in the United States and built by Mars Signal Light Company for railroad locomotives and fire apparatus...
, the first ever put into use. The three-million-candela lamp had a gyrating reflector which traced a figure-8 pattern ahead of the engine.
C&NW updated the train in 1939 with two pairs of EMD E3A locomotives and lightweight streamlined passenger cars. Two engines were required because the diesels didn't have as much power as the older steam locomotives. However, they were extremely reliable, with only one major breakdown in the first two years of service. These were followed by E6
EMD E6
The EMD E6 was a , A1A-A1A, passenger train locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation, and its corporate successor, General Motors Electro-Motive Division, of La Grange, Illinois. The cab version, or E6A, was manufactured from November, 1939 to September, 1942, and 91 were produced...
locomotives in 1941, and E7
EMD E7
The EMD E7 was a , A1A-A1A passenger train locomotive manufactured by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois. The cab version, or E7A, was manufactured from February, 1945 to April, 1949, and 428 were produced. The booster version, or E7B, was manufactured from March, 1945...
s in 1947. E8
EMD E8
The EMD E8 was a , A1A-A1A passenger train locomotive manufactured by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois. The cab version, or E8A, was manufactured from August, 1949 to December, 1953, and 449 were produced – 446 for U.S., and 3 for Canada...
s saw some service in the 1950s, though they were initially purchased for other routes.
Route
The train originated at the Chicago and North Western Terminal (now the Ogilvie Transportation CenterOgilvie Transportation Center
The Richard B. Ogilvie Transportation Center is a passenger terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA, serving the three commuter rail lines of Metra's Union Pacific District, which approach the terminal elevated above street level. It occupies the lower floors of the Citigroup Center...
) on Madison Street in Chicago. It ran to Milwaukee on the lakefront commuter line and stopped at the Lakefront station on Wisconsin Avenue. It ran to Wyeville, Wisconsin
Wyeville, Wisconsin
Wyeville is a village in Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 146 at the 2000 census. It takes its name from the railroad wye where rail lines of the former Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, now Union Pacific Railway, cross.-Geography:Wyeville is located at ...
where it followed the Omaha Road
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway
The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway or Omaha Road was a railroad in the U.S. states of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. It was incorporated in 1880 as a consolidation of the Chicago, St. Paul and Minneapolis Railway and the North Wisconsin Railway,. The...
route to St. Paul. It terminated at Saint Paul Union Depot
Saint Paul Union Depot
The Saint Paul Union Depot was the main train station in the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Saint Paul Union Depot Company controlled of St. Paul trackage and terminal facilities, including the depot building...
, with a short run to the 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...
over the Stone Arch Bridge.
The Viking was another named C&NW passenger train that followed a slightly different route through Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, and made all the local station stops between Chicago and St. Paul. It took roughly 12 hours.