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Dakota 400

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki


Dakota 400
File:2009-0805-Mankato-UnionDepot.jpg
Mankato, MN Union Depot in 2009. This was the terminus of the Minnesota 400 and Rochester 400, and served as an important intermediate stop for the Dakota 400.
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleMidwestern United States
PredecessorMinnesota 400
First service1950 (1950)
Last service1960 (1960)
SuccessorRochester 400
Former operator(s)Chicago and North Western Railway
Route
StartChicago, Illinois
EndRapid City, South Dakota
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)518 (eastbound)
519 (westbound)
On-board services
Seating arrangementsCoaches (1956)
Sleeping arrangementsOpen sections and double bedrooms
Catering facilitiesDining car, tap lounge car
Observation facilitiesLounge car, parlor car

The Dakota 400 was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway between Chicago, Illinois and Rapid City, South Dakota. It began service in 1950 with an extension to the former Minnesota 400, which had run from Chicago to Mankato, Minnesota. Originally, the Dakota 400 terminated in Huron, South Dakota, but this would later be extended further to Rapid City. However, by 1960, ridership had declined significantly, and the terminus reverted back to Mankato, becoming the Rochester 400. Today, only the section of route from Chicago to Harvard, Illinois continues to see passenger rail service.

History (to do)

The Minnesota 400 began service in a similar way to the original Twin Cities to Chicago 400, with heavyweight passenger cars pulled by an ordinary, non-streamlined steam locomotive. These were originally C&NW class D 4-4-2 Atlantics, already more than 30 years old. In 1938, more passenger cars were added to the trains, so the locomotives were replaced by class E-S 4-6-2 Pacifics, with streamlined shrouds. These were still about 25 years old, but were better able to handle the heavier load. The train still primarily ran with heavyweight passenger cars until after World War II, finally receiving a full consist of streamlined cars in 1946. It was still another four years before the first EMD E8 diesel locomotives began pulling the train in 1950. At that time, the service was expanded to South Dakota and renamed the Dakota 400.

As the line served Rochester and its famous Mayo Clinic, there was at least one car on each train with wider doors for allowing patients on stretchers and other accommodations. By the end of rail service in 1963, Mayo stated that 25 to 30 percent of their out-of-town patients still came by train.

418 east, 419 west

June 14, 1936 began service stops at waseca, owatonna, mankato, rochester, onalaska, sparta connection at mankato for train 503 to huron and pierre, had through sleeper Minneapolis-Mankato-Huron

August 8, 1937 - service extended to Chicago from Wyeville 419 stopped at Sharon and Clinton Jct, 418 did not 418 used Sparta Elroy cutoff, 419 stopped at Wyeville 418 connected in madison with local no620 to Milwaukee

January 1938, Harvard added as flag stop for 419 to, added Dodge center as flag stop for both

spring 1938, evansville added as stop for 418

June 26, reverted back to Wyeville terminus, continued flag stop at dodge center

April 1939, added st charles as flag stop

May 1, 1941, camp mccoy added after camp was reactivated

July 1941, connection made with #514 MN & black hills express in Mankato. 514 running time reduced by 4 hrs for total savings to chicago of 8:25. - allowed one night travel

rochester station refurbished 1941

streamlined january 5, 1942

during holidays 418 and 419 were run as sections of 400, 401 to chicago

march 1944, flag stop added in claremont for 419

April 30, 1950, service extended to chicago and huron. became dakota 400, trains 518 and 519,longest 400 route

sleeper from mankato joined trains 514, 515 at huron and ran to rapid city

new ulm, sleepy eye, springfield, tracy, brookings had stops, lake benton, desmet had flag stops. Arlington had stop for 518, flag stop for 519

elroy, baraboo, madison, janesville, beloit had stops

518 stopped at harvard, 519 flag sunday only

reedsburg flag stop

evansville sunday only flag stop for 519

519 used cutoff, took Milwaukee passengers from 601 at Madison, 518 stopped at Wyeville

april 27, 1952 coach service extended to rapid city via 514, 515

spring 1951, 519 flag stop at Harvard every day, not just sunday.....Dodge Center stop moved east to cgw station

july 1953, Arlington became flag stop both ways.... Reedsburg became stop, not flag stop

august 1954, Arlington became stop

spring 1955, Woodstock added as stop for 518

spring 1957, flag stop added at Des Plaines

june 17, 1957, 519 stops at crystal lake, harvard, woodstock, evansville, lodi, wonewoc.... 519 serves wyeville and camp douglas and flag stop at camp mccoy 514 and 515 redesignated 518 and 519-extended service to rapid city

oct 1958, flag stop added at lodi for 518

service ended oct 25, 1960 when trains arrived in chicago and rapid city---final departures were a day earlier

became rochester 400

Route (to do)

The original Minnesota 400 operated between Mankato, Minnesota and Wyeville, Wisconsin. At Wyeville passengers transferred to the Twin Cities 400 for connections to Chicago. Heretofore that train had not stopped in Wyeville.[1] On August 8, 1937, the C&NW extended the Minnesota 400 south to Chicago via Madison and Janesville, Wisconsin. The southbound train bypassed Wyeville on the Elroy-Sparta cutoff; Milwaukee passengers connected at Madison. This experiment proved short-lived: the train reverted to its original route through Milwaukee on June 26, 1938.[2]

The Dakota 400 followed much the same route to Chicago, save that it was rerouted westward back to the route through Beloit, Wisconsin Janesville and Madison.[3] Its original western terminus was Huron, South Dakota. North of Elroy, the northbound train took the Elroy-Sparta cutoff while the southbound train stopped at Wyeville.[4] Through coach service to Rapid City, South Dakota began on April 27, 1952; this service began carrying the "Dakota 400" name in October 1955, effectively extending the train to Rapid City.[5]

The Rochester 400 operated between Mankato and Chicago; east of Mankato its routing was unchanged from the Dakota 400.[6]

Route Today

File:BrookingsDepot.jpg
The Brookings, SD Depot, formerly served by the Dakota 400

Today, the only section of former trackage that continues to see passenger service is Metra's Union Pacific / Northwest Line from Chicago to Harvard. This trackage is also used for freight by Union Pacific, who also own former Dakota 400 trackage up to Evansville, Wisconsin. From here to Reedsburg, the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad own the tracks. However, the tracks are out of service from Evansville to Oregon, Wisconsin. All the way from Reedsburg to Winona, Minnesota, the former Right-of-Way has been converted into a rail trail, with a few short exceptions.

The trackage from Winona to Tracy, Minnesota continues to see freight service provided by Canadian Pacific. From Tracy to the end of the route at Rapid City, the Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad provides freight service.

Possible Return

While there has been no formal activity to push for a restoration of service, the possibility of restoration is greater than many other long distance routes. This is due to the fact that it was one of the few long distance trains to serve South Dakota, while the state still had passenger rail service. Currently, South Dakota is the only state to have never had Amtrak service, which has been criticized by state politicians and residents.

Therefore, if South Dakota does see a return of passenger rail service in the state under Amtrak, it is likely to be this route for a couple reasons. First, this route would be longer than 750 miles, which would lead to Amtrak funding the service, rather than South Dakota. Additionally, it would serve the State Capitol, Pierre as well as the 2nd, 4th, 8th and 9th largest cities in the state. However, this route would be different from the original Dakota 400 in that it would likely traverse the former Milwaukee Road line from Chicago to Winona.

For any route in the state to be 750 miles or longer, it would likely have to start in Chicago. Therefore, that leaves two other possibilities for routing, one of which would use a portion of the Dakota 400 routing. This route would be Chicago to Rapid City or Pierre via Minneapolis, Willmar, and Watertown via the former Great Northern before joining the Dakota 400 route at Huron. Alternatively, a routing could cross Iowa from Chicago to Sioux City, then travel northwest to Mitchell, before traversing the old Milwaukee Road Sioux routing to reach Rapid City.

Notes

  1. ↑ Scribbins 2008, p. 81
  2. ↑ Scribbins 2008, pp. 84–85
  3. ↑ "Chicago and Northwestern Railway, Table 67". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 84 (7). December 1951.
  4. ↑ Scribbins 2008, p. 102
  5. ↑ Scribbins 2008, pp. 105; 111–113
  6. ↑ Scribbins 2008, p. 119

References


This article "Dakota 400" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Dakota 400. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.


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