In October 1904 the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway (Soo Line) and Canadian Pacific Railway began overnight passenger service between the Twin Cities and Winnipeg, Manitoba. The train consisted of a mail and baggage cars, two coaches, a sleeper and dining car. The train went by several names over its 62 years: Manitoba Express (1904–1909), Winnipeg Express (1919–1928) and the Winnipeger (1928–1967).[1] It commonly was called the Winnipeg Flyer.

Winnipeger
Overview
First serviceOctober 1904 (1904-10)
Last serviceMarch 23, 1967 (1967-03-23)
Former operator(s)Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad and Canadian Pacific Railway
Route
TerminiTwin Cities
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Stops27
Distance travelled464 miles (747 km)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)109/110, later 9/10

Diesel locomotives replaced steam between Saint Paul and Thief River Falls, Minnesota from May 1951, and diesels took over the entire route in April of the following year. Originally numbered 109 and 110, the Winnipeger was renumbered 9 and 10 in the general renumbering of Soo Line passenger trains at the end of August 1952, but remained Trains 109 and 110 on Canadian Pacific. From January 1954, the Winnipeger was combined with Trains 13 and 14, the Soo-Dominion/Mountaineer, from Saint Paul to Glenwood, Minnesota, where the trains split, with the Soo-Dominion/Mountaineer continuing on to Canada via Portal, North Dakota. The Soo-Dominion terminated at Portal from late 1960 and came off entirely in December 1963, and through service to western Canada ran via Winnipeg on the Winnepeger.[2]

The last season of two-section operation was 1964, when between June 26–27 and September 8–9, the Winnipeger ran as one section to Glenwood, where a meal stop was taken, dining car service having been dispensed with by 1961. The train was switched into two sections for the remainder of run to Winnipeg. Soo first 9 / Canadian Pacific 111 and CP 112 / Soo second 10 ran to/from Winnipeg (non-stop while in Canada), while Soo second 9 / CP 107 and CP 108 / Soo first 10 carried the Vancouver cars and did the local work from Emerson to Winnipeg. Saint Paul to Vancouver though service was discontinued the following year.

In May 1965, the train lost the Canada Post mail contract for the Emerson–Winnipeg run, and the following month the United States Post Office pulled the US mail off the train as well. The express contract was lost in October 1966, and the train struggled on until the night of March 23/24, 1967, when the Winnipeger made its last run.[2]

Train 109 The Winnipeger Train 110
Northbound
(read down)
Miles City Southbound
(read up)
8.00 p.m. 0.0 Saint Paul (Union Depot)
8:40 p.m. 10.9 Minneapolis (Milwaukee Road depot) 8:00 a.m.
10:12 p.m. 68.0 South Haven
11:30 p.m. (Ar)
11:42 p.m. (Lv)
132.6 Glenwood, Minnesota 4:40 a.m. (Lv)
4:30 a.m. (Ar)
12:08 a.m. 149.2 Alexandria 4:06 a.m.
12:18 a.m. 156.3 Carlos
12:37 a.m. 169.1 Parker's Prairie 3:37 a.m.
12:55 a.m. 182.6 Henning 3:18 a.m.
1:57 a.m. 226.1 Detroit Lakes 2:21 a.m.
2:32 a.m. 252.4 Waubun 1:34 a.m.
2:43 a.m. (Ar)
2:56 p.m. (Lv)
261.6 Mahnomen 1:22 a.m. (Lv)
1:08 a.m. (Ar)
3:08 a.m. 270.2 Bejou 12:56 a.m.
3:18 a.m. 276.8 Winger 12:45 a.m.
3:55 a.m. 286.1 Erskine 12:31 a.m.
3:49 a.m. 296.1 Brooks 12:14 a.m.
4:00 a.m. 303.1 Plummer 12:03 a.m.
4:20 a.m. (Ar)
4:40 a.m. (Lv)
318.8 Thief River Falls 11:40 p.m. (Lv)
11:18 p.m. (Ar)
5:05 a.m. 336.7 Newfolden 10:50 p.m.
5:21 a.m. 347.4 Strandquist 10:35 p.m.
5:30 a.m. 354.3 Karlstad 10:25 p.m.
5:40 a.m. 361.3 Halma 10:15 p.m.
5:59 a.m. 367.3 Lake Bronson 9:55 p.m.
6:15 a.m. 378.0 Lancaster 9:40 p.m.
6:26 a.m. 385.6 Orleans 9:28 p.m.
6:45 a.m. (Ar) 398.9 Noyes, Minnesota 9:10 p.m.
7:30 a.m. 399.0 Emerson, Manitoba 8:55 p.m.
9:20 a.m. (Ar) 464.0 Winnipeg 6:50 p.m.
Source: Soo Line Passenger Time Table, September 1950

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Nelson (Summer 2000) p.31
  2. ^ a b Abbey (1984) p.99
  • Canadian Pacific Railway. "Passenger Time Table, April 26 to October 24, 1964": 22. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • Abbey, Wallace W. (1984). The Little Jewel. Pueblo, CO: Pinon Productions. ISBN 0-930855-00-0. LCCN 84014873.
  • Dorin, Patrick C (1979). The Soo Line. Burbank, CA: Superior Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87564-712-X. LCCN 79012204.
  • Nelson, Stuart J. (Summer 2000). "The Winnipeger; Part 1: History and Operation". The Soo. 22 (3). The Soo Line Historical and Technical Society: 31–39. ISSN 0733-5296.