Viking (train)

*The Viking*
The Viking
Overview
Service type	Limited-stop
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois
First service	April 29, 1923
Former operator(s)	Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway (Minneapolis–Elroy); Chicago and North Western Railway (Elroy–Chicago);
Route
Termini	Great Northern Depot,; Minneapolis, Minnesota; North Western Terminal,; Chicago, Illinois
Stops	20
Train number(s)	501, 502
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Viking was a named train of the Chicago and North Western Railway. It operated between Chicago and Saint Paul, via Madison, Wisconsin, with a final stop in Minneapolis. It debuted Sunday, April 29, 1923.^[1] It featured all steel cars, including a dining car, observation car, and coaches. It was a daylight train, scheduled to depart eastbound and westbound in the morning and arrive at the destination in the evening.^[2] It made limited station stops between Chicago and St. Paul. The trip took roughly 12 hours.^[3]

History

Already by 1928, Popular Science would note that a Northwest Airways flight could reach Chicago in five hours, compared to the 11 hours for the Viking.^[4]

The Twin Cities 400 would go on to be the premier train between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul in 1935.^[3] The Viking, Victory, and the North Western Limited made stops at more stations than the Twin Cities 400, but not as many as the overnight North Western Mail train, that stopped at every local station.^[3]

Route

The train originated at the Chicago and North Western Terminal (now the Ogilvie Transportation Center) on Madison Street in Chicago. It ran to Madison on the Northwestern line out of Chicago via Harvard, Illinois and Evansville, Wisconsin.^[3] It ran through Madison, Wisconsin, and onto Elroy, Wisconsin where it followed the Omaha Road route to St. Paul.^[3]

It stopped at the Saint Paul Union Depot, and then made the short run to the Minneapolis Great Northern Depot over the Stone Arch Bridge.

References

^ Chicago Commerce. United States: n.p., 1923.
^ Kratville, William W.. Steam, Steel & Limiteds. United States: Kratville Publications, 1967.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Chicago And NorthWestern System [Time Table]. Rand McNally, January 15, 1939
^ Popular Science, September 1928 Vol. 113, No. 3 ISSN 0161-7370

Bibliography

"Chicago and North Western: A Capsule History". Chicago and North Western Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 22, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
"The Twin Cities 400, First and Most Famous of the North Western's 400s". American-Rails.com. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
Scribbins, Jim (2008) [1982]. The 400 Story. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-5449-9.

[commerce-1] Chicago Commerce. United States: n.p., 1923.

[2] Kratville, William W.. Steam, Steel & Limiteds. United States: Kratville Publications, 1967.

[TT1939-3] Chicago And NorthWestern System [Time Table]. Rand McNally, January 15, 1939

[4] Popular Science, September 1928 Vol. 113, No. 3 ISSN 0161-7370

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Named trains of the Chicago and North Western Railway
400s	The 400/ Twin Cities 400 Capitol 400 City of Milwaukee 400 Commuter 400 Dakota 400 Flambeau 400 Kate Shelley 400 Minnesota 400 Peninsula 400 Rochester 400 Shoreland 400 Valley 400
Overland Route	Challenger City of Denver City of Los Angeles City of Portland City of San Francisco Gold Coast Los Angeles Challenger Los Angeles Limited Overland Limited Pacific Limited Portland Rose San Francisco Challenger San Francisco Overland Limited The Columbine The Forty Niner The Nightingale
Other Named Trains	Arrowhead Limited Ashland Limited Ashland Mail Corn King Limited Duluth-Superior Limited Iron & Copper Country Express Minnesota & Black Hills Express North Western Limited Northwoods Fisherman Rochester-Minnesota Special The Commuter The Mondamin The North American The Shoreland The Valley The Victory The Viking The Winnebago