Winnipeger

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 service	October 1904 (1904-10)
Last service	March 23, 1967 (1967-03-23)
Former operator(s)	Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad and Canadian Pacific Railway
Route
Termini	Twin Cities Winnipeg, Manitoba
Stops	27
Distance travelled	464 miles (747 km)
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	109/110, later 9/10
Route map 0.0 St. Paul (Union Depot) 10.9 Minneapolis (Milwaukee Road station) 27.9 Hamel (SB only) 68.0 South Haven (NB only) 132.6 Glenwood to Portal, North Dakota 149.2 Alexandria 156.3 Carlos (NB only) 169.1 Parker's Prairie Northern Pacific Duluth–Breckenridge line 182.6 Henning 226.1 Detroit Lakes Northern Pacific Transcontinental Main Line 238.1 Callaway (SB only) 246.8 Ogema (SB only) 252.4 Waubun 261.6 Mahnomen 270.2 Bejou 276.8 Winger 286.1 Erskine Great Northern Duluth–Crookston line 296.1 Brooks to Bemidji, Minnesota 303.1 Plummer 318.8 Thief River Falls (Soo Line Depot) Dakota Junction (Great Northern line) 336.6 Newfolder 347.4 Stranquist 354.3 Karlstad 361.3 Halma 367.3 Lake Bronson 378.0 Lancaster 385.6 Orleans 398.9 Noyes, Minnesota Minnesota, U.S. Manitoba, Canada 399.0 Emerson, Manitoba 464.0 Winnipeg (Canadian Pacific station)

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]