Red River Limited

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Red River
Red River 1959.jpg
Photo from a 1959 brochure
Overview
Service type Inter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
First serviceJune 25, 1950
Last service1968
Current operator(s) Great Northern Railway
Route
Termini St. Paul, Minnesota
Grand Forks, North Dakota, Fargo, North Dakota
Distance travelled324 miles (521 km)
Train number(s)11/12 (11/14)

The Red River was a passenger train operated by Great Northern Railway between Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Contents

History

Great Northern Railway's third new train set of 1950 was a new schedule named the Red River. The five car streamliner, built by American Car and Foundry Company, [1] began service June 25, 1950, operating a daily round trip 324 miles (521 km) each way between Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The train went southbound in the morning returning northbound in the evening.

The cars for the Red River streamliner were quite different than those built for the International (another 1950 introduction) in that the Red River's cars had extra insulation and the coaches were equipped with Baker Heaters as there was no steam heat available at the Grand Forks depot where the cars stood overnight. The locomotive was sent to the roundhouse each evening for any running repairs and service so the solution was the installation of the Baker Heaters in the cars.

Car NumberCar type
512EMD E7A 2,000 HP Diesel Passenger Unit
1107Baggage 30’ Railway Post office Car
113760 Revenue seat Coach
113860 Revenue seat Coach
113960 Revenue seat Coach
11479 seat Lunch Counter
12 seat Dinette
16 Revenue seat Parlor Lounge Observation
1959 schedule. Red River schedule.jpg
1959 schedule.

The service was discontinued in 1968. [2]

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References

  1. "2,001 Passenger-Train Cars on Order For Domestic Use". Railway Age. Vol. 125, no. 21. November 20, 1948. p. 178.
  2. Hidy, Ralph W.; Hidy, Muriel E.; Scott, Roy V.; Hofsommer, Don L. (2004). The Great Northern Railway: A History. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 280. ISBN   978-0-8166-4429-2.