Amtrak

With an original start date of April 15, 1975, Amtrak's Arrowhead (the name Amtrak provided the train while in service between Minneapolis MN and Superior WI), it was  later changed to North Star, ( when Amtrak extended operations to Chicago overnight),  The North Star name was kept even after service was later cut back to the Twin Cities in 1981. Amtrak ran up to Duluth and Superior via the BN with it's final destination being the original Union Depot in downtown Duluth. Patronage was good, but the State of Minnesota felt their was no need to fund the run anymore and on April 7th 1985 the plug was pulled on the service. This photo shows the train at Duluth in the early 1980's with the Lake Superior Railroad Museum train shed in the background.  A small lobby and ticket office was built off of the building to the right out of the picture. Today the North Shore Scenic Railroad operates it's train out of here and uses the former Amtrak station for their operations.

Photo by Dave Schauer

Another shot of the North Star in Duluth after the train has been wyed (turned) and is made ready for it's departure back to the Twin Cities in the 1980's.  Photo by Dave Schauer.

  These photos show a smaller consist of the North Star as it passes through Saunders on the BN inbound for Superior and Duluth in the 1980's.  Photo by Dan Mackey.

This shot is of the North Star crossing the ex Great Northern bridge over the Nemadji River south of Boylston (note the 10-6 sleeper in the consist for the overnight trip to Chicago). Both the train and the bridge ( abandoned by the BN in favor of the former Soo Line Danbury Line a short distance to the east)  would be history by the end of the 1980's. Photo by Dave Schauer.

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