Flambeau 400

Flambeau
Flambeau 400

A C&NW EMD F-7(A) number 4087-A, and its train of five Bi-Level, gallery cars, are at the Green Bay C&NW station in August 1969.

Overview
Service type| Inter-city rail
Status| Discontinued
Locale| Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan
First service|

* Flambeau: June 21, 1935 (1935-06-21)
* Flambeau 400: May 26, 1950 (1950-05-26)

Last service| May 1, 1971 (1971-05-01)
Former operator(s)| Chicago and North Western Railway
Route
Termini| North Western Terminal
Chicago, Illinois

* Union Depot, Ashland, Wisconsin,
* CNW Depot, Ironwood, Michigan, and
* Watersmeet, Michigan

Distance travelled| 452 miles (727 km)
Train number(s)| 153, 216
Technical
Track gauge| 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed| Max 90 mph, between Chicago and Green Bay, average speed 50 mph
| Route map

Legend

|  |  |

428

| Ashland

|
|
|
|

|  |

406.4

| Saxon
|  |

395

| Hurley
|  |

394

| Ironwood
|  |

|  |

Montreal River

|  |

|  |

| Michigan

Wisconsin

|  |

|  |
|  |

374.7

| Mercer
|  |

359.1

| Lac du Flambeau
|  |

349

| Wooddruff
|  |

|  |

Minocqua Lake

|  |

341.3

| Lake Tomahawk
|  |

326.4

| Rhinelander
|  |

363.2

| Watersmeet

(Service ended 1965)

|  |

|  |

| Michigan

Wisconsin

|  |

355.6

| Land O' Lakes

(Service ended 1965)

|  |

348

| Conover

(Service ended 1965)

|  |

338.5

| Eagle River

(Service ended 1965)

|  |

333.3

| Clearwater Lake

(Service ended 1965)

|  |

329.2

| Three Lakes

(Service ended 1965)

|  |

|  |
|  |

313

| Monico
|  |

308

| Pelican Lake
|  |

305

| Elcho
|  |

301.2

| Summit Lake
|  |

284.6

| Antigo
|  |

266

| Eland
|  |

|  |

Wolf River

|  |

236.9

| Shawano
|  |

218.4

| Pulaski
|  |

|  |

| Peninsula 400

to Ishpeming

|  |

203

| Green Bay
|  |

|  |

| Peninsula 400

via Fond du Lac

|  |

180.2

| Denmark

(Service ended 1968)

|  |

160.4

| Manitowoc

(Service ended 1968)

|  |

147.5

| Cleveland

(Service ended 1968)

|  |

136

| Sheboygan

(Service ended 1968)

|  |

126.4

| Oostburg

(Service ended 1968)

|  |

122.5

| Cedar Grove

(Service ended 1968)

|  |

109.5

| Port Washington

(Service ended 1968)

|  |

|  |

| Peninsula 400

via Fond du Lac

|  |

|  | Milwaukee Road
|  |

84.4

| Milwaukee (C&NW Lakefront)
|  |

|  | Milwaukee Union Station

(1966–1971)

|  |

|  | Milwaukee Road
|  |

|  |

Kinnickinnic River

|  |

61.9

| Racine
|  |

51.6

| Kenosha
|  |

|  |

| KD Line

to Rockford

|  |

|  |

| Wisconsin

Illinois

|  |

35.9

| Waukegan
|  |

| Evanston
|  |

|  |

Chicago River (north branch)

|  |

|  |

| Minnesota 400

to Madison

|  |

|  | Milwaukee Road (Hiawatha from Union Station)
|  |

| Chicago (C&NW Terminal)
|  |  |  |  |  |

This diagram:

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The Flambeau 400 was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway between Chicago, Illinois, and Ashland, Wisconsin on Lake Superior, via Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was originally a special service in the summer time.

## History[edit]

Beginning in 1935, the Flambeau transported the new American middle class to its new leisure time in the North Woods of Wisconsin. The Flambeau operated over basically the same route as later trains did except for bypassing Green Bay to run via Hortonville and Eland. By 1937 the route changed to operate via Green Bay. In July 1949 the Flambeau was integrated with the Shoreland 400 and the Valley 400, running as one train between Chicago and Green Bay and as separate trains beyond Green Bay. Northbound trains ran via Fond du Lac and southbound trains via Manitowoc.

In 1950 the train received a new name, Flambeau 400, in reference to the C&NW's popular Twin Cities 400, named for making the approximately 400 mile run from Chicago to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 400 minutes, and Flambeau, the French word for a torch.[1]: 148 [2]: 40 In 1958 the Flambeau 400 and Peninsula 400 received bilevel equipment.[2]: 42 Serving the north woods of Wisconsin, it saw heavy tourist traffic, but by May 1968, it was losing thousands of dollars for the North Western. In 1969 the Flambeau became an unnamed Chicago-Green Bay train with seasonal service to Ashland.

The last Flambeau 400 rolled out of the North Woods on January 5, 1971. Amtrak did not include Green Bay and Ashland in its initial route structure.[3]

## Equipment[edit]

The consist varied over the years and by seasonal demand. The number of cars varied between ten and two. Trains may have had a coach-lounge instead of a diner, and some trains had neither. The train used heavyweight 56-seat single level coaches until the arrival of new gallery cars in 1958. The otherwise bi-level train featured a single-level dining car (which operated Chicago-Green Bay) with a false roof to match the gallery cars. The motive power in the early years by class R-1 Ten-wheelers on the Watersmeet branch, and class E-2-a Pacifics everywhere else. By the later 40s or early 50s E8s and F7s took over. Two units usually ran as far as Green Bay, where one would lay over with the dining car for the return trip.

## References[edit]

1. ^ Schafer, Mike; Welsh, Joe (2002). Streamliners: History of a Railroad Icon. Saint Paul, MN: MBI. ISBN 0-7603-1371-7. OCLC 51069308.
2. ^ a b Schafer, Mike (1996). Classic American Railroads. Saint Paul, MN: MBI. ISBN 978-0-7603-0239-2. OCLC 768619768.
3. ^ Craig Sanders (September 16, 1996). "Routes and Trains on the Eve of Amtrak". Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved 2009-10-18.

## External links[edit]

* C&NW Flambeau 400 in 1963 on YouTube

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* t
* e

Named trains of the Chicago and North Western Railway

400s|

* The 400
* Capitol 400
* City of Milwaukee 400
* Commuter 400
* Dakota 400
* Flambeau 400
* Kate Shelley 400
* Minnesota 400
* Peninsula 400
* Rochester 400
* Shoreland 400
* Twin Cities 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

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