The Elbow Lake Subdivision or Elbow Lake Sub is a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

line that runs about from Glenwood,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

to Enderlin,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

. The line is currently operated by

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

(CP) under its subsidiary, the

Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , one of seven U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sa ...

. The rail line began construction in 1887 and was a continuation of the Minneapolis and Pacific Railway line to the Dakotas that would supply grain to

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

flour mills. The line begins in Glenwood and splits with the Detroit Lakes Subdivision before going through many small towns and reaching the junction with the Morris Subdivision near

Nashua Nashua may refer to: * Nashaway people, Native American tribe living in 17th-century New England Places In Australia: * Nashua, New South Wales In the United States: * Nashua, California * Nashua, Iowa * Nashua, Minnesota * Nashua, Kansas City ...

. Then the line continues westward into North Dakota meeting the Veblen Subdivision at Veblen Junction. At Hankinson, the route meets the DMVW Dakota Subdivision and turns north, eventually reaching the western terminus at Enderlin. There has been no passenger service on the line since the last train of the '' Winnipeger'' went through on March 25, 1967. Freight traffic mainly involves grain, crude oil, and intermodal as well as a few manifests. The route typically sees around 8 trains per day as of June 2017. At Glenwood, the line connects to the Paynesville Subdivision to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

and the Detroit Lakes Subdivision to

Thief River Falls Thief River Falls, sometimes referred to as Thief River or abbreviated as TRF, is a city in Pennington County in the northwest portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 8,749 at the 2020 census. Thief River Falls is the county ...

. At the west end in Enderlin, the route connects to the Carrington Subdivision to

Harvey, North Dakota Harvey is a city in Wells County, North Dakota, Wells County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,650 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Harvey was founded in 1893 as a division point by the Soo Line Railway. Harvey is b ...

. The line also connects to the Veblen Subdivision at Veblen Junction near Fairmount.

References

{{reflist Canadian Pacific Railway lines in the United States Rail infrastructure in Minnesota