The Minnesota Zephyr was a

heritage railroad A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

operating out of

Stillwater, Minnesota Stillwater is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Washington County. It is in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, on the west bank of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), St. Croix River, across from H ...

. It operated as a

dinner train A dinner train is a relatively new type of tourist train service whose main purpose is to allow people to eat dinner while experiencing a relatively short, leisurely round trip train ride. This contrasts with conventional passenger trains, whose ma ...

and served a five-course, white linen dinner on a six-mile route, traveling between four and seven miles per hour. Power was provided by two

EMD F7 The EMD F7 is a model of diesel-electric locomotive produced between February 1949 and December 1953 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors (EMD) and General Motors Diesel (GMD). Although originally promoted by EMD as a freight-h ...

locomotives, with one on each end of the train. The rolling stock consisted of five restored

dining car A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. It is distinct from other railroad food service cars that ...

s. The train traveled along the St. Croix River bluffs, then turned westward and followed a stream. The trip lasted about three and a half hours. On September 18, 2008, owner David Paradeau stated that the train would cease operation at the end of the year, becoming a stationary restaurant serving dinner along with the adjacent Stillwater Grill. Paradeau cited the desire to retire, as well as a downturn in business and a $1.6 million loss within the last two years. Paradeau had hoped to sell the railroad

right of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

to the

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or Minnesota DNR, is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recre ...

to be converted to a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

that would connect Stillwater to the

Gateway State Trail The Gateway State Trail is a multi-use recreational rail trail in the U.S. state of Minnesota, running from Saint Paul to Pine Point Regional Park in Stillwater. It runs through urban landscapes of eastern Saint Paul in Ramsey County and rur ...

system. Operating for some 23 years, the train had served close to a million dining patrons by the time of closure. Tracks connecting the Zephyr line south to the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

through downtown Stillwater were removed in summer 2005 after the city of Stillwater forced abandonment of the tracks. No rail service had been provided on the line since 1995 when the last steam engine visited Stillwater. The line was the first railroad built into Stillwater. Work stopped late in December 1870 when the ground became too hard to finish the work. The last mile of track was finally laid into Stillwater in spring, 1871 after the ground thawed. Two more rail lines were built into Stillwater from the south end before the 1890s. The last

Burlington Northern The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996. Its historical lineage begins in the earliest days of railroadin ...

freight train to leave Stillwater on the line was in 1982. Burlington Northern had submitted a bid to deliver coal via the line to the King power plant in 1985 but the bid was won by

Chicago and North Western The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

(now Union Pacific). On September 10, 2010 the Minnesota DNR expressed renewed interest in and laid out plans for the Minnesota Zephyr In February 2012, sale of the right-of-way was finalized to the Minnesota DNR for 4.37 million dollars. The sale to the DNR did not include the dinner train (engines and cars) itself or the Zephyr building. Rails and ties were removed to prepare the right of way to be made into a walking and biking trail. The

has paved the entire route, starting from downtown Stillwater and ending at a junction with the

. DNR also constructed a new pedestrian/cycling bridge to the west over Manning Avenue (County Road 15). The trail officially opened in June 2015. The right of way is also being considered as a route for a future light rail line into Stillwater. In early 2013,

Iowa Pacific Holdings Iowa Pacific Holdings was a holding company that owned railroad properties across North America and the United Kingdom, as well as providing services such as railcar repairs, leasing, management and consulting services to other operators. The comp ...

purchased the train to use on their

Rio Grande Scenic Railroad The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad of Colorado was a heritage railway that operated from 2006 to 2019 in and around the San Luis Valley as a subsidiary of the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad. The heritage railroad ceased operating excursions followi ...

subsidiary. In March 2013, the dining cars were shipped by rail to Colorado for overhaul. In November 2014, it was announced that Iowa Pacific had also purchased the two F7 locomotives and would be moving them in December. Today, the rail line has been converted into th
Brown's Creek State Bike Trail
and the old train depot is a live performance theater for downtow
Stillwater
named after its history
The Zephyr Theatre

References

{{Twin Cities Railroads Heritage railroads in Minnesota Tourist attractions in Washington County, Minnesota Transportation in Washington County, Minnesota Tourism in Minnesota Defunct Minnesota railroads Stillwater, Minnesota