The ''North Woods Hiawatha'' was a

streamlined Streamlines, streaklines and pathlines are field lines in a fluid flow. They differ only when the flow changes with time, that is, when the flow is not steady. Considering a velocity vector field in three-dimensional space in the framework of ...

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...

operated by the

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experience ...

("Milwaukee Road") between New Lisbon and

Minocqua, Wisconsin Minocqua ( oj, Minwaakwaa) is a town in northwestern Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,388 as of 2017. The census-designated place of Minocqua and the unincorporated community of Rantz are both located in the town. M ...

. It operated from 1936 until 1956. The ''North Woods Hiawatha'' was the first new route to adopt the ''Hiawatha'' brand.

History

The Milwaukee Road's new flagship streamliner ''

Hiawatha Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwathaaa or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some account ...

'', which began running in 1935, made a stop in New Lisbon to permit connections with local trains heading north to Minocqua. This service competed directly with the

Chicago and Northwestern Railway 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 ...

's own new streamliner, the ''

400 __NOTOC__ Year 400 ( CD) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Stilicho and Aurelianus (or, less frequently, year 11 ...

'', which stopped in Adams. Demand was such that on several June Saturdays the Milwaukee Road operated an additional train ("section") directly from Chicago to Minocqua via New Lisbon. In June 1936 the Milwaukee Road introduced a new train between New Lisbon and Star Lake, Wisconsin, which it dubbed ''Hiawatha – North Woods Section.'' The train was pulled by a rebuilt Class G

4-6-0 A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the abse ...

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

, which had been shrouded to mimic the appearance of the faster Class As which pulled the ''Hiawatha.'' The route required 5 hours and 10 minutes to complete, owing to numerous online stops and a maximum track speed of . The train carried coaches, a lounge, and a dining car. This was the first use of the ''Hiawatha'' branding outside the Chicago–Twin Cities service. In the fall of 1936 the Milwaukee Road dropped the ''Hiawatha'' branding and cut the train back from Star Lake to Minocqua. The Milwaukee Road relaunched the service in April 1937, adding a " Beaver Tail" parlor car displaced from the original ''Hiawatha'' and new coaches. The train was named the ''Hiawatha – North Woods Service.'' Beginning a pattern which lasted until 1943, service was extended to Star Lake in June and then cut back to Minocqua in the fall. In the summer of 1939 the Milwaukee Road began operating the train directly from Chicago again, departing 10 minutes ahead of the ''

Afternoon Hiawatha The ''Twin Cities Hiawatha'', often just ''Hiawatha'', was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (also known as the Milwaukee Road), and traveled from Chicago to the Twin Cities. The original ...

''. Through operation ended in the fall, only to return on the summer weekends in 1940. This pattern of operation continued, with minor variations, for the rest of the train's operation. In the summer of 1951 the Milwaukee Road changed the train's name again, to ''North Woods Hiawatha''. It continued to operate through from Chicago on summer weekends only. On April 29, 1956, the railroad cut the train back to

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and ...

, with coaches only. It dropped the ''Hiawatha'' name at the same time. The truncated service ended altogether in 1970.

References

{{Milwaukee Road named trains Named passenger trains of the United States Passenger trains of the Milwaukee Road Railway services introduced in 1936 Passenger rail transportation in Wisconsin Railway services discontinued in 1956