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The Northern Transcon, a route operated by the BNSF Railway, traverses the most northerly route of any
railroad 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 prep ...
in the western
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. This route was originally part of the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...
, Northern Pacific Railway, Great Northern Railway and Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway systems, merged into the
Burlington Northern Railroad 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 railroadi ...
system in 1970.


Route

The route starts at
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
and runs west across northern
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...
to the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...
. It follows the eastern shore of the river through
La Crosse La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census ...
and Prairie du Chien,
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
before turning west again in
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 origin ...
and
St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...
to
Casselton, North Dakota Casselton is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,479 at the 2020 census. making it the 20th largest city in North Dakota. Casselton was founded in 1876. The city is named in honor of George Washington Cass ...
. From Casselton the route runs northwest to
Minot Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the ...
,
North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...
, then west through
Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
and
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...
to
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...
. In Montana, the line passes the East Gate of Glacier National Park and crosses the Two Medicine River on a high trestle. From East Glacier Park, Montana, the route continues ascending until it crests the
Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not c ...
at the summit of Marias Pass. The line descends down the west side of the pass for to Essex, Montana, running mostly double track on a narrow shelf, and crossing several high trestles over the Flathead River. Essex is home to the
Izaak Walton Inn The Izaak Walton Inn is a historic inn in Essex, Montana, USA. It was originally built as the Izaak Walton Hotel in 1939 by the Great Northern Railway as a soup kitchen and lodgings for railway workers. The hotel was also originally envisioned ...
, which was constructed when the line was built to shelter railroad employees during the winter months. It also contains a small railyard used to store helper engines, which are used to supply additional power to freight trains crossing Marias Pass. Prior to the invention of the powerful diesel locomotives used today, longer trains often had to be split in order to make it up the pass. From Essex, the line follows the Flathead River valley to Whitefish, Montana. Located in Whitefish is a restored passenger depot/museum (also serving
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
). The line continues northwest to Stryker, Montana, then turns south and passes through the Flathead Tunnel as it runs west toward Sandpoint,
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...
. The line leaves the Rocky Mountains after
Athol, Idaho Athol is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. The population was 692 at the 2010 census, up from 676 in 2000.
and reaches
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...
. At Spokane the route splits into two, with one line going to
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...
and the other to
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...
. This route required construction of the Flathead Tunnel through the
Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
in
Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
and the new Cascade Tunnel through the Cascade Mountains in
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
; these are the two longest railroad tunnels in the country. From St. Paul to the West Coast, this is basically the route of
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
's '' Empire Builder.'' But the ''Builder'' turns north in Fargo onto a BNSF secondary line to reach Grand Forks, North Dakota, while the Northern Transcon heads directly toward Minot. The ''Builder'' rejoins the Transcon main route at Minot and continues on to Seattle, though a section branches off to serve
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...
. BNSF also owns trackage with running rights in
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...
,
Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
, where it has a yard operated by a switch unit and full crew. The track is maintained by a small track crew.


Historical alignments in Montana

The portion of the Northern Transcon line from Columbia Falls to
Libby, Montana Libby is a city in northwestern Montana, United States and the county seat of Lincoln County. The population was 2,775 at the 2020 census. Libby suffered from the area's contamination from nearby vermiculite mines contaminated with particularl ...
has been significantly rerouted twice since its initial construction in 1892.


Kootenai River The Kootenay or Kootenai river is a major river in the Northwest Plateau, in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and northern Montana and Idaho in the United States. It is one of the uppermost major tributaries of the Columbia River, the l ...
valley

Prior to the opening of the Flathead Tunnel, trains left the modern route at Stryker, Montana and traveled northwest to Eureka, Montana, then traveled southwest along the Kootenai River and rejoined the present-day line at Jennings, located just below the Libby Dam. In 1970, the construction of the Libby Dam formed
Lake Koocanusa Lake Koocanusa () is a reservoir in British Columbia ( Canada) and Montana ( United States) formed by the damming of the Kootenai River by the Libby Dam in 1972. The Dam was formally dedicated by President Gerald Ford on August 24, 1975. T ...
, flooding the towns of Rexford, Montana and Waldo, British Columbia and the railroad line. This required the relocation of more than of track between Stryker and Jennings and the building of Flathead Tunnel which, like the dam, was constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Part of the original main line from Stryker to Eureka is still in use as the Mission Mountain Railroad. Before the construction of the tunnel, the '' Empire Builder'' also had a station stop in Eureka. The only visible remnants of the original route are a stub track at Jennings, where the unused original track still remains close to the current main line, and Northwest of Eureka the original mainline is now a trail that meanders over towards Lake Koocanusa, with the old right of way eventually diving into the reservoir.


Haskell Pass

The alignment that travelled from Whitefish to Libby via Eureka was created in 1902 to replace a predecessor alignment over
Haskell Pass Haskell Pass, elevation 4300 feet, is a historically significant but now little-used mountain pass in northwestern Montana, between the Flathead and Kootenai River drainages. From 1892 to 1904 it was traversed by the original main line of the Gr ...
, farther to the south. The pass was named for its founder, Charles Haskell, who in the winter of 1891 had set out to locate a reasonable alignment for the Great Northern railroad to take between Kalispell, Montana and the Kootenai River. Ranging as far north as the Canada–US border, Haskell's party eventually returned to Kalispell in early spring, having crossed a low notch in the Salish Mountains on the return trip. A year after the scouting trip, construction was begun on what was to be the first of three Great Northern lines through the Salish. Completed in 1892, the Haskell Pass line left the modern alignment of the route at
Columbia Falls, Montana Columbia Falls is a city along the Flathead River in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,308 at the 2020 census. Columbia Falls has been ranked as one of the best and safest places to live in Montana. History The ...
, a few miles east of Whitefish. The line travelled almost due south to Kalispell, where a branch split off the route that ran to Somers, Montana on the shore of
Flathead Lake Flathead Lake ( fla, člq̓etkʷ, label= Salish, kut, yawuʔnik̓ ʔa·kuq̓nuk) is a large natural lake in northwest Montana. The lake is a remnant of the ancient, massive glacial dammed lake, Lake Missoula of the era of the last interglacia ...
. The line travelled west from Kalispell to Marion, then alongside Little Bitteroot Lake, looping up on a high trestle over Herrig Creek, and passing through a tunnel at the summit of Haskell Pass, emerging high on the mountains above Pleasant Valley. The line descended to the valley floor, then turned north along Island Creek, and west down
Wolf Creek Wolf Creek may refer to: Bodies of water Missouri * Wolf Creek (Beaver Creek tributary) * Wolf Creek (Cane Creek tributary) * Wolf Creek (Cave Creek tributary) * Wolf Creek (Elkhorn Creek tributary) * Wolf Creek (South Grand River tributary) * ...
, to the Fisher River. The line followed the Fisher River north to the Kootenai River Valley, where it returned to the 1902–1970 alignment at Jennings. The Haskell Pass line was used only for ten years before the Kootenai River alignment opened. Shifting to the Kootenai River alignment was controversial because the new alignment was longer than the old route, although the new route had less steep grades. Much of the Haskell Pass route was abandoned in 1902. The leg from Columbia Falls to Marion remained in use as a branch line until 1948, when it was truncated to Kalispell. When Flathead Tunnel was constructed in 1970, part of the Haskell Pass alignment along the Fisher River was recycled, namely the leg from Jennings to Tamarack siding (originally Sterling). On Haskell Pass, much of the right-of-way has been grown over, but small remnants of infrastructure and the original tunnel through the pass itself are still intact.


Winter operations

Keeping the Northern Transcon open during the winter is a significant challenge, whether from snow in the Midwest and mountains, or rain in the Pacific Northwest. Heavy rains have the potential to cause mudslides along
Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected m ...
between Seattle and Everett and in the Nisqually, Washington area between Tacoma and Olympia. For example, in early January 2006, there were four slides between Seattle and Everett. In late January 2006 and again in early February 2006, mudslides occurred both between Seattle and Everett and around Nisqually. Heavy snow in the Rockies around Marias Pass have the potential to cause avalanches that can block the tracks. Following the clearing of a slide or an avalanche, no passenger train can run on the track for 48 hours to ensure that the slide area has stabilized, per BNSF policy.


Passenger trains

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
operates its '' Empire Builder'' on the corridor between La Crosse, Wisconsin and points west, though the train utilizes a more northerly route between Fargo and Minot. The
Metra Metra is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines ...
BNSF Line operates in the whole Chicago Subdivision, providing
commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
service. These are the only passenger trains directly operated by BNSF via a "purchase of service agreement" with Metra. The Northstar Line operates north of Minneapolis on the Midway and Staples Subdivisions. Also, the Seattle Subdivision hosts Amtrak ''Cascades'' as well as Sounder commuter rail trains.


Subdivisions

The Northern Transcon is divided into many subdivisions. From east to west, these include: * Chicago Subdivision (Chicago, IL to Aurora, IL) * Aurora Subdivision (Aurora, IL to La Crosse, WI) * St. Croix Subdivision (La Crosse, WI to St. Croix Jct.) *Joint Canadian Pacific-BNSF lines (St. Croix Jct. to St. Paul, MN) * Midway/ St. Paul Subdivisions (St. Paul, MN to Minneapolis, MN) *
Staples Subdivision The Staples Subdivision or Staples Sub is a railway line running about from Dilworth to Fridley, Minnesota (near Minneapolis). It is operated by BNSF Railway as part of their Northern Transcon and contains the busiest segment of mainline ...
(Minneapolis, MN to Dilworth, MN) *KO Subdivision (Dilworth, MN to Minot, ND) *Glasgow Subdivision (Minot, ND to Glasgow, MT) *Milk River Subdivision (Glasgow, MT to Havre, MT) * Hi-Line Subdivision (Havre, MT to Whitefish, MT) *Kootenai River Subdivision (Whitefish, MT to Sandpoint, ID) *
Spokane Subdivision The Spokane Subdivision or Spokane Sub is a railway line running between Sandpoint, Idaho and Spokane, Washington. It forms a part of the Northern Transcon. The line has shared track rights with Union Pacific Railway. The Amtrak ''Empire Builde ...
(Sandpoint, ID to Spokane, WA) To the west of Spokane, WA (at Latah Jct, as of June 1973Burlington Northern Inc. Seattle Region Timetable 11 to the present dayBNSF Northwest Division Timetable No. 2), the line splits into two main routes, one using mostly the old Great Northern Railway route directly to Seattle, WA, and the other using mainly the former Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway route, but also a large section of the former Northern Pacific Railway route, to Portland, OR via Pasco and Vancouver, WA; then it travels north to Seattle. Expedited Transcon traffic is generally routed via the direct Seattle route, and slow bulk-freight traffic is generally routed via the Spokane–Portland–Seattle route (through Vancouver, WA). The Spokane–Portland–Seattle route is mostly water level with a 1.15% maximum grade near Marshall, Washington. (Note that there is a parallel BNSF-owned route that bypasses the 1.15% grade with a maximum grade of 0.8%; they operate it directionally.) There is a 0.95% maximum grade in the
Napavine, Washington Napavine is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,766 at the 2020 census. History Napavine was officially incorporated as a town on November 21, 1913. Settlers began arriving in the Cowlitz area in the early 1 ...
area. The direct Seattle route traverses the Cascade Range at the Cascade Tunnel (Scenic and Berne, Washington); it has 2.2% ruling grades in the vicinity of the tunnel. Direct Seattle route: *
Columbia River Subdivision The Columbia River Subdivision or Columbia River Sub is a railway line running about from Wenatchee to Spokane, Washington. It is operated by BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of sev ...
(Spokane, WA to Wenatchee, WA) * Scenic Subdivision (Wenatchee, WA to Seattle, WA) Portland-Seattle route: * Lakeside Subdivision (Spokane, WA to Pasco, WA) * Fallbridge Subdivision (Pasco, WA to Portland, OR) * Seattle Subdivision (Vancouver, WA to Seattle, WA) The former Northern Pacific Railway route via Stampede Pass through Pasco and Auburn, WA to Tacoma, WA has had a checkered history. Since 1996 it has been a third route to the coast. As of 2010 it was seldom used but still in service. Stampede Pass line: * Yakima Valley Subdivision (Pasco, WA to Ellensburg, WA) * Stampede Subdivision (Ellensburg, WA to Auburn, WA)


Proposed projects

*Electrification of entire routes conjunction with Canadian National and Canadian Pacific, to release diesel locomotives to relocate to Texas, Oklahoma, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. *Grade separation of crossing with the other railroads. *Reconstruction of Fargo station area. *Track doubling east of Wenatchee station.


See also

* Southern Transcon


References

{{reflist BNSF Railway lines