Union Station
The most significant railroad serving Duluth Union Station was Northern Pacific. With its Lake Superior Division having three main lines, or numbered subdivisions, serving the area. The most important passenger line was the Second Subdivision, which after passing through Duluth turned south at Garfield Avenue and crossed the St. Louis Bay Bridge to Superior. Through the Superior station, trackage was operated by Lake Superior Terminal & Transfer. At Central Avenue, the Second Subdivision turned southwest to Staples, where it connected with the NP main line west of Minneapolis. The NP Third Subdivision continued through Duluth southwest of Garfield Avenue, and turned south to St. Paul. The Second Subdivision and the Third Subdivision crossed at Carleton, 27 miles southwest. And most passenger trains to St. Paul and Minneapolis instead used the Second Subdivision between Duluth and Carleton, serving Superior. Carlton also was a junction with a branch north to Cloquet. The NP First Subdivision diverged at Central Avenue east to Ashland. Great Northern had trackage rights via NP south to Central Avenue, where its own trackage towards Minneapolis began. At Boyleston, another GN line diverged west to Cass Lake and beyond to Grand Forks. Duluth Missabe & Iron Range used Union Station, and trackage rights via NP. DM&IR Iron Range Division trains northeast to Ely and Winton diverged from the NP line at East DM&IR Jct., while DM&IR Missabe Division northwest to Hibbing diverged from the NP line at West DM&IR Jct. The Chicago & North Western station in Duluth was located near Union Station. And C&NW trains from that station used NP trackage south to C&NW Connection. And Duluth Winnipeg & Pacific trains used NP trackage west to West DM&IR Jct.
Significant Locations and Distances from Station
East DM&IR Jct. (2 miles NE) - connection of NP, DM&IR with trackage rights.
Garfield Avenue (1 mile SW) - junction of NP lines via West Duluth or Superior.
West DM&IR Jct. (2 miles SW) - junction of NP, DM&IR and DW&P with trackage rights.
St. Louis Bay Bridge (2 miles S)
C&NW Connection (4 miles S) - north end LST&T trackage, junction with C&NW.
Superior (4 miles S)
Belknap Street (5 miles S) - south end LST&T trackage, connect with NP.
Central Avenue (8 miles S) - junction of NP to Ashland, GN with trackage rights.
Boylston (13 miles S) - junction of GN to Minneapolis and Cass Lake.
Carlton (27 miles SW) - junction of NP to St. Paul, Staples, Cloquet.
Soo Line Station
The Soo Line station in Duluth also served the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic, which was actually acquired by Soo Line in 1961. Soo Line used the Grassy Point Bridge to cross into Superior, which was actually owned by Northern Pacific in addition to the three NP main line subdivisions described above. At 28th Street Jct. the DSS&A line diverged east, and at East End joined the C&NW line for trackage rights southeast to Newton Avenue. At Newton Avenue, DSS&A trains switched to the NP line for trackage rights to Ashland. The NP trackage rights replaced DSS&A's own line serving Superior, which was abandoned in 1935. VN Crossing was the junction of Soo Line and the Wisconsin Central line to Chicago, which became part of Soo Line in 1908. Much of the WC line immediately south of Superior has been abandoned, with WC successor CN now using the former Chicago & North Western line south of Superior. Lines of the Soo Line proper extended from Duluth to St. Paul and to Thief River Falls, with their junction at Boylston.
Significant Locations and Distances from Station
Berwind Jct. (5 miles SW) - junction of NP, SOO with trackage rights.
Grassy Point Bridge (5 miles S)
LST&T Jct. (6 miles S) - junction of LST&T, SOO with trackage rights.
Tower Ave. Jct. (7 miles S) - junction of LST&T, SOO with trackage rights.
Superior (7 miles S)
28th Street Jct. (8 miles S) - junction of SOO, DSS&A.
East End (9 miles SE) - connection of DSS&A with C&NW for trackage rights.
Newton Avenue (10 miles SE) - DSS&A connection from C&NW to NP for trackage rights.
VN Crossing (10 miles S) - junction of SOO and former WC.
Junction 278/Boylston (16 miles S) - junction of SOO to St. Paul, Thief River Falls.
Chicago & North Western Station
The Chicago & North Western station in Duluth was near Union Station, whose trackage was operated by Northern Pacific. And trains serving the C&NW station also used the NP trackage. C&NW trains operating south towards Eau Claire and Chicago crossed the St. Louis Bay Bridge into Superior and C&NW Connection, where its own trackage began. The former C&NW route is now largely abandoned, although the line south of South Itasca is now part of the CN main line, having replaced a paralleling former Soo Line route. Also using the Chicago & North Western station was Duluth Winnipeg & Pacific, whose trains to Winnipeg used NP trackage west to West DM&IR Jct. Locations on the NP route are described above.