Western Railroad Discussion > Distance St. Paul to Spokane

What is the distance in miles from St. Paul-Minneapolis to Spokane on each of the northern main lines: GN, NP, MILW and Soo-CP-SI routings?

Here is what I got, including some caveats. I pieced together the Soo-CP-SI route from a 1960 Official Guide, and would welcome anyone checking my math and route assumptions on that one which I am least familiar with.

GN - 1,437 miles (1971 Empire Builder route via Willmar - Fargo - New Rockford - Minot - Flathead Tunnel - Sandpoint - Newport). The route between St. Paul and Fargo via Fergus Falls, MN would be 18 miles shorter, but most freight used the Willmar line.


NP - 1,497 miles (via St Cloud - Fargo - Laurel - Helena - Missoula - Ravalli - Paradise - Sandpoint). The route through Butte used by the North Coast Limited was two miles shorter, but freights almost exclusively used the Helena line. Also freights mostly used the low line between Missoula and Paradise through St. Regis, vs. the passenger line over Evaro hill, which added 29 miles to this total making it 1,536 miles for typical freight trains.

MILW - 1,469 miles

Soo-CP-SI - 1,532 miles via North Portal - Moose Jaw - Lethbridge - Yahk - Kingsgate - Sandpoint. A CP route through Assiniboia, SK was probably shorter, but someone more familiar with that operation will have to indicate whether that route was used for through trains.