Streamliners to the Twin Cities Photo Archive: The 400, Twin Zephyrs, and Hiawatha Trains (Photo Archives)

In 1935 an intense rivalry between the Chicago & North Western, Milwaukee Road and Burlington Route began in the busy Chicago-St. Paul/Minneapolis (Twin Cities) corridor. The competition lasted until 1971. For many years the proud 400's, bold Hiawathas and sleek Twin Zephyrs held the fastest start-to-stop times in the world. Each railroad had its own route, but all three had the same goal: to carry the maximum number of passengers between Chicago and the Twin Cities in the shortest amount of time. Which of these trains was the swiftest? The speed of all three trains was timed frequently, and each of them broke the 100 mph limit almost daily. "All Aboard" to ride the C&NW 400, "The Train That Set The Pace For The World", the Twin Zephyrs on Burlington's "Mississippi River Scenic Line" and the Hiawatha on Milwaukee Road's "Speedway of the Speedliners."