On Independence Day 2007, Amtrak #8, the eastbound Empire Builder, makes a late stop at Staples while a coal train bound for Superior waits for the Amtrak to get underway so they can cross over to the Brainerd Sub for the remainder of their trip.
This train, which runs between Chicago and Seattle and Portland, takes its name from James J. Hill, who founded the Great Northern Railroad and extended it from Minnesota to the Pacific Coast.
Oh the stories these special buildings could tell. Originally the brains of the rails they monitored, working to insure effecient rail service for our nation! A tribute!
