SPEED IS A MILWAUKEE ROAD THING. Instapundit quotes at length from a Tom Vanderbilt essay in Slate inspired by analyzing old railroad timetables.

The trip from Chicago to Minneapolis via the Olympian Hiawatha in the 1950s took about four and a half hours; today, via Amtrak's Empire Builder, the journey is more than eight hours.

I'm glad to see people with a bigger readership than mine recognizing the high speed rail we once had, even if they've souped up the Olympian in the process. Four and a half hours gets you from St. Paul to Milwaukee, and that if you're recovering time.

(It pains me to contrast the Olympian Hiawatha listed on the same page with today's Empire Builder. Olympian off St. Paul 7.10 am, Winona 8.40, LaCrosse 9.15, Tomah 9.51, Portage 10.42, Milwaukee 12.20 pm, Chicago 1.45. Builder off Midway Station 7.50 am, Winona 10.11, LaCrosse 10.47, Tomah 11.28, Portage 12.27 pm, Milwaukee 2.07, Chicago 3.55 including a 30 minute recovery margin Glenview-Chicago.)

Advantage, Cold Spring Shops.