Staples (BNSF Staples Sub)

The historic 1909 Northern Pacific depot at 4th Street NE and 1st Avenue NE is the heart of the Staples railfan experience. The brick station—now managed by the Staples Historical Society—sits directly between US Highway 10 and the BNSF mainline, with the right-of-way close enough to feel the rumble of passing freights. The viewing area at the corner of 4th Street and 1st Avenue provides open sightlines along the double-track Northern Transcon. Trains approach from the east over mostly flat terrain typical of central Minnesota, building speed as they clear the junction. The Brainerd Subdivision diverges at Staples, running northeast toward Duluth/Superior, so railfans can catch both mainline Staples Sub freights and lighter Brainerd Sub traffic from the same vantage point. The station platform is accessible, and the surrounding area is pedestrian-friendly with parking nearby. Budget 2–4 hours to catch a representative mix of freights and, if timing allows, the Empire Builder.

Staples occupies a broad flat plain in central Minnesota's lake country, with the older commercial district providing a classic small-railroad-town backdrop. Church steeples and the striking brick bulk of the 1909 depot anchor the scene against a wide-open Minnesota sky. The surrounding landscape blends agricultural fields, second-growth forest, and lake country typical of Todd County. Winters are dramatic—locomotive exhaust plumes rise sharply in cold still air, and BNSF orange paint stands out against white fields. Summers offer long shooting windows (dawn near 5:30 AM, dusk near 9:00 PM), ideal for illuminating eastbound trains in morning light and westbounds in the afternoon. Fall foliage along the adjacent Crow Wing River valley adds color to mid-October visits.

BNSF Railway operates the Staples Subdivision as part of its Northern Transcon, the high-priority freight corridor connecting the Pacific Northwest with Chicago. At Staples specifically, 40–50 trains pass daily. Traffic includes double-stack intermodal (Z and Q symbol trains), mixed manifest freights, Powder River Basin coal unit trains bound to/from the Pacific Northwest, and grain unit trains particularly heavy August through November during harvest season. Power is primarily GE ES44C4 and ET44C4 diesels in BNSF orange and black, commonly in multi-unit lash-ups on heavier trains. Foreign road power occasionally appears in run-through service. At Staples the Brainerd Subdivision diverges northeast toward Duluth/Superior, adding lighter freight variety to the mainline action. Amtrak's Empire Builder (trains 7 and 8) makes a daily stop: Train 8 (westbound to Seattle/Portland) typically passes through in the morning, Train 7 (eastbound to Chicago) follows in the late morning. Check Amtrak.com for current schedule times.

The primary vantage point is the depot area at 4th Street NE and 1st Avenue NE, where the track curves slightly as it passes the station, offering dynamic three-quarter shots of approaching trains. The flat prairie terrain delivers long sight lines—headlights are visible from a mile out, giving time to set up. Morning light (east) is ideal for westbound BNSF freights pulling away from the junction; afternoon light favors eastbound trains arriving from the flat farmland to the west. A 70–200 mm lens covers most shooting from the depot platform area. US Highway 10 runs parallel to the tracks through town, providing multiple grade-crossing locations for variety. For junction action showing both the Staples Sub and Brainerd Sub mainlines, position near the west end of the yard where the two subdivisions split—consult OpenRailwayMap (openrailwaymap.org) to locate the exact switch. Winter visits are rewarding for exhaust and snow compositions despite the cold.

Staples' railroad roots run deep. In 1889 the Northern Pacific Railway rerouted its St. Paul–Fargo mainline through Staples and established a full division headquarters here, expanding the switchyard to 26 tracks and adding a roundhouse and repair shops. The town was transformed: population grew from 585 in 1890 to 2,558 by 1910 as railroad workers arrived. The centerpiece of this era is the 1909 brick depot, designed by architects Charles A. Reed and Allen H. Stem—the same firm responsible for Grand Central Terminal in New York City and King Street Station in Seattle, Washington. The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Northern Pacific merged into Burlington Northern in 1970, which in turn merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe to create BNSF Railway in 1995. In February 2008, BNSF sold the historic depot to the city; it is now owned and managed by the Staples Historical Society and remains an active Amtrak stop on the daily Empire Builder. The town celebrates its heritage each August with Railroad Days.

Few Minnesota rail hubs combine historical depth, architectural significance, and operational intensity the way Staples does. The 1909 Northern Pacific depot—designed by the architects of Grand Central Terminal—anchors the scene with authentic railroad-town atmosphere you can't manufacture. The convergence of two BNSF subdivisions (Staples Sub and Brainerd Sub) elevates train variety beyond a simple mainline stop: railfans observe high-priority Northern Transcon intermodal, coal, grain, and manifest trains alongside lighter Brainerd Sub traffic from one pedestrian-accessible location. With 40–50 daily movements including the Amtrak Empire Builder, the action-per-hour ratio is consistently strong. Staples itself is a practical overnight base: lodging, restaurants, and Railroad Days each August reinforce the town's identity as a living railroad community rather than a roadside ruin.