The 1,500 mile Minneapolis & St. Louis ran from the Twin Cities and points in South Dakota, south through central Iowa, then east to connections with the eastern trunk lines in Peoria, Illinois. They presented themselves as a bridge route from the Northwest to the East whilst avoiding the congestion of Chicago. Ironically, coal was their largest single commodity. This was due to the voluminous grain traffic being split between wheat, corn and others, but also the large open pit coal mines in Iowa. That’s right, Iowa! More coal mines were served in central Illinois. This roadname will be available in 3 road numbers.