Lake States Transportation Division
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Lake States Transportation Division (LSTD) was a wholly-owned division of the Soo Line Railroad that existed from 1986-1987.
The bankruptcy of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (MILW) saw the Canadian Pacific Railway acquire its routes to add to the Soo Line in 1985. The Interstate Commerce Commission mandated that Soo Line must divest of some lines in the interest of preserving competition.
Soo Line created the LSTD in 1986 to operate the original Soo Line main line from Forest Park, Illinois to Minneapolis via Withrow, Minnesota, as well as from Winthrow to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, and branch lines from Argonne, Wisconsin to Neenah and former MILW branch lines from Green Bay to Milwaukee.
CPR's Soo Line subsidiary operated the LSTD with tri-weekly service on main lines and less frequently on branch lines.
The entire LSTD was sold to newly formed Wisconsin Central Ltd. in 1987 as per the ICC ruling.