This 1958 menu from the the Mid-Century Empire Builder‘s Ranch Car is decorated to look like the hide of a pinto horse (similar to the pattern used on upholstery in the Ranch Car). The letters “The Ranch” closely resemble those … Continue reading
It may be true that nothing could be finer than eating in a diner, but waiting in line for a seat in the dining car was a hassle. A few railroads avoided that by offering passengers reservations. What medications interact … Continue reading
Here are two different versions of the same brochure. The first, published when the train was inaugurated in 1951, advertises the Mid-Century Empire Builder. Perhaps because it was no longer mid-century by 1954, when the second brochure was printed, the … Continue reading
When in service, the tables on the Empire Builder’s dining car were covered with beautiful white tablecloths into which was stitched a delicate pattern representing sheaves of wheat and the railroad’s initials. I’ll show one of these here if ever … Continue reading
Easily the equal of Union Pacific’s pre-war Little Nugget or Frontier Shack cars, the Ranch car was the most distinctive car on the 1951 Empire Builder, which made it (in the early 1950s at least) the most distinctive car on … Continue reading
Having streamlined the Empire Builder in 1947, the Great Northern Railway demonstrated an optimistic view of passenger traffic when it completely re-equpped it in 1951. This allowed the railroad to use the 1947 trains as a secondary train along the … Continue reading
