Since the bulk of the population is in the East and the bulk of the nation’s scenic beauty is in the West, most advertising by western railroads was aimed at eastern audiences. But sometimes westerners had to go east, so … Continue reading
After the Great Northern added dome cars to the Empire Builder, that train didn’t need the large-windowed Mountain-series of observation cars, so it put those cars on the Western Star. This brochure advertises the upgraded train including interior photos of … Continue reading
Initially, at least, the Great Northern tried to offer nearly identical service on the Western Star as on the Mid-Century Empire Builder. The railway had two routes from Minneapolis to Fargo; two from Fargo to Minot; and two from Havre … Continue reading
My final Charlie Russell menu, at least for now, isn’t actually in my collection; I found this 1956 Buffalo Hunt lunch menu at Waterlevel.com, a web site that allows people to share their rail and other collectibles. This menu, and … Continue reading
The most expensive item on this 1956 Indian Warfare (aka For Supremacy) menu was a $3.25 (about $27 in today’s dollars) “special dinner” featuring broiled lobster tail and hot butter, complete with soup or juice; potatoes; vegetable; salad; biscuits; dessert; … Continue reading
This 1957 Indian Warfare dinner menu included the exact same Lenten Special as the lunch menu. This one is stapled inside instead of paper clipped, so rather than harm the paper I left it in. Curiously, the a la carte … Continue reading
Here is a 1957 lunch menu that has a “Lenten Special” paperclipped inside. A sockeye salmon loaf doesn’t sound like much of a sacrifice for Lent; diners who didn’t like salmon could still have a choice of tuna salad sandwich, … Continue reading
The five Russell paintings used on Great Northern menus (and reproduced in the observation cars) were painted between 1895 and 1899. Russell married in 1896 and his wife Nancy soon took over the business side of his art, helping to … Continue reading
Desperate Stand does not depict any particular battle but was a typical cowboys-and-Indians story that Russell imagined, probably because action portraits like this were popular. Click image for a larger view. In contrast to the action on the menu cover, … Continue reading
The Great Northern needed five complete train sets to protect the streamlined Empire Builder‘s 44-hour schedule between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest. The observation cars on the 1947 Empire Builder were named Mississippi River (car number 1190), Missouri River (1191), … Continue reading
