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Swiftcurrent Falls are far from the most spectacular falls in the world, but they are frequently photographed as they are right next to the road to the Many Glacier Hotel. The lake shown in most photos of the hotel is … Continue reading
Category Archives: 1929 Empire Builder
The Great Northern introduced 58-seat semi-streamlined coaches to the Empire Builder in 1937. Though they had the same shape as streamlined cars, they were built with rivets and rolled on six-wheel trucks, suggesting they were as heavy or nearly as … Continue reading
The West Coast has a “wonderful climate” and “gorgeous scenery.” But this 1934 booklet exaggerates more than a little when it says that people in Seattle “pick roses, play golf the year round.” That might be a little more accurate … Continue reading
In 1937, as Union Pacific, Burlington, and other railroads were feverishly streamlining entire trains, Pullman delivered to Great Northern at least a dozen semi-streamlined coaches for the Empire Builder. These “luxury coaches,” as GN publicists called them, were a great … Continue reading
Dining cars on the 1929 Empire Builder were named after states and Canadian provinces served by the Great Northern, and this dinner menu was used on the dining car Oregon. The menu from my collection is undated, but someone had … Continue reading
This menu shows just how many more choices dining car patrons had before World War II than after. The table d’hôte (“plate dinner”) side has seven different entrées, ranging from roast duck to charcoal grilled dinner steak. The a la … Continue reading
This pretty menu is undated, but the cover brags that the dining and observation cars on the Empire Builder are air conditioned, which dates the menu to 1934. By 1935, Great Northern had air conditioned the entire train. Click image … Continue reading
Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit are given top billing as eastern cities you will want to visit after taking your trip across the West on the Empire Builder. Also mentioned are Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Niagara Falls, and–almost as an afterthought (but more … Continue reading
Here’s another mystery brochure about the Empire Builder, the mystery being when it was published. Unusual for pre-war Great Northern brochures, both the front and back covers have color photos (actually, colorized versions of black-and-white photos–a black-and-white version of the … Continue reading
Here’s what appears to be another prewar blotter advertising Great Northern’s premiere train. Where the last one had contact information for agents in Seattle and Vancouver, this one is for Fargo. Did they have separate blotters for every city on … Continue reading