Passengers traveling westbound on the streamlined Empire Builder in 1949 woke up their first morning to this little brochure–which possibly was given only to sleeping car passengers. Page 1 explains what passengers can expect to see that morning, while page … 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
The fifth Charles Russell menu in the series has a painting on the cover called Indian Women Moving. Russell painted at least two other paintings titled “Indian Women Moving Camp”; though this one lacks the word “Camp,” it obviously depicts … Continue reading
This blog has been somewhat chronological: first were pre-war streamlined trains; then post-war streamliners; then post-war domeliners. Before taking the logical next step of describing the decline of streamliners in the 1960s, I want to pick up some streamlined memorabilia … Continue reading
