This 12-page brochure from the mid- to late-1960s purports to be an “along-the-way” travelogue, but in face only four of the pages provide a city-by-city guide to the Northern Pacific’s route between the Twin Cities and the Pacific Northwest. The … Continue reading
Like the Western Star, which brought many tourists to Glacier Park in tour cars from other railroads, the NP used the Mainstreeter to bring tour cars to Livingston, where they would board buses to Yellowstone Park. By the mid-1960s, however, … Continue reading
The Mainstreeter was really little more than the Northern Pacific’s previous secondary train, the Alaskan, but with Diesel power and a somewhat faster schedule. Yet the schedule was still slower than the Western Star, requiring almost ten more hours to … Continue reading
If the Western Star was downgraded after 1967, its rival the Mainstreeter was never really upgraded. While the Star began in 1951 as a completely streamlined train, the Mainstreeter was inaugurated on November 16, 1952 with Diesels and streamlined coaches, … Continue reading
In 1926, the Northern Pacific Railway became the first to use a 4-8-4 locomotive, which is why this wheel arrangement is often called a Northern. To publicize this achievement, the railway hired Austrian artist Gustav Krollmann to paint scenes along … Continue reading
This coaster, if that is what it is, is very different from the others shown here. For one thing, instead of having printing in ink, it is embossed with the flowers and Northern Pacific logo. Click image to download a … Continue reading
At first glance, this appears to be an ordinary sheet of corporate letterhead. But it turns out to be four pages long (11″x17″ folded in half), with pages 2 through 4 devoted to photos advertising the vista-dome North Coast Limited. … Continue reading
Though nominally competitors, after 1900 the Great Northern and Northern Pacific had several major stockholders in common, notably the Great Northern’s founder, James J. Hill. As a result, the railroads had many things in common, including sharing a headquarters building … Continue reading
If Stephen Brown had written a letter to friends during his trip aboard the North Coast Limited, he might have used the stationery below. It is simple, tasteful, but frankly boring. Click image to download a PDF of this letterhead. … Continue reading
In 1958, the Budd Company’s continuing quest to one-up the Pullman Company resulted in the development of the Slumbercoach, a sleeping car with 40 beds. Though one was used by the porter, this was still far more than the 22 … Continue reading
