We’ve seen this booklet before, only the previous one was marked for “The Progressive Union Pacific” while this is “Chicago and North Western System.” The UP edition appears to be dated 1941 while this one is from 1947.
Click image to download an 17.5-MB PDF of this 36-page booklet.
Other than the railroad names and logos, the differences between the two booklets are minor. The first 31 pages in particular are nearly identical, while the list of hotels on pages 32 and 33 has been updated. Page 34 lists the railroads’ ticket agents and these are, of course, different, while the system maps on page 35 are quite different.
It is a little surprising that C&NW didn’t make any effort to update the photos, many of which show automobiles that clearly date from the early 1930s. The post-war cars that were so different from pre-war cars just started appearing in 1947, so maybe there weren’t any new photos to use for updates.
This is one of those booklets whose back cover is the main cover and is the one shown above. The front cover shows a black-and-white photo of a scene in Rocky Mountain National Park and a railroad logo.