The eastbound North Coast Limited shown on the cover of this menu is missing one of its four dome cars and one of its two flat-topped coaches, suggesting it is a winter consist. According to the Ron V. Nixon Photo Archive, the photo was taken near Turah, Montana on May 21, 1958 (although the dates in the archive are not always reliable). Nixon was a Northern Pacific telegraph operator who took more than 20,000 railroad photographs in his lifetime, several of which the NP used on its menus and in other advertising.
Click image to download a 1.2-MB PDF of this menu.
The inside of this menu is blank, but the back cover advertises that NP bought or built 1,800 new freight cars, “17 miles” worth, in 1960 and was continuing to expand its fleet in 1961. That obviously dates this menu cover to 1961. Other NP menus featuring Nixon photos on the cover don’t have date-specific ads on the back, which means this one may be especially rare as it could only have been used for one or two years. Continue reading