In the late 1960s, the California Zephyr was one of the best-patronized long-distance trains in America. But it still lost money for the Western Pacific, which was a marginal railroad to begin with. So WP petitioned to discontinue the train … Continue reading
I acquired these decals ages ago from one of the most reputable rail memorabilia dealers in the country, so I know they are authentic. But what were they used for? At three inches in diameter each, they are about the … Continue reading
Union Pacific handed out this eight-page “souvenir album” to passengers on the last runs of its daily trains before Amtrak took over, April 30, 1971. A letter from UP CEO J.C. Kenefick offers a “reluctant goodbye to that small but … Continue reading
This handy checklist of things a traveler might want to bring on an overnight train trip seems to be aimed at women, as it includes blouses, lingerie, and manicure needs, but not shirts or a shaving kit. Regardless of gender, … Continue reading
This is the General Motors builder’s card for the Great Northern E-7s built to haul the 1947 streamlined Empire Builder. GM delivered 13 of these locomotives to the GN starting in 1945. The painting on the card is by GM … Continue reading
In 1925 and 1926, the Great Northern Railway offered two “historical expeditions” of the Northwest that featured colorful Indian ceremonies, lectures by a variety of historians and other experts, and the dedication of at least six impressive monuments to early … Continue reading
This bookmark is undated, but the blue-and-red color scheme looks contemporaneous with the 1940 Glacier Park brochure I posted a few days ago. The back of the bookmark lists several “splendid books on the historic Northwest,” and the newest was … Continue reading
The portraits in the 1940 portfolio, which are mostly static images of Indians sitting for the artist. In contrast, several of the portraits in the 1958 portfolio actually show Indians doing something: making pemmican; beating drums; talking sign language; and … Continue reading
For the 1958 portfolio of 24 Winold Reiss portraits, the Great Northern replaced Frank Linderman’s article about the Blackfeet Indians with one by Claude Schaeffer, who (unlike Linderman) was an actual anthropologist. Schaeffer apparently alerted the railway to the fact … Continue reading
In 1958, the Great Northern published a second edition of its portfolio of Winold Reiss portraits. All 24 portraits were different from the ones in the 1940/1947 edition, and only 11 were from the 1935 book on Blackfeet Indians. This … Continue reading
