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Trains Album of Photographs #15 Great Northern Railway Spiral Bound 1946
Trains Album of Photographs #15 Great Northern Railway Spiral Bound 1946
20 single side pages of photos. Measures approx. 10 X 14 inches.
All over glimpse of its 8200 mile system, typicalcoal and oli burning , steam and electric locos, views of line in Rockies
Leader of the Great Northern passenger fleet is the Empire Builder, transcontinental limited which is now being streamlined and Diesel powered to cross the Northwest from Chicago to Seattle in 45 hours or less. The naming of this train in 1929 was a sheer stroke of genius, for it not only perpetuates the nickname of James J. Hill who built the Great Northern, but it epitomizes the role which the railroad itself has played in the development of the vast empire of the Northwest.
The main line of the Big G is not just a slender thread of steel strung across the nearly 2000 miles between the Twin Cities, the head of Lake Superior, and Puget Sound. It is a real network of branches and alternate routes, each feeding and sustaining the other. Jim Hill knew that a railroad in a potentially rich country could literally pull itself up by its own bootstraps, and he built a territory and a business as well as a main line. Result is that
Great Northern originates on its own rails the surprising figure of four-fifths of its freight traffic.
This traffic is a catalogue of American natural resources - iron ore from the Mesabi rolling down to Lake Superior in 10,000 ton trains; wheat from the rolling fields of the Dakotas, Montana and Minnesota; apples from the Wenatchee Valley in Washington; livestock, petroleum, cement, barley, rye, flax, lignite, lumber, fish, soft fruits, and potatoes.
But to the traveler the resources of Jim Hill's empire are not as evident or as enjoyable as the superb scenery of the Rocky Mountain crossing in northwestern Montana. For 60 gorgeous mountain-fringed miles the railroad forms the southern boundry of Glacier National Park, and in these miles it crosses the continental divide at the lowest elevation of any railroad north of New Mexico. This mountain crossing is a tribute to the engineering genius of John F. Stevens, whose statue stands along the line near Summit Station. Well might he be immortalized in stone, for it was he who explored Marias Pass through which the Empire Builder runs from Atlantic to Pacific watersheds at only 5213 feet above sea level.
West of Glacier Park trains wind through river valleys cut deep into the rocky backbone of the mountains and filled with the rush of clear, fresh water. Lush and green is this mid-mountain wonderland. Near Whitefish the traveler can see, from the north side of the car, a marvelous panorama of half a dozen 10,000-foot peaks ranged beyond the far shores of bright blue Whitefish Lake.
Motive power ranges from the Mallet compounds and simple articulateds which haul the heavy ore trains down to light Diesel switchers. It even includes straight electric locomotives used over the Cascade Mountains west of Wenatchee through the eight-mile Cascade Tunnel, longest on the American continent. Steam locomotives are characterized by the square shoulders of the Belpair firebox. A large and growing fleet of 5400-horsepower Diesel freight locomotives is smartly used for fullest possible mileage. For instance, high-speed freight Diesels pull passenger trains one way between Duluth and Minneapolis, freight the other way. Light road Diesels pull passenger trains on medium length runs and do switching work to fill in the 24 hours.
Fastest train over the main line now is the romantic Fast Mail, solid mail and express except for a rider coach. The time of the streamlined Empire Builder will be faster than the Northwest's top mail train. This train leaves St. Paul five minutes ahead of the present Empire Builder's schedule, arriving Seattle three hours ahead at the uncomfortable but practical hour of 5 a. m., in time for morning mail delivery. No one but a railfan would think of riding No. 27 clear through, yet it remains as important a train as even the Empire Builder to the Great Northern territory.
In this collection of fine photographs we have tried to select the essence of Great Northern. As with other books in the series the pictures are printed with special methods upon a paper stock which reproduces as nearly as possible the effect of an original photograph. Your comments are appreciated.
All pictures are of the actual item. There may be reflection from the lights in some photos. We try to take photos of any damage. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
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