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The Empire Builder rolls on at 75 Still provides modern, needed, transportation across our 'North Coast' 5/30/2004

(For a report on the 75th anniversary celebrations in Milwaukee June 11, 2004, click here.)

The Empire Builder -- the second-oldest 'name' train in continuous service in the U.S. -- made its first run 75 years ago this June of 2004.

It remains one of America's most popular long-distance trains and an important transportation option across the Northern Plains, running through eight states on its run from Chicago through Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

It began life at the height of the Jazz Age. But just four and a half months later the Stock Market crashed and America headed into the Great Depression and then World War II.

The Empire Builder survived it all, despite competition from the Milwaukee Road's Olympian and the Northern Pacific's North Coast Limited, jet planes, and the interstate highways, and some of the fiercest winter weather in the U.S.

In 2004, it continues in daily service on a 46-hour run between Chicago and Seattle/Portland.

"The Empire Builder has been a symbol of stability in a transportation world now turned upside down," wrote Joe Welsh in the December 2000 edition of Trains magazine as the Empire Builder turned 71.

From its 1929 inception, it has been the train to take to and through Glacier National Park in Montana, offering views of the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest along the way and skirting close to Canada. In more recent years, it also has become an important mode of travel for many skiers headed to Big Mountain and other winter activities in the Pacific Northwest.

"Heir to an impressive legacy, the Empire Builder under Amtrak still offers many of the amenities it did when it rolled for the first time on the Great Northern Railway," wrote Welsh.

"In the dining car you'll find starched white linens, flowers, and good food. In the sleeping cars, you may sleep in a bed or take a shower. From a glass-enclosed solarium you can view the wonders of the Cacade Range, Galcier National Park, and the upper Mississippi valley...."

"Some things have changed, of course. The crew no longer shines customers' shoes overnight or stands at attention in the dining car; then again, the passengers aren't wearing dresses, ties or (usually) dress shoes anymore, either.

"The faces and some of the customs may have changed, but 'the Builder' retains more of its history...than any other train Amtrak runs. It's a history rich in superlatives."

The Empire Builder also is unusual in that it is named for an individual -- a rarity in passenger railroading.

In this case, it was a way to honor railroad magnate and Great Northern founder James J. Hill of St. Paul, Minn. It was his dream to establish direct rail and water connections between the Midwest and Japan, and other Far Eastern ports, building an empire along the way. (For more on Hill, click here.)

(Read part 2 about its Great Northern years here.)