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Empire Builder first flew the Great Northern flag First run made June 11, 1929

The Great Northern Goat

(This is part 2 of this Empire Builder history article. Click here for part 1.)

Before the Empire Builder, the premier train of the Great Northern railway for many years had been the Oriental Limited, which ran from the Midwest to Seattle and Portland.

As railroad historians Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg would later explain it, “every convenience known to first class travel in its time was lavished on the splendid flyer by a management which failed to see eye to eye with (James J. Hill’s) oft-quoted dictum that passenger traffic was neither useful nor ornamental.”

A newly-outfitted and newly-named Empire Builder replaced the Oriental Limited as the showcase train on the run on June 11, 1929, designated by the Great Northern to carry the designations as trains #1 and 2.

Through an agreement with the Burlington Railroad, the Builder ran between Chicago and the Twin Cities where it then used the Great Northern’s own tracks to the West Coast. The train ran on a 63-hour schedule at its start.

“The Builders new equipment included a solarium observation car that offered a sun-room lounge,” wrote Welsh, as well as “a barber shop, buffet, and shower bath. Amidst Tudor décor, passengers could listen to the radio, read stock market reports, and enjoy a GN tradition: 4 o’clock tea and cakes.”

Here’s how the Great Northern promoted the Empire Builder in some of its mid-1930’s advertising:

“Double the pleasure of your trip by taking the ‘Interesting Way’ between Chicago and Seattle-Tacoma-Portland.

“Aboard the superb Empire Builder -- with its air-conditoined dining and observation cars, its luxurious appointments, and its skilled and friendly service -- you will gain a new conception of comfort.

“And along the Great Northern route -- unrivalled for scenic beauty -- you will experience a new travel thrill as you ride the 1600 smooth, cinderless miles behind giant oil-burning and electric locomotives -- 300 miles of it by day through the majestic Rockies and Cascades and 60 daylight miles along the border of Glacier Park.

“Great Northern’s low prices for rail tickets, berths and dining car meals are still in effect. Ask your ticket agent to show you how you may reduce travel costs via Great Northern.”

It then added this punctuation, which also emphasized the connections it offered at Seattle north and south of the city via other modes: “Great Northern: Route of the Empire Builder. Air-conditioned dining and observation cars. Glacier Park...Pacific Northwest...California...Alaska.”

Air conditioning then was a major innovation.

In February 1947, the Empire Builder switched from steam to diesel, with five completely new streamlined Empire Builder trainsets in its first postwar edition.

They were marked by an exterior décor of green and orange (officially known as Omaha Orange and Pullman Green), with gold finelining. It was a color scheme that would distinguish the Great Northern for the next 20 years. The new 45-hour schedules cut 13 ½ hours from the best previous time between Puget Sound and the Great Lakes.

Just four years later, five all-new trains were delivered at a cost of $12 million and for a while, the trains were identified as The Mid-Century Empire Builders. The equipment they replaced was reassigned to the GN’s second train through the same states, the Western Star.

In 1955, dome cars were added to the Builder. Initially, it was three standard domes on each trainset; then one full-length dome lounge for first-class assengers were placed in service. All were called “Great Domes” and together provided seating for 150.

Trip time also was reduced to just under 44 hours westbound and to 44 ½ hours eastbound. All in all, it was probably the high point for the train under GN management.

By 1966, things were clearly changing as travel by air and the growing highway system took their toll. Between Chicago and St. Paul, the Builder merged with the Northern Pacific’s North Coast Limited. But the Empire Builder name was retained.

As it neared its end under private ownership, it offered deluxe dome coaches with 46 reclining seats and 24 dome seats, sleeping cars with duplex roomettes, roomettes, double bedrooms, compartments and compartment-bedroom suites, a dining car with full menu service, and a Great Dome lounge with an upper section for sleeping car passengers and a lower lounge for all passengers. Regular coaches and a Ranch Car lounge with budget meals and beverage service were added seasonally.

The Ranch Car was a western-themed lounge car featuring the G Bar N brand and suggesting a western chuck wagon design.

The Great Northern disappeared on March 2, 1970, when the Burlington Northern was formed in a merger of the GN, Northern Pacific, a small regional railroad, and the Burlington.

After four years of service in a blue, gray and white paint scheme which marked what was known as the “Big Sky Blue” era, the Builder’s last day of service under Burlington Northern ownership was April 30, 1971. Amtrak assumed management of the train the next day.

(Read part 3 about its Amtrak years here.)