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Riding the Rails on the Empire Builder

The Empire Builder’s been chugging along the northern part of the United States for nearly 100 years. There’s nothing like the gentle rocking back-and-forth of a choo-choo in motion. Sure, flying is fast. Driving is fun, as long as you have a good travel guide and road games for entertainment. But to really see the country, and relax along the way, go by train.

Through the first half of the 20th century, private companies ran railroads that crisscrossed this mighty land. One such company was the Great Northern Railway. Their flagship train, the Empire Builder, provided service between Chicago, St. Paul/Minneapolis, Spokane, Portland and Seattle.

You can still ride the Empire Builder. The feds took over all intercity real service in 1971, leaving Amtrak in charge. It’s a fun, comfortable outing, though lacking a little of the style that Great Northern provided in earlier times.

This brochure, published in 1949, is a snapshot of that era. Here we can see what an excursion across the country on the Builder must’ve been like. Included are cutaway drawings of the cars, with details about each one. Lovely color paintings of passengers enjoying their trip. Some watch the landscape change as they ramble by.

No words from me can add to the beauty of such a journey, so let’s hop aboard Great Northern’s Greatest Train, just as a people did back in the day, and savor a vintage tour of the USA!

A color painting of the Great Northern locomotive and above it a x-ray like drawing of the inside of the locomotive. Below the painting are details about the engine.
A Powerful Locomotive
A painting of the back half of the train. Above it is a x-ray image of inside the engine compartment. Also a description of the service provided on the train.
Chicago to Seattle in Two Nights!
A drawing of the inside of the post office and baggage car of the Empire Builder. Also a description of features of the train.
A Look at the Post Office and Baggage Car
A drawing of the inside of the Empire Builder Coach Car along with a description of the features of the car.
Inside the Modern Coach Car
A drawling of the inside of a Day-Nite coach on the Empire Builder, along with information about the actual train car.
The Day-Nite Coach
A color painting of passengers inside the Empire Builder train. In the background you see the skyline of the city of Chicago.
Travel to Chicago on the Empire Builder
This page has and drawing of the interior of a day-nite car on the Empire Builder. It also has a color painting that shows two women freshening their make-up in a lounge section. There are also more details about the interior of the car.
Day-Nite Comfort
This page has two images and a paragraph of text. One image is a drawing of the inside of a day night coach car. There also is a color painting of a couple sitting inside the train. The text gives details of the color design of the railroad car.
A Pleasing Color Scheme
And x-ray like drawing of the inside of the Coffee Shop car, along with details about the car.
Inside the Coffee Shop Car
A color painting of people eating in the snack car while a drawing of the Mississippi River is in the background.
Enjoy the Scenery While you Eat
The drawing shows the inside of the Empire Builder Dining Car. There is also text below the drawing that describes details of the car andof Glacier National Park.
Inside the Dining Car
A color painting of people dining inside the Empire builder while the train travels through what they call the Green and Golden Domain. Countryside extending nearly 2000 miles between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest.
The Green and Golden Domain. 2000 Miles of Beautiful Countryside between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest.
A drawing of the inside of the Pullman Sleeping Car of the Empire Builder. There is also a description of features of the car.
The Sleeping Car
A color painting of a woman riding on the Empire Builder train through the Great Plains
Some “Great” Plains
A color painting of a man in his pajamas getting ready for bed in a special compartment of the Empire Builder train. There is also a description about this compartment.
A Special Bedroom
A color painting of a new kind of bedroom on the Empire Builder train. These rooms have more space. The painting shows four men playing cards around a card table. There is also a description of the special rooms.
More Space to Enjoy
The last word in sleeping comfort. A drawing of a bedroom car on the train along with a description about the car.
A First Class Hotel on Wheels
A color painting of a woman and her child as the train travels through Glacier National Park and Canada’s Waterton Lakes Park.
Visit National Parks on the Move
A drawing of the inside of a railroad car of the Empire Builder. Below the drawing is a description of the decor found inside the cars.
A Comfortable Lounging Space on the Empire Builder
A color painting of passengers enjoying themselves as the train moves across the country. In the background you see a drawing of Seattle and the piers on Puget Sound.
Heading Toward the Northwest on the Empire Builder
A map of the western half of the Empire Builder’s route. The train goes through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Below the map are the addresses of offices for the train in various cities.
The Western Half of the Empire Builder’s Route
A map of the north eastern half of the United States. It has lines drawn upon it that highlight the route of the Empire Builder train. Below it are addresses in various cities of the Great Northern offices.
The Eastern Half of the Empire Builder’s Route.
A logo of the Great Northern Railway and information about the Empire Builder, Great Northern’s greatest train.
Great Northern. Great fun!

I hope you enjoyed this luxurious trip with me. There’s nothing like traveling through the present, by remembering journeys in the past. Great Northern did indeed have a great train with the Empire Builder, and we have Glorious Vintage Stuff!

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