Great Northern 1951 "Mid Century" Empire Builder

In 1951, the Great Northern purchased five completely new trains, plus one spare, to streamline (again!) their flagship passenger train, the "Empire Builder." The train ran from Chicago to St. Paul on the Burlington, and from there to the pacific northwest on the Great Northern. At Spokane, the train was split. Two sleepers and a coach went to Portland on the SP&S, while the rest continued to Seattle on the GN. The SP&S purchased additional cars to flesh out the Portland section.

Train numbers were:

• 1 - Westbound.
• 2 - Eastbound.

Each train had fifteen cars:

• One RPO-storage mail car with 30' RPO section.
  Chicago - Seattle.
  Equipment numbers 37 - 42.
  Built by ACF.
• One baggage-crew dormitory car.
  Chicago - Seattle.
  Equipment numbers 1200 - 1205.
  Built by ACF.
• One 60-seat coach for short-distance passengers.
  Chicago - Seattle line number 100/200.
  Equipment numbers 1209 - 1214. (Protection car 1209 shared with 1951 Western Star.)
  Built by ACF.
• Three 48 reclining seat coaches for long-distance passengers.
  Chicago - Seattle line numbers 101/201 and 102/202, and Chicago - Portland line number 103/203.
  Equipment numbers 1215-1231 and SP&S 350. (Protection cars 1226 and 1231 shared with 1951 Western Star.)
  Built by Pullman-Standard.
• One coffee-shop, dining, lounge "Ranch" car. The lounge seated 18, the dining room 12, and the lunch counter 14.
  Chicago - Seattle.
  Equipment numbers 1240-1245.
  Built by ACF.
• One 36-seat dining car.
  Chicago - Seattle.
  Equipment numbers 1250-1255.
  Built by ACF.
• Three sleeping cars with four sections (upper and lower berths,) seven duplex roomettes, three double bedrooms, and one compartment.
  Chicago - Seattle line numbers 14/24 and 15/25, and Chicago - Portland line number 11/21.
  Equipment numbers 1260 - 1274 and SP&S 702.
  Built by Pullman-Standard.
• Three sleeping cars with six roomettes, five double bedrooms, and two compartments.
  Chicago - Seattle line numbers 16/26 and 17/27, and Chicago - Portland line number 12/22.
  Equipment numbers 1370 - 1384 and SP&S 701.
  Built by Pullman-Standard.
• One round-end sleeper/observation with two roomettes, a buffet, and a lounge.
  Chicago - Seattle.
  Equipment numbers 1290-1295.
  Built by ACF.

Total accomodations on the 1947 Empire Builder were:

• 60 short-distance coach seats.
• 144 long-distance coach seats.
• 12 upper berths.
• 12 lower berths.
• 21 duplex roomettes.
• 20 roomettes.
• 24 double bedrooms, sleeping two.
• 9 compartments. (Could be combined with a double bedroom via a removable wall.)
• 86 dining seats. (44 in diner, 34 in ranch car, 8 in observation.) Not sold.
• 14 lunch counter seats. Not sold.
• 28 lounge seats. Not sold.

Reservations were sold by car line number and seat/section/roomette/bedroom number. Each car's equipment number was permanent, while its car line number was changeable. Thus equipment substitutions could be made without affecting the reservation system.

For accounting reasons (to "pay for" the St. Paul to Chicago mileage) one train was sold to the Burlington in 1953. Cars sold were 41, 1202, 1211, 1219-1220, 1243, 1250, 1266, 1269, 1273, 1371, 1378, 1382, and 1291.

The SP&S' contribution is more complicated. For the Spokane - Portland leg, they purchased:

• Baggage-dormitory 75.
• 48 reclining-seats coach 350. (Later became GN 1232.)
• Dining-parlor car 405. (32 table seats, 12 parlor seats.)
• Six roomette, three double bedroom, buffet, lounge cars 600 "Mount Hood" and 601 "Mount St. Helens."

Named cars were:

• 1240 'Crossley Lake'
• 1241 'Running Crane Lake'
• 1242 'Hidden Lake'
• 1243 'Iceberg Lake'
• 1244 'White Pines Lake'
• 1245 'Whitefish Lake'
• 1250 'Lake of the Isles'
• 1251 'Lake Wenatchee'
• 1252 'Lake Ellen Wilson'
• 1253 'Lake Union'
• 1254 'Lake Minnetonka'
• 1255 'Lake of the Woods'
• 1260 'Skykomish River'
• 1261 'Sun River'
• 1262 'Snohomish River'
• 1263 'Milk River'
• 1264 'Bad Axe River'
• 1265 'Chumstick River'
• 1266 'Sheyenne River'
• 1267 'Skagit River'
• 1268 'Mouse River'
• 1269 'Poplar River'
• 1270 'Tobacco River'
• 1271 'Fraser River'
• 1272 'Spokane River'
• 1273 'Pend Orielle River'
• 1274 'Bois De Sioux River'
• SP&S 702 'Snake River'
• 1290 'Appekunny Mountain'
• 1291 'St. Nicholas Mountain'
• 1292 'Going-To-The-Sun Mountain'
• 1293 'Cathedral Mountain'
• 1294 'Trempaleau Mountain'
• 1295 'Little Chief Mountain'
• 1370 'Rogers Pass'
• 1371 'Pitamakin Pass'
• 1372 'Akamina Pass'
• 1373 'Santiam Pass'
• 1374 'Park Creek Pass'
• 1375 'Jefferson Pass'
• 1376 'Hart Pass'
• 1377 'State Pass'
• 1378 'Firebrand Pass'
• 1379 'Big Horn Pass'
• 1380 'Suiattle Pass'
• 1381 'Haines Pass'
• 1382 'Blewett Pass'
• 1383 'Inuya Pass'
• 1384 'Lewis and Clark Pass'
• SP&S 701 'Wapanitia Pass'

In 1955, when the Empire Builder was upgraded with dome cars, the 48-seat coaches, six sleepers, and the observation cars were released for use on the Western Star, the International, the Winipeg Limited, and other trains.