No. 10339 Electro-Motive E-7 AB Diesel Locomotive, heading up the "Empire Builder" Streamlined Passenger Train

 Great Northern Railway

The Northern Pacific Railway was the first from the Midwest to reach Puget Sound in 1883, but it soon had a rival, the Great Northern Railway, established in 1889 by the legendary builder James J. Hill. Both roads had similar routes, the Northern Pacific from Minneapolis/St. Paul through Billings, Montana, and Spokane, Washington, to Portland, and the Great Northern on a more northerly route from Minneapolis/St. Paul, through Fargo, North Dakota, and Spokane to Seattle/Tacoma. Great Northern needed a "name" passenger train to compete with Northern Pacific's "North Coast Limited," with service established in 1900 (see Nos. 10333 & 10337), so in 1905 Great Northern introduced the classic "Oriental Limited," famed for its tea service in the observation lounge every afternoon at four. Then, in honor of the arrival of luxurious new equipment in 1929, a new luxury train was introduced by the Great Northern, the "Empire Builder" in recognition of entrepreneur James J. Hill's accomplishments in building the railroad, by which time service had been extended eastward to Chicago.  Trip time for the new "Empire Builder" was 63 hours Chicago-Seattle.  The "Oriental Limited" was now a secondary, slower train (see No. 10612).

The opulent "Empire Builder" became the first post-World War II transcontinental streamliner when it began service in February, 1947, with five sets of equipment by Pullman-Standard, diesel-powered (ten new General Motors Electro-Motive E-7 "A" and "B" unit diesels), operating on a much faster schedule than had been offered before.  Now Seattle had 45-hour, two-night service from Chicago, (2259 miles), thanks to this striking train dressed in deep orange and olive green and trimmed in gold (see this history). In 1951, the "Empire Builder" was again reequipped, and in 1955 twenty-two new dome cars were delivered, including six full-length "Great Domes" from Budd for the use of Pullman passengers. The E-7 diesel locomotives, introduced to American railroads in 1945, developed 2000 horsepower per unit.

 The new lightweight "Empire Builder" bested by 13 ½ hours the schedule of the steam-powered heavyweight train it replaced (see No. 10327). On board the amenities were top notch, too the coaches featured legrest seats, and the new sleeping cars were the first delivered in the postwar period. Decor in the "Empire Builder's" coffee shop car, diner, and lounge observation car featured colors and images of Montana's Glacier Park and Blackfoot Indian. Irish table linens and "mountains and flowers" china were part of the delightful culinary experience in the diner.

Milwaukee Road introduced full-length "Super Domes" on its "Olympian Hiawatha" in January, 1953 (see No. 10279), and in 1954 Northern Pacific's "North Coast Limited" (see No. 10337) also received domes. Viewing these developments, Great Northern countered with its own "Great Domes," introduced in May, 1955 (dome coaches), and in October, 1955 (full-length dome lounges for the use of Pullman passengers).  

The 1960s were problem times for American railroads, with the emergence of the interstate highway system and the revolutionary jet airliner. Ridership and revenues declined on the "Empire Builder," and Amtrak took over passenger operations in 1971.  The "Empire Builder" was one of the few streamliners to survive Amtrak's takeover, and the train was still operating in 2006.

No. 10339 represents an accurate scale model of Great Northern's Electro- Motive E-7 AB diesel locomotive, heading up the 5-car streamlined "Empire Builder" (No. 10340) as it would have been seen on its run Chicago to Seattle and Portland 1947-1950s. The train is in "O" gauge, the locomotive by Williams, the cars by Weaver, custom painted.

Amtrak has adopted the "Empire Builder" name for its currently operating coach and sleeper train between Chicago, Seattle, and Portland. This fine streamliner features a full-service Dining Car and a Cafe'/Lounge Car with sandwiches, snacks, and bar service.  Notable are the bi-level "Superliner" stainless steel coach, sleeping, lounge, and dining cars (see Nos. 10359 and 10600).  In 1979, the "Empire Builder" became the first "Superliner" train.  There are currently (2006) nine "Superliner"-equipped Amtrak long-distance trains, the "Auto Train" (see No. 10354), "California Zephyr" (see No. 10320), "Capitol Limited" (see No. 10138), "City of New Orleans" (see No. 10285), "Coast Starlight" (see No. 10359), "Empire Builder" (see this history), "Southwest Chief" (see No. 10526), "Sunset Limited" (see No. 10600), and "Texas Eagle" (see No. 10268).