Great Northern "Empire Builder" Faded Glory Logo Shirt
Great Northern "Empire Builder" Faded Glory Logo Shirt
- Printed on Front
- 100% Cotton
- Shirt Color - Safari Green
The Great Northern Railway inaugurated the Empire Builder on June 10, 1929. It was named in honor of the company's founder, James J. Hill, who had reorganized several failing railroads into the only successful attempt at a privately-funded transcontinental railroad. It reached the Pacific Northwest in the late 19th century, and for this feat, he was nicknamed "The Empire Builder."[2] Following World War II, Great Northern placed new streamlined and diesel-powered trains in service that cut the scheduled 2,211-mile-trip between Chicago and Seattle from 58.5 hours to 45 hours.[3]
The schedule allowed riders views of the Cascade Mountains and Glacier National Park, a park established through the lobbying efforts of the Great Northern. Re-equipped with domes in 1955, the Empire Builder offered passengers sweeping views of the route through three dome coaches and one full-length Great Dome car for first class passengers.[4]
In 1970, the Great Northern merged with three other closely affiliated railroads to form the Burlington Northern Railroad, which assumed operation of the Builder. Amtrak took over the train when it began operating most intercity routes a year later, and shifted the Chicago–St. Paul leg to the Milwaukee Road route through Milwaukee along the route to St Paul.[5] Before 1971, the Chicago–St. Paul leg used the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad's mainline along the Mississippi River through Wisconsin. The service also used to operate west from the Twin Cities before turning northwest in Willmar, Minnesota, to reach Fargo.
Amtrak added the Spokane–Portland section in 1981, restoring service to the line previously operated by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.[6]
In 2005, Amtrak upgraded service to include a wine and cheese tasting in the dining car for sleeping car passengers and free newspapers in the morning.[7] Amtrak's inspector general eliminated some of these services in 2013 as part of a cost-saving measure
