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A good place to start is the Great Northern Railway Historical Society http://www.gnrhs.org Other goood sources (print) include "Great Northern: Lines West" by Charles R. Wood and "Great Northern: Lines East" by Patrick Dorin. The principal train on the route you mention was the "Empire Builder," a mostly-heavyweight train from the late 1930s until 1947, when it was completely streamlined. The train was re-equipped in 1951 and again in 1955. See the historical society website for an informative article on the consist and power of the train during 1955-59. A secondary train, the "Oriental Limited," inherited the schedule and much of the equipment of the "old" "Empire Builder" in 1947. When the "Builder" was re-equipped in 1951, the secondary train was re-named "Western Star" and received the hand-me-down 1947 equipment. A "Fast Mail" train also operated over the route throughout the times in question. In 1960 the "Fast Mail" was consolidated with the "Western Star," creating what some railroaders described as "a freight train with a diner in the middle."
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