Great Northern 1958

[passengerfan]

If you travelled along the North Bank of the Columbia River it was the SP&S that carried cars from the GN Empire Builder from Spokane or the NP North Coast Limited from Pasco. Both operated via Chicago and Fargo.  You mentioned that you rode a dome so that also points to the premier train of the GN or NP. Any other information you may recall would be very helpful. I rode both trains so could possibly help if their is any other information you can recall.

[yankee flyer]

   OK so that one got by me. I was never very good at spilling

Lee

[yankee flyer]

Mel

Thanks for the reply.

So,  it could have been another line. I don't remember changing any place except Chicago and Portland. At the time it didn't dawn on me to take pictures are keep anything. As a very young serviceman I was not thinking about looking back fifty years and trying to remember.

Thanks, maybe someone else will add their thoughts.

Lee S.    

[challenger3980]

I am not a GN, NP or SP&S (Spokane, Portland & Seattle Ry) authority, but if he came through Portland, Oregon, and came down the North Bank of the Columbia River, I suspect that it was either the Northern Pacific or the SP&S. Again, I'm no authority on these three roads, but I don't recall if the GN came to Portland or not, though I do know that the NP and the SP&S did, as well as the Union Pacific on the South bank of the Columbia River. I'm GLAD that you survived your trip in a "DOOMED" car . Never had the chance, but I hear that the view from the dome cars was spectacular.

                                                                     Doug

[RRCharlie]

You could have been on The Empire Builder of the Great Northern or The North Coast Limited of the Northen Pacific. The two trains ran on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy as far as St. Paul, Minnesota. Silver cars in the consist would have been CB&Q cars. I don't think the GN had started their Blue, White, and Black scheme yet so would have been the original Empire Builder colors and the NP would still have been the two tone green.

There were times that the CB&Q ran one of their trains with the Empire Builder and the North Coast Limited all coupled together. Don't know whether that was the case in 1958 as I don't have copies of the Official Guide from that year. In June of 1959 the two trains ran separately from Chicago to St. Paul.

Hope this helps.

Mel Hazen; Jax, FL

[yankee flyer]

 

Greeting: 

Bear with me please.  I have a question that rail fans might be able to answer. I hope this is the right forum if not my apologys.

In 1958 I took a train from St. Louis Mo. to Chicago, there I boarded another train to Portland Oragon an then to Tacoma Washington. I remember I rode in a doomed car from Chicago to Portland. I believe the train went through a wash rack in Fargo. I remember the columbia river valley and following the river. Now fifty years later I have an interest in modeling the Great Northern railroad,  Now I am wondering would that train have to have been the GN or could I have rode on another railroad? I do not remember the green and gold cars. Silver comes to mind but I'm not sure.       

Many thanks

Lee S.