Walthers HO Proto Great Northern “Empire Builder” 9-Car Set w/ Lights

Description

Railroad Short Name: GN

This train is missing the Vista Dome car and the “River” Series Sleeper is non lighted.

• 85’ ACF Baggage Mail
• 85’ ACF Baggage Dormitory (Lighted)
• 85’ ACF 60 Seat Coach (Lighted)
• 85’ PS “Rivers” Series 7-4-3-1 Sleeper
• 85’ ACF Ranch Coffee Shop Lounge (Lighted)
• 85’ PS “Pass” Series 6-5-2 Sleeper (Lighted)
• 85’ ACF 36 Seat “Lake” Series Diner (Lighted)
• 85’ Budd “View” Series Great Dome (Lighted)
• 85’ PS “Coulee” Series 6-4-1 Observation Lounge (Lighted)

Upgraded to WalthersProto Standards for Realism With:

• Factory-Installed Grab Irons
• Prototypically Accurate Window Tinting as Appropriate
• Available with Factory-Installed LED Lighting for DC or DCC

All Cars Also Come with These Great Features:

• 10 Authentic HO Cars for Trains in Service 1955 – 1970s
• All Cars Available in Two Prototype Paint Schemes
• Omaha Orange & Pullman Green as Used from 1955-1971
• Big Sky Blue as Used from 1967-71
• Easily Mixed & Matched for Authentic Late 60s Trains
• Correct Turned Metal 36″ Wheels
• Detailed Interior is Passenger Ready
• Car Name & Number Decals
• Proto MAX™ Metal Knuckle Couplers

PLEASE NOTE: As these cars are the correct prototype length and feature full underbody detail to match the prototypes, a minimum 24″ radius is recommended for operation.

History

Named for James J. Hill, known as the “empire builder” for his consolidation of several smaller lines into the Great Northern, the train that would become GN’s flagship debuted on June 11, 1929. Providing fast, luxury service between Chicago and Seattle, riders were treated to a breathtaking look at both the Cascade and Rocky Mountain ranges, which with influence from GN, led to the development of Glacier National Park. Streamlined in 1947 and finished in a stunning orange and dark green scheme, the train was re-equipped in 1951 and expanded in 1955 with the arrival of Great Domes in the form of both 46-seat vista-dome coaches and full dome lounge cars. In 1967, the railroad began updating its image with a bold, new color scheme of Big Sky Blue and white on all types of equipment, which remained in use through the Burlington Northern merger of 1970. With some route changes, the Empire Builder remains in operation under Amtrak.

From 1955 to 1971, Great Northern’s Empire Builder (EB) set the standard for travel out west, but you may be surprised to learn it was equally important on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (“Q”); Spokane, Portland & Seattle (SP&S) and Northern Pacific (NP)! Although operated independently, the four roads had had deep ties, and jointly operated the Builder and other long-distance passenger trains for many years.

The “Q” rolled the Builder between St. Paul and Chicago, adding its own EMD E7 and E8 diesels, along with Budd-built stainless steel RPO and baggage cars ahead of the EB equipment. In later years, depending on the season, NP’s North Coast Limited (NCL) cars were also moved on the same train, sometimes behind power from one, both, or all three roads.

Out west, subsidiary SP&S hauled the Portland section west of Spokane, adding its own head-end cars and a mix of motive power that included the road’s EMD F units, its lone E7 and the occasional passenger GP9. West of Pasco, Washington, the train also carried the Portland section of NP’s NCL.

While GN assigned cars specifically to the EB, the rules began to relax in later years as trains were consolidated. Equipment began to move around and it wasn’t unusual to find EB cars from both the 1947 and 1951 orders running together or on secondary trains like the Western Star.

More changes came as plans to form the new Burlington Northern took shape and the EB, NCL and Twin Cities Zephyr were merged into one train, with a mix of cars in three colors! By 1968, some were sporting new BN green but this was short-lived as Amtrak took over passenger operations on April 1, 1971.

In Amtrak’s early years, some EB cars wandered all over the west. Imagine riding in a Ranch Coffee Shop Lounge on the Coast Starlight out of Los Angeles – it happened (and it was a fun ride)! Since the train was rerouted onto Milwaukee Road lines between St. Paul and Chicago, ex-GN locos and cars were regularly seen on MILW lines. The cars also migrated onto the North Coast Hiawatha – Amtrak’s version of the NCL, and the Chicago-Duluth, Minnesota North Star. Other medium-distance trains radiating out of the Chicago hub carried former GN cars too. This colorful mix and match of cars lasted into the mid 1970s.

Aside from the cars, GN EMD F7s also made the rounds under GN, BN and Amtrak. Dressed in GN’s simplified Pullman Green and Omaha Orange scheme – a scheme that lasted into the BN and Amtrak eras, the units mixed it up with standard EB painted units, Big Sky Blue locos as well as NP, Amtrak and “Q” power, plus units from other roads as Amtrak assigned them. Units in this scheme also ran in freight service. Looking back on its long and colorful history, the WalthersProto Empire Builder makes a perfect addition to Amtrak, BN, “Q,” MILW, NP and SP&S layouts as well.