The Great Northern Railway, Home To Rocky, The Mountain Goat

Of all the railroads James J. Hill owned or controlled in some way, the Great Northern Railway is by far his greatest masterpiece earning him the legendary nickname of Empire Builder. Under his tenor the railroad would stretch from the Midwest to Pacific Coast and of all the Northwestern roads the GN was by far the strongest and most respected. Even after 30+ years of being gone the railroad still holds strong influences and memories from its Empire Builder passenger train and prominent dark green, orange, and yellow livery to its beloved mascot and emblem, Rocky the mountain goat (a common animal to the Rocky Mountains).

Always the businessman Hill did not initially start out in the rail industry until the latter 19th century when he purchased the St. Paul & Pacific, which connected St. Paul, Minnesota to St. Vincent. The Great Northern Railway was formed in 1889 when Hill created the company to control or lease a number of other railroads aside from the StP&P which included the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba and Montana Central.

Now that these railroads were all under one-control Hill quickly set about building to the Pacific Coast and Seattle which was accomplished just four years later in 1893. Throughout the rest of the early 20th century Hill worked to modernize his main line, especially through the Rockies by eliminating grades and curves. Before his death in 1916 he was able to achieve this with the most famous project along the line being the Cascade Tunnel through Washington’s Cascade Range (a new tunnel was later bored and opened in the 1920s, which is still used today by the BNSF Railway, and is some 8 miles in length!). The western main line through the Rockies was also electrified for years until better ventilation and improved diesel locomotives allowed for its discontinuance in the late 1950s.

A significant reason why the Great Northern Railway was so successful and respected throughout its life was the excellent presidents who oversaw the railroad. Following Hill’s death Ralph Budd, the renowned leader of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, took the helm and led the railroad through significant growth allowing it to weather the Great Depression relatively well.

It was also during this time, the late 1920s, that the legendary Empire Builder passenger train was inaugurated between Seattle and Chicago via the CB&Q, who also partially owned the train. The train became tremendously successful and the premier way to travel through the Northwest. Because of the train’s success and high respect under GN's tenor, it’s not surprising that it became a part of Amtrak and continues so to this day as the carrier’s best known long distance passenger train.

After Budd gave up the presidency in 1951 to his son John, the Great Northern Railway continued to prosper and grow as the younger Budd looked to increase efficiencies and add additional customers and traffic where possible.

The railroad, however, was destined to be merged with its ally roads the SP&S, CB&Q, and NP, it was simply a matter of time, as many had speculated for years (it was also something Hill had always wished to accomplish but could never accomplish before his death). While trying for years this did not come to fruition until 1970 when the ICC finally granted permission to do so thus forming the then Burlington Northern. The BN, however, would last only 25 years before merging with the Santa Fe to become the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, today known as simply the BNSF Railway.

While the Great Northern is no longer with us it certainly continues to live on in many ways aside from being an important Northwestern gateway for successor BNSF Railway (the BNSF also continues to employ a version of the GN’s famous dark green, orange, and yellow paint scheme), a testament to the mark the railroad left on the industry. The Great Northern can still be seen in the Empire Builder operated by Amtrak and its famous Cascade Tunnel in Washington, just to name a few.

Notable Great Northern Passenger Trains

Empire Builder

Badger: (Twin Cities - Superior/Duluth)

Cascadian: (Seattle - Spokane)

Dakotan: (Twin Cities - Williston, North Dakota)

Gopher: (Twin Cities - Superior/Duluth)

International: (Seattle - Vancouver, B.C.)

Oriental Limited: Served Chicago and Seattle/Portland via allying roads CB&Q and SP&S.

Red River: (Twin Cities - Grand Forks)

Western Star: Served Chicago and Seattle/Portland via allying roads CB&Q and SP&S.

Winnipeg Limited: (Twin Cities - Winnipeg)

For more reading and background on the GN consider the book The Great Northern Railway: A History from authors, Ralph Hidy, Muriel Hidy, Roy Scott, and Don Hofsommer. The book is stuffed full of photographs, maps, and timetables of the GN up through its creation and building to the Pacific Northwest to its merger with the CB&Q and NP to from the Burlington Northern in 1970. Anyone with an interest in the GN will almost surely enjoy the book.

Also, for more reading on the GN consider purchasing a copy of Great Northern Empire Builder from author Bill Yenne. The hardcover book, filled with photos, covers the legendary train from its beginnings to end when Amtrak took over. Any GN fan or historian will very much enjoy it.