The Northern Pacific Railway, Main Street of the Northwest

The Northern Pacific Railway was the first of the three major Northwestern railroads to begin construction. Unlike many other railroads the Northern Pacific did not change names numerous times throughout its existence and would likewise never acquire numerous other smaller roads to form its system. Perhaps what the railroad is best remembered for is its Ying Yang herald and its distinguished flagship passenger train, the North Coast Limited, which used a beautiful two-tone green livery.  In 1970 the NP merged with the Burlington, Great Northern, and Spokane Portland & Seattle to form the massive Burlington Northern system.  Today, large sections of the original NP system have been sold off or abandoned but others remain in use by successor BNSF Railway.

A perfect A-B-B-A set of Electro-Motive's FTs, led by #5404A, power a freight extra near Missoula, Montana during July of 1956.

The Northern Pacific has its roots dating to the summer of 1864 when President Lincoln signed the railroad’s creation by an Act of Congress and the Northern Pacific Railroad Company was born. Construction on the new company began seven years later in 1870 and would roughly follow the expedition of Lewis and Clark who originally chartered the western territory in the early 19th century. While crews began building from opposite directions at Lake Superior in the east and Puget Sound in the west it would become some of the toughest railroad to ever construct.

Not only were crews building through some of the roughest terrain in the country but also a region that was literally still frontier lands (the future states of Montana and Washington, for example, were still territories when the railroad was being built) and settlements were few and far between. Supplies usually had to be shipped in from hundreds of miles away and the weather could often be down right brutal. Through it all, however, crews prevailed and by the early 1880s had made tremendous strides.

By the late summer of 1883 the main line from Minnesota to Portland, over 1,800 miles in length, had been completed and a lavish ceremony marked the occasion. While completed, the line did have future gaps to close in the way of many tunnels, along with a branch which needed to extend west from Ellensburg, Washington following as closely as possible to the Yakima River.  The project began on July 1, 1884 with the hardest project being the completion of the tunnel under Stampede Pass. Until the tunnel was completed, in its place stood switchbacks to scale mountain summits with torturous grades of occasionally over 5%! The tunnel project began in January of 1886 and took over two years to complete, opening in the late spring of 1888. It took over 300 men to complete the tunnel whose bore was 9,850 long, 22-feet high, and 16-feet wide.

During the very late Northern Pacific era two SD45s, led by #3628, and a General Electric U-boat lead a long string of boxcars near Elliston, Montana on August 3, 1968.

After the Northern Pacific had completed its main lines across the northwest it worked to build numerous branch lines and while overall it remained essentially a direct route between the Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest it did stretch out across Minnesota, Washington and other Northwestern states to some extent.  Of course, not surprisingly, the huge costs involved in building such a massive railroad in extremely rugged topography wore heavily on the railroad and it would fall into receivership in 1893 reemerging as the Northern Pacific Railway. It was at this time that the legendary tycoon James J. Hill purchased a controlling interested in the NP along with his other line the Great Northern. He would later gain control of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy in the early 20th century after winning a battle for the railroad with Union Pacific.

Much like the Burlington would do the Northern Pacific looked to improve operations and efficiencies when possible. In the 1920s it began signaling its entire main line and was one of the first Class Is to embrace radio technology to improve communications. Surprisingly, though, the railroad would not fully dieselize its locomotive fleet until nearly 1960 although like most railroads it began to make the switch soon after the diesel’s superior performance was proven.

Being that Hill held such an influence over the three railroads, including the jointly owned Seattle, Portland & Spokane, the Northern Pacific likely was destined to be merged with the other two roads at some point. The railroads tried for decades to merge but were blocked numerous times by the ICC, mostly citing monopoly issues as the reason. It took until 1970 when the ICC finally granted permission to do so (partly because the Milwaukee Road consented after years of trying to block the merger) forming the then Burlington Northern.

Leaning into a curve, an A-B-B-A set of covered wagons with F9A #7003D on point roll eastbound through Bradley, Montana on June 25, 1956. The Northern Pacific purchased just about every freight cab design Electro-Motive cataloged.

The BN itself would last only 25 years before merging with the Santa Fe to become the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (a few years ago the railroad changed its name to simply the BNSF Railway).  Indeed, the Northern Pacific Railway is best remembered for its Ying Yang herald and the North Coast Limited but most importantly it helped to fuel the growth of the western states it served when few communities were settled in that region of the country during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

For an excellent pictorial history of the Northern Pacific Railway please click here to view the collection of Ron Nixon housed at the Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University. (Please note that the photos featured on this page, courtesy of the museum, include their corresponding image number so that you may quickly and easily find more information about it from their website.)

Northern Pacific Railway Diesel Locomotive Roster

For an excellent listing of EMD-built diesel locomotives, including those owned by the Northern Pacific Railway please click here. Lastly, please click here to locate preserved NP diesel locomotives.

The American Locomotive Company

Like the Great Northern, Northern Pacific rostered some very large steam locomotives. Seen here is one of their Class Z-5 2-8-8-4 Yellowstones, #5010, moving through the yard in Livingston, Montana during July of 1938.

Led by Class Q-4 4-6-2 #2198, an NP Pacific is billowing prodigious amounts of smoke as it rolls through the yard in St. Paul on May 9, 1947.

A Class T 2-6-2 #2360 is seen here pulling a string of hoppers through Northtown, Minnesota on June 23, 1948. The railroad well liked the Prairie Type, owning more than 160 examples, all of which were built by Alco between 1906 and 1920.

Northern Pacific Railway Steam Locomotive Roster

For a more information regarding Northern Pacific Railway steam locomotives please click here. Also, for information regarding surviving NP steam locomotives please click here.

Northern Pacific Class Q-6 4-6-2 #2260 is seen here with its passenger train at Spokane, Washington on May 2, 1953. The last days of steam on the NP are not far away.

Notable Northern Pacific Railway Passenger Trains

Mainstreeter

North Coast Limited

Alaskan: (Twin Cities - Portland)

(A deep thanks to the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University for allowing Ron Nixon's historic collection of the Northern Pacific in the west to be featured here.)

It is a little less than a year away from the Burlington Northern merger as F7A #6511C and a mate sit beside Seattle's King Street Station during August of 1969. Behind the locomotives is Union Station, used by the Union Pacific and later Milwaukee Road, which was literally just directly across the street. For a railfan it was an amazing experience: able to see Milwaukee Road boxcabs and bi-polars bringing the Olympian Hiawatha into town under wires as well as the Empire Builder, North Coast Limited, and many other named trains. Today, King Street remains in use while Union Station also still stands but its staging tracks and platforms have long been replaced by skyscrapers and highrises.

For more on the NP you might want to consider the book Northern Pacific Railway Photo Archive by John Kelly. The author gives a superb pictorial history of the railroad from the 1930s through the 1960s and features both freight and passenger operations If you have any kind of an interest in the Northern Pacific you are sure to enjoy Sullivan's book. Also, consider the book Dining Car to the Pacific: The "Famously Good" Food of the Northern Pacific Railway by author William McKenzie. The book is over 160 pages in length and details the exquisite food served aboard the Northern Pacific's plush passenger trains. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.