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{{short description|Defunct American Class I railroad}}
{{Infobox rail standard gauge
{{About|the US railway|other railways with the same name|Great Northern Railway (disambiguation){{!}}Great Northern Railway}}
| railroad_name = Great Northern Railway
{{use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
| logo_filename = Great Northern Herald.png
{{Infobox rail
| logo_size = 100
| image = Locomotive Great Northern Railway (US).JPG |railroad_name = Great Northern Railway
|logo_filename = Great Northern Herald.png
| image_caption = An ] in GN paint
| system_map = GN Route Map.png |logo_size = 100
| map_size = 300 |system_map = GN Route Map.png
| map_caption = Great Northern route map circa 1920. Red lines are GN; dotted lines are other railroads. |map_caption = GN system map, c. 1918; dotted lines represent nearby railroads.
| marks = GN |map_size = 250
|marks = GN
| locale = ] to ], ]
|image = File:Great Northern Railway Empire Builder.JPG
| start_year = ca. 1890
| end_year = 1970 |image_size = 300
|image_caption = The ] traveling through ] ]. (1947)
| successor_line = ]
| hq_city = ] |founders = {{Unbulleted list
| ]
| ]
| ]
| ]
| ]
}}
|locale = {{ubl|]|]|]|]|]|]|]|]|]|]|]|]}}
|start_year = 1889
|end_year = 1970
|predecessor_line =
|successor_line = ]
|gauge = {{track gauge|ussg}}
|old_gauge =
|electrification =
|length = {{convert|8368|mi|km}}
|hq_city = ]<br />]
|website =
}} }}
] S-2 "Northern" class locomotive #2584 and nearby sculpture, ''"U.S.–Canada Friendship"'' at ]]]


] ] "Northern" class locomotive ] and nearby sculpture, ''U.S.–Canada Friendship'' in ]]]
The '''Great Northern Railway''' {{Reporting mark|GN}}, running from ], to ], ]—more than 1,700&nbsp;miles (2,736&nbsp;km)—was the creation of the 19th century ] ] ] and was developed from the ]. The Great Northern's route was the northernmost ] route in the ]. It was completed on January 6, 1893, at ].
The '''Great Northern Railway''' {{Reporting mark|GN}} was an American ]. Running from ], to ], ], it was the creation of 19th-century railroad entrepreneur ] and was developed from the ]. The Great Northern's route was the northernmost ] route in the U.S.


In 1970, the Great Northern Railway merged with three other railroads to form the ], which merged in 1996 with the ] to form the ].
The Great Northern was the only privately funded, and successfully built, transcontinental railroad in United States history. No ] were used during its construction, unlike every other transcontinental railroad; according to Hill, his railway was built "without any government aid, even the right of way, through hundreds of miles of public lands, being paid for in cash".<ref>{{cite book | last=Albro | first=Martin | title=James J. Hill and the Opening of the Northwest | location=New York | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=1976 | page=411}}</ref> Consequently, it was one of the few transcontinental railroads to avoid ] following the ].


==History==
The Great Northern Railway fell victim to the ] in United States history, at the site of the now non-existent town of ] (later renamed, due to the disaster, to ]).
]'' in 1939 with the Great Northern logo above the drivers|307x307px]]{{Rail freight
|title=Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles (incl. FG&S; not incl. PC or MA&CR)
|float=right
|1925|8,521|1933|5,434|1944|19,583|1960|15,831|1967|17,938}}The Great Northern was built in stages, slowly creating profitable lines, before extending the road further into undeveloped Western territories. In a series of the earliest public relations campaigns, contests were held to promote interest in the railroad and the ranchlands along its route. Fred J. Adams used promotional incentives such as feed and seed donations to farmers getting started along the line. Contests were all-inclusive, from the largest farm animals to the largest freight carload capacity, and were promoted heavily to immigrants and newcomers from the East.{{sfnp|Martin|1991|loc=chapter 12}}


The very first predecessor railroad to the company was the ] owned by ]. He had gone bankrupt running a small line between ] and ]. He named the locomotive he ran for himself and the ''William Crooks'' would be the first locomotive of the Great Northern Railway. ] convinced New York ] ], ] (a wealthy fur trader friend), ] (a ] executive), ] (Smith's cousin and president of the ]), and others to invest $5.5&nbsp;million in purchasing the railroad.{{sfnp|Malone|1996|p=38-41}} On March 13, 1878, the road's creditors formally signed an agreement transferring their bonds and control of the railroad to J.J. Hill's investment group.{{sfnp|Malone|1996|p=49}} On September 18, 1889, Hill changed the name of the ] (a railroad which existed primarily on paper, but which held very extensive land grants throughout the Midwest and Pacific Northwest) to the Great Northern Railway. On February 1, 1890, he consolidated his ownership of the StPM&M, ], and other rail lines to the Great Northern.{{sfnp|Yenne|2005|p=23}}
At the end of 1967, GN operated 8282 route-miles, not including class II subsidiaries MA&CR (3 miles) and PC (32 miles).


The Great Northern had branches that ran north to the ] in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana. It also had branches that ran to ], and ], connecting with the iron range of Minnesota and copper mines of Montana. In 1898 Hill purchased control of large parts of the Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota and its rail lines. The Great Northern began large-scale shipment of ore to the steel mills of the Midwest.{{sfnp|Hofsommer|1996}}
==Construction history==
The Great Northern was built in stages, slowly to create profitable lines, before extending the road further into the undeveloped Western territories{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}. In a series of the earliest public relations campaigns, contests were held to promote interest in the railroad and the ranchlands along its route{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}. ] used promotional incentives such as feed and seed donations to farmers getting started along the line{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}. Contests were all-inclusive, from largest farm animals to largest freight carload capacity and were promoted heavily to immigrants & newcomers from the East{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}.


The railroad's best-known engineer was ], who served from 1889 to 1903. Stevens was acclaimed for his 1889 exploration of ] in ] and determined its practicability for a railroad. Stevens was an efficient administrator with remarkable technical skills and imagination. He discovered ] through the Cascade Mountains, set railroad construction standards in the Mesabi Range, and supervised the construction of the Oregon Trunk Line. He then became the chief engineer of the ].{{sfnp|Hidy|Hidy|1969}}
The earliest predecessor railroad to the GN was the ], a bankrupt railroad with a small amount of track in the state of Minnesota. Hill convinced ] (a New York banker), ] (Hill's friend and a wealthy fur trader), ] (an executive with Canada's ]), ] (Smith's cousin and president of the Bank of Montreal), and others to invest $5.5 million in purchasing the railroad.<ref>Malone, p. 38-41.</ref> On March 13, 1878, the road's creditors formally signed an agreement transferring their bonds and control of the railroad to Hill's investment group.<ref>Malone. p. 49.</ref> On September 18, 1889, Hill changed the name of the ] (a railroad which existed primarily on paper, but which held very extensive land grants throughout the Midwest and Pacific Northwest) to the Great Northern Railway.<ref name="Yenne23">Yenne, p. 23.</ref> On February 1, 1890, he transferred ownership of the StPM&M, ], and other rail systems he owned to the Great Northern.<ref name="Yenne23" />


The logo of the railroad, a ], was based on a goat ], one of the railroad's presidents, had used to haul newspapers as a boy.<ref name="GNG">{{cite book |title=The Great Northern Goat |page=11 |year=1939 |volume=10-15}}</ref><ref name="EAB">{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of American Biography |first=Winfield Scott |last=Downs |publisher=American Historical Company |year=1940}}</ref><ref name="SDC">{{cite news |title="Kenney's Goat" Story Recalled |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|date=November 12, 1931 |page=1}}</ref>
The Great Northern had branches that ran north to the Canadian border in Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana. It also had branches that ran to ], and ], connecting with the iron mining fields of Minnesota and copper mines of Montana. In 1898 Hill purchased control of large parts of the Messabe Range iron mining district in Minnesota, along with its rail lines. The Great Northern began large-scale shipment of ore to the steel mills of the Midwest.<ref>Don L. Hofsommer, "Ore Docks and Trains: The Great Northern Railway and the Mesabi Range," ''Railroad History'' (1996) Issue 174, pp 5-25</ref> At its height Great Northern operated over 8,000 miles.


Locomotives and passenger cars were repaired and overhauled at the shops in ], while the shops at nearby St. Cloud were dedicated to freight cars beginning in 1890. In 1892, a new shop site was established five miles west of ], Washington in Hillyard (named after James Hill) to serve the western half of the GN system.


{{Rail freight
|title=Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles (incl FG&S; not incl PC or MA&CR)
|float=left
|1925|8521
|1933|5434
|1944|19583
|1960|15831
|1967|17938
}}
===Mainline=== ===Mainline===
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2017}}] firebox. ] fireboxes were rare in the US, but the ] and Great Northern both had locomotives featuring them in significant numbers. They were mostly manufactured by or to ] specifications. (1914) |left]]]s exiting the ]. ]]
The mainline began at Saint Paul, Minnesota, heading west and topping the bluffs of the Mississippi River, crossing the river to Minneapolis on a massive multi-piered stone bridge. The ] stands in Minneapolis, near the ], the only waterfall on the Mississippi. The bridge ceased to be used as a railroad bridge in 1978 and is now used as a pedestrian river crossing with excellent views of the falls and of the lock system used to grant barges access up the river past the falls. The mainline headed northwest from the Twin Cities, across North Dakota and eastern Montana. The line then crossed the ] at ], and then followed the ] and then ] to ] and ]. From here, the mainline crossed the ] through the ] under ], reaching ] in 1893, with the driving of the last spike at Scenic, Washington, on January 6, 1893.
]
The mainline began at Saint Paul, Minnesota, heading west along the Mississippi River bluffs, crossing the river to Minneapolis on a massive multi-piered ] just below the ]. The bridge ceased to be used as a railroad bridge in 1978, becoming a pedestrian river crossing with excellent views of the falls and of the lock system. The mainline headed northwest from the Twin Cities, across North Dakota and eastern Montana. The line then crossed the ] at Marias Pass. It then followed the ] and then ] to ], south to ], west to ], and then to ]. The company town and extensive railroad facility of ] was named after ] and briefly manufactured the R Class 2-8-8-2 around 1927 which was the largest steam locomotive in the world at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GN Steam Locos |url=http://www.gngoat.org/gn_steam_locomotives.htm |access-date=2022-03-12 |website=www.gngoat.org}}</ref> From there the mainline crossed the ] through the ] under ], reaching ], in 1893, with the driving of the last spike at Scenic, Washington, on January 6, 1893. The Great Northern electrified Steven's Pass and briefly owned the electric ]. The deadliest avalanche in US history swept two Great Northern trains off the tracks at ] by the Cascade Tunnel killing 96 people.


The mainline west of Marias Pass has been relocated twice. The original route over ], via ] and ], Montana, was replaced in 1904 by a more circuitous but flatter route via ] and ], joining the Kootenai River at ]. A further reroute was necessitated by the construction of the ] on the Kootenai River in the late 1960s. The ] built a new route through the Salish Mountains, including the {{Convert|7|mi|km|-long|adj=mid}} ], second-longest in the United States, to relocate the tracks away from the Kootenai River. This route opened in 1970. The surviving portions of the older routes (from ] to Kalispell and ] to Eureka), were operated by ] as the ] until April 1, 2020, when BNSF (GN's modern successor) took back control of the Kalispell to Columbia Falls section.
The Great Northern mainline crossed the ] through ], the lowest crossing of the Rockies south of the Canadian border. Here, the rails enter ], which the GN promoted heavily as a tourist attraction. GN constructed stations at East Glacier and West Glacier entries to the park, stone and timber lodges at the entries and other inns & lodges throughout the Park. Many of the ] have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to unique construction, location and the beauty of the surrounding regions.


The Great Northern mainline crossed the ] through Marias Pass, the lowest crossing of the Rockies south of the Canada–US border. Here, the mainline forms the southern border of ], which the GN promoted heavily as a tourist attraction. GN constructed stations at East Glacier and West Glacier entries to the park, stone and timber lodges at the entries, and other inns and lodges throughout the Park. Many of the ] have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to unique construction, location, and the beauty of the surrounding regions.
In 1931 the GN also developed the "Inside Gateway," a route to California that rivaled the ]'s route between Oregon and California. The GN route was further in-land than the SP route and ran south from the ] in Oregon. The GN connected with the ] at ]; the Western Pacific connected with the ] in ], and together the three railroads (GN, WP, and ATSF) competed with Southern Pacific for traffic between California and the ]. With a terminus at Superior, Wisconsin, the Great Northern was able to provide transportation from the Pacific to the Atlantic by taking advantage of the shorter distance to Duluth from the ocean, as compared to Chicago.
==Settlements==
]
The Great Northern energetically promoted settlement along its lines in North Dakota and Montana, especially by German and Scandinavians from Europe. The Great Northern bought its lands from the federal government—it received no land grants—and resold them to farmers one by one. It operated agencies in Germany and Scandinavia that promoted its lands, and brought families over at low cost. The rapidly increasing settlement in North Dakota's ] along the Minnesota border between 1871 and 1890 was a major example of large-scale "bonanza" farming.<ref>Stanley N. Murray, "Railroads and the Agricultural Development of the Red River Valley of the North, 1870-1890," ''Agricultural History,'' (1957) 31#4 pp 57-66 </ref><ref>David H. Hickcox, "The Impact of the Great Northern Railway on Settlement in Northern Montana, 1880-1920," ''Railroad History,'' (1983), Issue 148, pp 58-67</ref><ref>Robert F. Zeidel, "Peopling the Empire: The Great Northern Railroad and the Recruitment of Immigrant Settlers to North Dakota," ''North Dakota History,'' (1993), 60#2 pp 14-23</ref>


In 1931, the GN also developed the "Inside Gateway", a route to California that rivaled the ]'s route between Oregon and California. The GN route was further inland than the SP route and ran south from the ] in Oregon. The GN connected with the ] at ]; the Western Pacific connected with the ] in ], and together the three railroads (GN, WP, and ATSF) competed with Southern Pacific for traffic between California and the ]. With a terminus at Superior, Wisconsin, the Great Northern was able to provide transportation from the Pacific to the Atlantic by taking advantage of the shorter distance to Duluth from the ocean, as compared to Chicago.]
==Later history==
In 1970 the Great Northern, together with the ], the ] and the ] merged to form the ]. The BN operated until 1996, when it merged with the ] to form the ].


===Branch lines in Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada===
The Great Northern Railway is considered to have inspired (in broad outline, not in specific details) the Taggart Transcontinental railroad in ]'s '']''.<ref>Ayn Rand, Leonard Peikoff, Peter Schwartz, The voice of reason: essays in objectivist thought (New American Library, 1989), pg. 92 </ref>
Between 1891 and 1917 GNR built a number of railway branch lines across the border with Canada. These lines were built to provide service to the city of New Westminster, Victoria (via ferry connection) and the new city of Vancouver. The first line was built between 1891 and 1893 providing a connection between Seattle and New Westminster. This line crossed at Blaine, passed through Cloverdale and terminated in Brownsville. In 1903 GNR constructed a line running from Cloverdale to Port Guichon (Present day ]). A ferry service from the port provided service to Victoria and Vancouver Island. In 1909 this line was extended from Cloverdale to Huntingdon. Service from Blaine to New Westminster was redirected in 1909 over a new line past White Rock, across Mud Bay, through Annieville and on to Brownsville. After a new railway bridge was completed across the Fraser River from Brownsville to New Westminster the GNR extended its railway line to Vancouver. Between 1910 and 1913 GNR excavated the Grandview Cut to give it access to False Creek and used the resulting dirt to fill in the east end of False Creek. In 1915, on this infill, the GNR opened Union Station,{{Citation needed|date=September 2024|reason=The Grandview cut material was far too little to fill False Creek, refer to Talk.}} the terminus of its rail line in Vancouver. Its service to Vancouver and Victoria experienced competition from a partnership between Northern Pacific and Canadian Pacific. This competing service terminated at Pacific Station in Downtown Vancouver and from there offered direct steamship service to Victoria, thus offering a superior alternative to both services offered by GNR.


===Settlements===
==Passenger service==
The Great Northern energetically promoted settlement along its lines in North Dakota and Montana, especially by Germans and Scandinavians from Europe. The Great Northern bought its lands from the federal government{{snd}} it received no land grants{{snd}} and resold them to farmers one by one. It operated agencies in Germany and Scandinavia that promoted its lands, and brought families over at low cost, building special ]s to transport immigrant families. The rapidly increasing settlement in North Dakota's ] along the Minnesota border between 1871 and 1890 was a major example of large-scale "bonanza" farming.{{sfnp|Murray|1957|p=57-66}}{{sfnp|Hickcox|1983|p=58-67}}{{sfnp|Zeidel|1993|p=14–23}}
], which also served the ]. This historic depot was razed in 1978.]]


===Later history===
] in 1914.]]
] with an ] in the lead. (1970)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=GNRHS : GN Paint Schemes |url=https://www.gnrhs.org/gn_paint_schemes.php |access-date=2022-03-12 |website=www.gnrhs.org}}</ref>]]
During World War II, the Army moved its ] (MRS) headquarters to ], Minnesota. The MRS worked collaboratively with commercial railroading in the U.S. The Great Northern sponsored the 704th Grand Railroad Division. It was the second Grand Division that the Army stood up. The Great Northern also sponsored the 732nd Railroad Operating Battalion (ROB). They were one of two ] ROBs. The 732nd operated in support of the ] ] crossing into Germany with them. The Officers of the 732nd were all previous employees of the Great Northern.


On March 2, 1970, the Great Northern, together with the ], the ] and the ], merged to form the ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Lennon |first=J |title =Establishing Trails on Rights-of-Way |publisher =] |location =] |page =50 }}</ref> The BN operated until 1996 when it merged with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway.
The Great Northern operated various passenger trains but the '']'' was the GN's premier passenger train. The ''Empire Builder'' was named in honor of Great Northern's founder James J. Hill, who was known as the "Empire Builder."

== Passenger service ==

GN operated various passenger trains, but the '']'' was their premier passenger train. It was named in honor of James J. Hill, known as the "Empire Builder." ] still operates the ''Empire Builder'' today, running it over the old Great Northern's ] north of St. Paul. The GN had commuter service in the Minneapolis area running between Great Northern Depot and Hutchinson.


===Named trains=== ===Named trains===
* '']:'' St. Paul–Fargo - (1931– * '']:'' St. Paul–Fargo
* '']:'' St. Paul-Superior/Duluth (later renamed ''Badger'') * '']:'' St. Paul-Superior/Duluth (later renamed ''Badger'')
* '']:'' Seattle - Spokane (1909-1959) * '']:'' Seattle–Spokane (1909-1959)
* '']:'' St. Paul-Minot * '']:'' St. Paul-Minot
*''Eastern Express'' Seattle-St. Paul (1903-1906) (replaced by ''Fast Mail'' in 1906)<ref name=Glacier>{{cite web|url=http://www.gnflyer.com/GlacierP.html|title=Glacier Park Limited|publisher=Ted's Great Northern Homepage|accessdate=6 March 2012}}</ref> *''Eastern Express'': Seattle-St. Paul (1903–1906) (replaced by ''Fast Mail'' in 1906)<ref name="Glacier">{{cite web |title=Glacier Park Limited |url=http://www.gnflyer.com/GlacierP.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326200643/http://www.gnflyer.com/GlacierP.html |archive-date=26 March 2012 |access-date=6 March 2012 |publisher=Ted's Great Northern Homepage}}</ref>
* '']:'' Chicago-Seattle/Chicago-Portland (1929–present) * '']:'' Chicago-Seattle/Portland (1929–present)
* ''] No.27:'' St. Paul–Seattle (1906-1910) (renamed ''The Oregonian'' in 1910)<ref name=Glacier/> * ''] No. 27:'' St. Paul–Seattle (1906–1910) (renamed ''The Oregonian'' in 1910)<ref name="Glacier" />
*''Glacier Park Limited:'' St. Paul–Seattle (1915-1929) (replaced by ''Oriental Limited'' in 1929)<ref name=Glacier/> *'']:'' St. Paul–Seattle (1915-1929) (replaced by ''Empire Builder'' in 1929)<ref name="Glacier" />
* '']:'' St. Paul-Superior/Duluth * '']:'' St. Paul-Superior/Duluth
*''Great Northern Express:'' (1909-1918) Kansas City-Seattle<ref name=transcontinental/><ref name=Express>{{cite web|url=http://www.gnflyer.com/Express.html|title=Great Northern Express|publisher=Ted's Great Northern Homepage|accessdate=6 March 2012}}</ref> *''Great Northern Express:'' (1909–1918) Kansas City-Seattle<ref name="transcontinental">{{cite web |title=Transcontinental Trains |url=http://www.gnflyer.com/Transcon2.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326070119/http://www.gnflyer.com/Transcon2.html |archive-date=26 March 2012 |access-date=6 March 2012 |publisher=Ted's Great Northern Homepage}}</ref><ref name="Express">{{cite web |title=Great Northern Express |url=http://www.gnflyer.com/Express.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326211255/http://www.gnflyer.com/Express.html |archive-date=26 March 2012 |access-date=6 March 2012 |publisher=Ted's Great Northern Homepage}}</ref>
* '']:'' Seattle-Vancouver, B.C. * '']:'' Seattle-Vancouver, B.C.
*''Oregonian :'' St. Paul–Seattle (1910-1915) (replaced by ''Glacier Park Limited'' in 1915)<ref name=Glacier/> *''Oregonian :'' St. Paul–Seattle (1910–1915) (replaced by ''Glacier Park Limited'' in 1915)<ref name="Glacier" />
* ''] :'' Chicago-St. Paul-Seattle (replaced by ''Western Star'' in 1951) * ''] :'' Chicago-St. Paul-Seattle (replaced by ''Western Star'' in 1951)
*''Puget Sound Express:'' St. Paul-Seattle (1903-1906) (replaced by ''Fast Mail'' in 1906)<ref name=Glacier/> *''Puget Sound Express:'' St. Paul-Seattle (1903–1906) (replaced by ''Fast Mail'' in 1906)<ref name="Glacier" />
* '']:'' Grand Forks-St. Paul (later renamed ''Red River'') * '']:'' Grand Forks-St. Paul (later renamed ''Red River'')
* '']'', No. 25<ref></ref> * '']''<ref>{{cite web |title=Archives West: Great Northern Railway Company Wellington Disaster records, 1907–1911 |url=http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv09594 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823122145/http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv09594 |archive-date=23 August 2011 |access-date=4 May 2018 |website=nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu}}</ref>
*''Southeast Express:'' (1909-1918) Seattle-Kansas City<ref name=transcontinental>{{cite web|url=http://www.gnflyer.com/Transcon2.html|title=Transcontinental Trains|publisher=Ted's Great Northern Homepage|accessdate=6 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/File:Great_Northern_daily_trains_circa_1912.jpg|title=Three Daily Trains|date=circa 1912|publisher=Great Northern Railway|accessdate=6 March 2012}}</ref> *''Southeast Express:'' (1909–1918) Seattle-Kansas City<ref name="transcontinental" /><ref>{{cite web |date=c. 1912 |title=Three Daily Trains |url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Northern_daily_trains_circa_1912.jpg |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504022232/https://commons.wikimedia.org/File:Great_Northern_daily_trains_circa_1912.jpg |archive-date=4 May 2018 |access-date=6 March 2012 |publisher=Great Northern Railway}}</ref>
* ''] :'' Chicago-St. Paul-Seattle-Portland * ''] :'' Chicago-St. Paul-Seattle-Portland
* '']:'' St. Paul-Winnipeg * '']:'' St. Paul-Winnipeg


== Rolling stock ==
===Unnamed trains===
In 1951 the company owned 844 locomotives, including 568 steam, 261 diesel-electric and 15 all-electric, as well 822 passenger-train cars and 43.897 freight-train cars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gnrhs.org/gn_history.php |title=Great Northern History |access-date=17 September 2022}}</ref>
* Train Nos. 23-30: St. Cloud–Grand Forks via Barnesville and Crookston local
* Train Nos. 31-32: Sandstone-Willmar via St. Cloud local
* Train Nos. 35-36: Duluth-Grand Forks via Superior and Crookston local
* Train Nos. 43-42: Billings-Sweetgrass via Great Falls and Shelby local
* Train Nos. 43-42: Billings-Great Falls local – using GN's only ]
* Train Nos. 47-48-49-50: Morris-Browns Valley shuttle
* Train Nos. 53-54: Watertown-Sioux Falls local
* Train Nos. 61-60: Minneapolis-Hutchinson via Wayzata local
* Train Nos. 99-100: Fargo-Minot via Grand Forks local
* Train Nos. 105-106: Sauk Center-Bemidji via Cass Lake local
* Train Nos. 131-132: Crookston-Noyes local
* Train Nos. 135-136: Crookston-Warroad local
* Train Nos. 161-162: Garretson-Sioux City local
* Train Nos. 185-186: Willmar-Huron via Benson local
* Train Nos. 197-198: Breckenridge-Larimore via Vance local
* Train Nos. 201-202: Grand Forks-Larimore local
* Train Nos. 215-215: Neilhart-Great Falls local
* Train Nos. 219-220: Berthold-Crosby local
* Train Nos. 221-222: Havre-Great Falls local
* Train Nos. 223-224: Williston-Havre local
* Train Nos. 235-236: Havre-Great Falls ] connection – later used GN's only ]
* Train Nos. 237-238: Havre-Great Falls ] connection
* Train Nos. 243-244-245-246-247-248-249-250: Columbia Falls-Kalispell shuttle
* Train Nos. 253-254: Oroville-Wenatchee local
* Train Nos. 255-256: Nelson, BC-Spokane local
* Train Nos. 285-286: Snowden-Richey via Fairview local
* Train Nos. 287-288: Watford City-Fairview local
* Train Nos. 291-292: Fairview-Sidney local
* Train Nos. 301-302: Fergus Falls-Pelican Rapids local
* Train Nos. 317-318: Sioux Falls-Yankton local
* Train Nos. 359-358: Vancouver, BC-Seattle local
* Train Nos. 365-366: Great Falls-Augusta local
* Train Nos. 367-368: Lewiston-Moccasin local
* Train Nos. 373-374: Great Falls-Pendroy local
* Train Nos. 401-402: Seattle-Portland (4 months per year) – joint Coast Pool train with ] and ]
* Train Nos. 459-460: Seattle-Portland – joint Coast Pool train with ] and ]


== Paint schemes ==
===Amtrak's ''Empire Builder''===
The Great Northern had numerous paint scheme variations and color changes over the years, but Rocky the goat was consistently featured.<ref name=":0" />
Today, ] '']'' uses the line, running mostly on ex-GN trackage (between the Twin Cities terminal and St. Cloud, Minnesota; Moorhead, Minnesota and Sandpoint, Idaho, and between Spokane, Washington and Seattle).


==Electrification== ==Preservation==
=== Preserved steam locomotives ===
In 1909 the Great Northern Railway electrified the {{convert|2.5|mi|adj=on}} original ], which was near the summit of ] in the ]. The electrified section was of {{convert|4.0|mi|adj=on}} route-miles or {{convert|6.0|mi|adj=on}} track-miles, with 1.7 percent grade through the tunnel. The system using 6600 volts 25&nbsp;Hz was the only three-phase A.C. system ever used on North America railroads, see ]. Four 1500&nbsp;hp locomotives of 115 tons each were supplied by the American Locomotive Co. Later GE-built electric boxcabs were used. They pulled trains through the tunnel with the steam locomotives still attached until they were retired from March 27, 1927. This was before the opening of the new tunnel, and the old tunnel and {{convert|8|mi|adj=on}} of the track to be abandoned was converted to the new single phase A.C. electrification system, using 11 Kv, 25&nbsp;Hz supply and one instead of two overhead wires.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Image
! Locomotive no. !! Class !! Type !! Built !! Retired !! City !! Location !! Extra information
|-
|]
| ] || 1 || ] || 1861 || 9/1897 || ] || ] || In June 1962, the Great Northern transferred ownership to the ]<br>Was at ] from June 1954 to 1975
|-
|]
| 1147 || ] || ] || 8/1902 || 6/1956 || ] || Lions Locomotive Park<br>1100 South Wenatchee Avenue || Location also called "Mission Street Park"<ref></ref>
|-
|]
| 1246 || ] || ] || 11/1907 || 7/1953 || ] || ]|| Purchased from Fred Kepner Collection upon his death in 2021<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wrinn |first1=Jim |title=Major private collection of steam locomotives is sold to Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/major-private-collection-of-steam-locomotives-is-sold-to-oregon-coast-scenic-railroad/ |website=Trains.com |access-date=December 30, 2021}}</ref><br>Was stored by Kepner in ]. Acquired by Northwest Railway Museum in April 2023.
|-
|]
| ] || ] || ] || Rebuilt from E-14 1020 5/1924 || 7/1955 || ] || ] || Undergoing restoration to operating condition
|-
|]
| ] || ] || ] || 10/1923 || 12/1957 || ] || ] || Hidden under shelter
|-
|]
| 2523 || ] || ] || 10/1923 || 4/1958 || ] || ] ||
|-
|]
| ] || ] || ] || 3/1930 || 12/1957 || ] || ] || Largest surviving GN steam locomotive
|-
|]
| 3059 || ] || ] || 2/1913 || 12/1957 || ] || ]||
|}


=== Preserved diesel locomotives ===
The new lower Cascade Tunnel of {{convert|7.8|mi|adj=on}} opened on January 12, 1929. Work had started in 1925 on the new route, and the electrification of a {{convert|73|mi|adj=on}} section of its main line route to ], ], from ] to ]. The new tunnel and electrification reduced the mainline by {{convert|9|mi}}, eliminated {{convert|502|ft}} of elevation and {{convert|6|mi}} of snow sheds. The new Baldwin-Westinghouse Z-1 electric locomotive consisted of a pair of semi-permanently coupled 1-D-1 box-cab units. The pair weighed over 371 tons, with an hourly rating of 4330&nbsp;hp. They were used exclusively on this section, for both mainline freight and passenger trains. ] and ] locomotives were also used.


* ] "Hustle Muscle"
The route was de-energized and dismantled in 1956, after the Cascade Tunnel was fitted with ventilation fans.


===Rails to Trails===
In addition to the Stone Arch Bridge, parts of the railway have been turned into pedestrian and bicycle trails. In Minnesota, the ] is built in areas that were formerly railroad yards for the Great Northern Railway and the ]. Also in Minnesota, the ] is built on 26.5 miles of the railroad right-of-way. In ] the original Great Northern grade from 1892 has been converted into a trail. The trail starts in Kila, MT, and goes to Kalispell Montana, travelling through downtown, right past the Kalispell Depot. The section of rails from Kila to West Kalispell was taken out in the early 1900s, while the section from downtown to where the current end of rail is, was taken out in 2021. Further west, the Iron Goat Trail in Washington follows the late 19th-century route of the Great Northern Railway through the Cascades and gets its name from the railway's logo.<ref name="WeberStevens2010">{{cite book|author1=Andrew Weber|author2=Bryce Stevens|title=60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Seattle: Including Bellevue, Everett, and Tacoma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G0--ynlhJLgC&pg=PA232|date=1 February 2010|publisher=Menasha Ridge Press|isbn=978-0-89732-812-8|pages=232|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504022232/https://books.google.com/books?id=G0--ynlhJLgC&pg=PA232|archive-date=4 May 2018}}</ref><ref name="McQuaide2005">{{cite book|author=Mike McQuaide|title=Day Hike! Central Cascades: The Best Trails You Can Hike in a Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9xIs7MS4--8C&pg=PA30|year=2005|publisher=Sasquatch Books|isbn=978-1-57061-412-5|pages=30|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504022232/https://books.google.com/books?id=9xIs7MS4--8C&pg=PA30|archive-date=2018-05-04}}</ref> The ] that ] purchased in 1929 became a bicycle path between ] and ] and ] and ]

== In popular culture ==
] train pauses for the photographer four miles west of ] in ].]]
Appearances in popular culture:

* The Great Northern Railway is considered to have inspired (in broad outline, not in specific details) the Taggart Transcontinental railroad in ]'s '']''.{{sfnp|Rand|Peikoff|Schwartz|1989|p=92}}
* The song ''Great Northern'' by the ] band ] featured on their 2002 album '']'' describes a journey along the Great Northern Railway.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cusic |first=Don |title=It's The Cowboy Way: The Amazing True Adventures of Riders in the Sky |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |year=2003 |isbn=0813122848 |pages=227}}</ref>

The Great Northern is mentioned in the song "Jack Straw," written by Bob Weir and Robert Hunter and originally performed by The Grateful Dead.
==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|Railways}} {{Portal|Trains}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ] GN's largest electric locomotive * ] GN's largest electric locomotive
* ] interurban electric railway purchased by G.N. in 1929.
* ]
* ] - A snowplow design unique to the Great Northern.


==References== ==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}} {{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*Malone, Michael P. ''James J. Hill: Empire Builder of the Northwest.'' Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1996.
*Yenne, Bill. ''Great Northern Empire Builder.'' St. Paul, Minn.: MBI Publishing, 2005.

==Further reading==
*{{Cite journal
| last= Whitney
| first= F.I.
| year= 1894
| title= Valley, Plain and Peak..Scenes on the line of the Great northern railway
| place= St. Paul, Minn.
| publisher= Great Northern Railway Office of the general passenger and ticket agent
| url= http://www.archive.org/details/valleyplainpeaks00grea}}


==References==
*{{cite book
{{refbegin|40em}}
| last = Wood
* {{cite web |url=http://www.gnflyer.com |first=Ted |last=Doyle |title=Great Northern Flyer |website=Teds' Great Northern Homepage }}
| first = Charles
* {{cite journal |first=David H. |last=Hickcox |title=The Impact of the Great Northern Railway on Settlement in Northern Montana, 1880–1920 |journal=] |volume=148 |issue=Spring 1983 |pages=58–67 |jstor=43523868 |year=1983 }}
| authorlink =
* {{cite journal |first1=Ralph |last1=Hidy |first2=Muriel E. |last2=Hidy |title=John Frank Stevens, Great Northern Engineer |journal=Minnesota History |date=1969 |volume=41 |issue=8 |pages=345–361 |url=http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/41/v41i08p345-361.pdf }}
| coauthors =
* {{Hidy-Great Northern}}
| year = 1989
* {{cite journal |first=Don L. |last=Hofsommer |title=Ore Docks and Trains: The Great Northern Railway and the Mesabi Range |journal=Railroad History |volume=174 |issue=Spring 1996 |pages=5–25 |jstor=43521883 |year=1996 }}
| title = Great Northern Railway
* Hofsommer, Don L. "Rivals for California: The Great Northern and the Southern Pacific, 1905-1931." ''Montana: The Magazine of Western History'' 38.2 (1988): 58–67.
| publisher = Pacific Fast Mail
* {{cite book
| location = Edmonds, WA
|last=Malone
| isbn = 0-915713-19-5
|first=James P.
}}
|title=James J. Hill: Empire Builder of the Northwest
*{{cite book
|url=https://archive.org/details/jamesjhill00mich
|url-access=registration
|year=1996
|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press
|location=Norman, OK, USA
|isbn=978-0806128603
}}
* {{cite book |last=Martin |first=Albro |title=James J. Hill and the Opening of the Northwest |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society Press |year=1991 |isbn=978-0873512619 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1itXgy8gAHYC }}
* {{cite journal |first=Stanley N. |last=Murray |title=Railroads and the Agricultural Development of the Red River Valley of the North, 1870–1890 |journal=Agricultural History |year=1957 |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=57–66 |jstor=3740486 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Rand |first1=Ayn |first2=Leonard |last2=Peikoff |first3=Peter |last3=Schwartz |year=1989 |title=The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought |publisher=New American Library |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=myLXAAAAMAAJ |isbn=9780453006347 }}
* {{cite book
| last = Sherman
| first = T. Gary
| year = 2004
| title = Conquest and Catastrophe: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Great Northern Railway Through Stevens Pass
| publisher = AuthorHouse
| location = Bloomington, Indiana
| isbn = 978-1-4184-9575-6
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Sobel | last = Sobel
| first = Robert | first = Robert
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| year = 1974 | year = 1974
| title = The Entrepreneurs: Explorations within the American business tradition | title = The Entrepreneurs: Explorations within the American business tradition
| publisher = Weybright & Talley | publisher = Weybright & Talley
| chapter = Chapter 4: James J. Hill | chapter = Chapter 4: James J. Hill
| isbn = 978-0-679-40064-6
| location =
| isbn = 0-679-40064-8 | url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/entrepreneursexp00sobe
}}
}}
*{{cite book
* {{cite book| title=The Back Shop Illustrated, Volume 3: Southeast and Western Regions| author=Starr, Timothy| year=2024| publisher=Privately printed}}
*{{cite book |last=Strauss |first=John F. (Jr.) |year=1993 |title=Great Northern Pictorial – Volume 3 |location=La Mirada, California |publisher=Four Ways West Publications |isbn=((0-9616874-8)) }}
*{{cite book |last=Strauss |first=John F. (Jr.) |year=1994 |title=Great Northern Pictorial – Volume 4 |location=La Mirada, California |publisher=Four Ways West Publications |isbn=1-885614-01-2 }}
* {{Cite journal
| last= Whitney
| first= F.I.
| year= 1894
| title= Valley, Plain and Peak. Scenes on the line of the Great northern railway
| place= St. Paul, Minnesota
| publisher= Great Northern Railway Office of the general passenger and ticket agent
| url= https://archive.org/details/valleyplainpeaks00grea
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Wilson | last = Wilson
| first = Jeff | first = Jeff
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| year = 2000 | year = 2000
| title = Great Northern Railway in the Pacific Northwest (Golden Years of Railroading) | title = Great Northern Railway in the Pacific Northwest (Golden Years of Railroading)
| publisher = ] | publisher = ]
| location = Waukesha, Wisconsin | location = Waukesha, Wisconsin
| isbn = 0-89024-420-0 | isbn = 978-0-89024-420-3
}} }}
*{{cite book * {{cite book
| last = Hidy | last = Wood
| first = Ralph W. | first = Charles
| authorlink = | year = 1989
| title = Great Northern Railway
| coauthors = Muriel E. Hidy, Roy V. Scott, Don L. Hofsommer
| publisher = Pacific Fast Mail
| year = 2004
| location = Edmonds, Washington
| title = The Great Northern Railway: A History
| isbn = 978-0-915713-19-6
| publisher = University of Minnesota Press
}}
| location =
* {{cite book
| isbn = 0-8166-4429-2 }}
*{{cite book
| last = Yenne | last = Yenne
| first = Bill | first = Bill
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| year = 2005 | year = 2005
| title = Great Northern Empire Builder | title = Great Northern Empire Builder
| publisher = MBI | publisher = MBI
| location = St. Paul, Minnesota | location = St. Paul, Minnesota
| isbn = 0-7603-1847-6 }} | isbn = 978-0-7603-1847-8
}}
* {{cite journal |first=Robert F |last=Zeidel |title=Peopling the Empire: The Great Northern Railroad and the Recruitment of Immigrant Settlers to North Dakota |journal=North Dakota History |year=1993 |volume=60 |issue=2 |pages=14–23 }}
* Sherman, T. Gary, CONQUEST AND CATASTROPHE (The Triumph and Tragedy of the Great Northern Railway Through Stevens Pass), AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2004. ISBN 1-4184-9575-1
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Further|James J. Hill#Further reading}}
* Pyle, Joseph G. "James J. Hill." ''Minnesota History Bulletin'' 2#5 1918, pp.&nbsp;295–323.
* Rae, John B. "The Great Northern's land grant." ''Journal of Economic History'' 12.2 (1952): 140-145.


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category|Great Northern Railway (US)}} {{Commons category|Great Northern Railway (US)}}
*
*
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713220116/http://www.fortlangley.ca/langley/6bgnr.html |date=July 13, 2023 }}
* , Minnesota Historical Society. * , Minnesota Historical Society.
* *
Line 223: Line 265:
* *
* *
* &mdash; photographs and short history of one of six streamlined baggage-mail cars built for the Great Northern by the ] in 1950. * &mdash; photographs and short history of one of six streamlined baggage-mail cars built for the Great Northern by the ] in 1950.
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060911072507/http://content.wsulibs.wsu.edu/cgi-bin/viewer.exe?CISOROOT=%2Fmaps&CISOPTR=363&CISORESTMP=&CISOVIEWTMP= |date=September 11, 2006 }}
*
* , Book about Louis W. Hill Sr., son and successor of empire builder James J. Hill at Ramsey County Historical Society.
*
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916064724/https://sites.google.com/site/johnsanfordbarnes/home/chapter-xviii/ |date=September 16, 2016 }}
*
*{{HAER |survey=MT-52 |id=mt0188 |title=Great Northern Depot, 100-110 Neill Avenue, Helena, Lewis and Clark County, MT |photos=7 |data=11 |cap=1}}
* :
*{{HAER |survey=MT-53 |id=mt0190 |title=Great Northern Railroad Bed, From Big Sandy to Verona, Fort Benton, Chouteau County, MT |photos=8 |data=13 |cap=1 |link=no}}
* Over 900 photographs documenting scenes from Snohomish, King and Chelan Counties in Washington state from the early 1900s to the 1940s. Includes images of the Great Northern Railway.
* An ongoing digital collection of photographs depicting various modes of transportation in the Pacific Northwest region and Western United States during the first half of the 20th century. Includes images of the Great Northern Railway.
* A discussion of Hill's building of the transcontinental railroad by ]
* , Book about Louis W. Hill Sr., son and successor of empire builder James J. Hill at Ramsey County Historical Society.
*


{{GN named trains}}
{{Former Class I}} {{Former Class I}}
{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 02:05, 15 November 2024

Defunct American Class I railroad This article is about the US railway. For other railways with the same name, see Great Northern Railway.

Great Northern Railway
GN system map, c. 1918; dotted lines represent nearby railroads.
The Empire Builder traveling through Glacier Park Montana. (1947)
Overview
HeadquartersRailroad and Bank Building
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Founders
Reporting markGN
Locale
Dates of operation1889–1970
SuccessorBurlington Northern Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length8,368 miles (13,467 km)
GN's 4-8-4 S-2 "Northern" class locomotive #2584 and nearby sculpture, U.S.–Canada Friendship in Havre, Montana

The Great Northern Railway (reporting mark GN) was an American Class I railroad. Running from Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Seattle, Washington, it was the creation of 19th-century railroad entrepreneur James J. Hill and was developed from the Saint Paul & Pacific Railroad. The Great Northern's route was the northernmost transcontinental railroad route in the U.S.

In 1970, the Great Northern Railway merged with three other railroads to form the Burlington Northern Railroad, which merged in 1996 with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway.

History

William Crooks in 1939 with the Great Northern logo above the drivers
Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles (incl. FG&S; not incl. PC or MA&CR)
Year Traffic
1925 8,521
1933 5,434
1944 19,583
1960 15,831
1967 17,938
Source: ICC annual reports

The Great Northern was built in stages, slowly creating profitable lines, before extending the road further into undeveloped Western territories. In a series of the earliest public relations campaigns, contests were held to promote interest in the railroad and the ranchlands along its route. Fred J. Adams used promotional incentives such as feed and seed donations to farmers getting started along the line. Contests were all-inclusive, from the largest farm animals to the largest freight carload capacity, and were promoted heavily to immigrants and newcomers from the East.

The very first predecessor railroad to the company was the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad owned by William Crooks. He had gone bankrupt running a small line between St. Paul and Minneapolis. He named the locomotive he ran for himself and the William Crooks would be the first locomotive of the Great Northern Railway. J.J. Hill convinced New York banker John S. Kennedy, Norman Kittson (a wealthy fur trader friend), Donald Smith (a Hudson's Bay Company executive), George Stephen (Smith's cousin and president of the Bank of Montreal), and others to invest $5.5 million in purchasing the railroad. On March 13, 1878, the road's creditors formally signed an agreement transferring their bonds and control of the railroad to J.J. Hill's investment group. On September 18, 1889, Hill changed the name of the Minneapolis and St. Cloud Railway (a railroad which existed primarily on paper, but which held very extensive land grants throughout the Midwest and Pacific Northwest) to the Great Northern Railway. On February 1, 1890, he consolidated his ownership of the StPM&M, Montana Central Railway, and other rail lines to the Great Northern.

The Great Northern had branches that ran north to the Canada–US border in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana. It also had branches that ran to Superior, Wisconsin, and Butte, Montana, connecting with the iron range of Minnesota and copper mines of Montana. In 1898 Hill purchased control of large parts of the Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota and its rail lines. The Great Northern began large-scale shipment of ore to the steel mills of the Midwest.

The railroad's best-known engineer was John Frank Stevens, who served from 1889 to 1903. Stevens was acclaimed for his 1889 exploration of Marias Pass in Montana and determined its practicability for a railroad. Stevens was an efficient administrator with remarkable technical skills and imagination. He discovered Stevens Pass through the Cascade Mountains, set railroad construction standards in the Mesabi Range, and supervised the construction of the Oregon Trunk Line. He then became the chief engineer of the Panama Canal.

The logo of the railroad, a Rocky Mountain goat, was based on a goat William Kenney, one of the railroad's presidents, had used to haul newspapers as a boy.

Locomotives and passenger cars were repaired and overhauled at the shops in St. Paul, Minnesota, while the shops at nearby St. Cloud were dedicated to freight cars beginning in 1890. In 1892, a new shop site was established five miles west of Spokane, Washington in Hillyard (named after James Hill) to serve the western half of the GN system.

Mainline

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A Great Northern H class pacific with a Belpaire firebox. Belpaire fireboxes were rare in the US, but the Pennsylvania and Great Northern both had locomotives featuring them in significant numbers. They were mostly manufactured by or to Baldwin specifications. (1914)
Great Northern boxcabs exiting the Cascade Tunnel.
Great Northern brakeman checks train from caboose.

The mainline began at Saint Paul, Minnesota, heading west along the Mississippi River bluffs, crossing the river to Minneapolis on a massive multi-piered stone arch bridge just below the Saint Anthony Falls. The bridge ceased to be used as a railroad bridge in 1978, becoming a pedestrian river crossing with excellent views of the falls and of the lock system. The mainline headed northwest from the Twin Cities, across North Dakota and eastern Montana. The line then crossed the Rocky Mountains at Marias Pass. It then followed the Flathead River and then Kootenai River to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, south to Sandpoint, Idaho, west to Newport, Washington, and then to Spokane, Washington. The company town and extensive railroad facility of Hillyard, Washington was named after James J. Hill and briefly manufactured the R Class 2-8-8-2 around 1927 which was the largest steam locomotive in the world at the time. From there the mainline crossed the Cascade Mountains through the Cascade Tunnel under Stevens Pass, reaching Seattle, Washington, in 1893, with the driving of the last spike at Scenic, Washington, on January 6, 1893. The Great Northern electrified Steven's Pass and briefly owned the electric Spokane and Inland Empire Railway. The deadliest avalanche in US history swept two Great Northern trains off the tracks at Wellington, Washington by the Cascade Tunnel killing 96 people.

The mainline west of Marias Pass has been relocated twice. The original route over Haskell Pass, via Kalispell and Marion, Montana, was replaced in 1904 by a more circuitous but flatter route via Whitefish and Eureka, joining the Kootenai River at Rexford, Montana. A further reroute was necessitated by the construction of the Libby Dam on the Kootenai River in the late 1960s. The United States Army Corps of Engineers built a new route through the Salish Mountains, including the 7-mile-long (11 km) Flathead Tunnel, second-longest in the United States, to relocate the tracks away from the Kootenai River. This route opened in 1970. The surviving portions of the older routes (from Columbia Falls to Kalispell and Stryker to Eureka), were operated by Watco as the Mission Mountain Railroad until April 1, 2020, when BNSF (GN's modern successor) took back control of the Kalispell to Columbia Falls section.

The Great Northern mainline crossed the continental divide through Marias Pass, the lowest crossing of the Rockies south of the Canada–US border. Here, the mainline forms the southern border of Glacier National Park, which the GN promoted heavily as a tourist attraction. GN constructed stations at East Glacier and West Glacier entries to the park, stone and timber lodges at the entries, and other inns and lodges throughout the Park. Many of the structures have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to unique construction, location, and the beauty of the surrounding regions.

In 1931, the GN also developed the "Inside Gateway", a route to California that rivaled the Southern Pacific Railroad's route between Oregon and California. The GN route was further inland than the SP route and ran south from the Columbia River in Oregon. The GN connected with the Western Pacific at Bieber, California; the Western Pacific connected with the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe in Stockton, California, and together the three railroads (GN, WP, and ATSF) competed with Southern Pacific for traffic between California and the Pacific Northwest. With a terminus at Superior, Wisconsin, the Great Northern was able to provide transportation from the Pacific to the Atlantic by taking advantage of the shorter distance to Duluth from the ocean, as compared to Chicago.

A 1909 ad aimed at settlers, from a St. Paul newspaper

Branch lines in Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Between 1891 and 1917 GNR built a number of railway branch lines across the border with Canada. These lines were built to provide service to the city of New Westminster, Victoria (via ferry connection) and the new city of Vancouver. The first line was built between 1891 and 1893 providing a connection between Seattle and New Westminster. This line crossed at Blaine, passed through Cloverdale and terminated in Brownsville. In 1903 GNR constructed a line running from Cloverdale to Port Guichon (Present day Ladner, BC). A ferry service from the port provided service to Victoria and Vancouver Island. In 1909 this line was extended from Cloverdale to Huntingdon. Service from Blaine to New Westminster was redirected in 1909 over a new line past White Rock, across Mud Bay, through Annieville and on to Brownsville. After a new railway bridge was completed across the Fraser River from Brownsville to New Westminster the GNR extended its railway line to Vancouver. Between 1910 and 1913 GNR excavated the Grandview Cut to give it access to False Creek and used the resulting dirt to fill in the east end of False Creek. In 1915, on this infill, the GNR opened Union Station, the terminus of its rail line in Vancouver. Its service to Vancouver and Victoria experienced competition from a partnership between Northern Pacific and Canadian Pacific. This competing service terminated at Pacific Station in Downtown Vancouver and from there offered direct steamship service to Victoria, thus offering a superior alternative to both services offered by GNR.

Settlements

The Great Northern energetically promoted settlement along its lines in North Dakota and Montana, especially by Germans and Scandinavians from Europe. The Great Northern bought its lands from the federal government – it received no land grants – and resold them to farmers one by one. It operated agencies in Germany and Scandinavia that promoted its lands, and brought families over at low cost, building special colonist cars to transport immigrant families. The rapidly increasing settlement in North Dakota's Red River Valley along the Minnesota border between 1871 and 1890 was a major example of large-scale "bonanza" farming.

Later history

The Big Sky Blue Empire Builder with an SDP45 in the lead. (1970)

During World War II, the Army moved its Military Railway Service (MRS) headquarters to Fort Snelling, Minnesota. The MRS worked collaboratively with commercial railroading in the U.S. The Great Northern sponsored the 704th Grand Railroad Division. It was the second Grand Division that the Army stood up. The Great Northern also sponsored the 732nd Railroad Operating Battalion (ROB). They were one of two spearhead ROBs. The 732nd operated in support of the Patton's 3rd Armored Division crossing into Germany with them. The Officers of the 732nd were all previous employees of the Great Northern.

On March 2, 1970, the Great Northern, together with the Northern Pacific Railway, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, merged to form the Burlington Northern Railroad. The BN operated until 1996 when it merged with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway.

Passenger service

GN operated various passenger trains, but the Empire Builder was their premier passenger train. It was named in honor of James J. Hill, known as the "Empire Builder." Amtrak still operates the Empire Builder today, running it over the old Great Northern's Northern Transcon north of St. Paul. The GN had commuter service in the Minneapolis area running between Great Northern Depot and Hutchinson.

Named trains

  • Alexandrian: St. Paul–Fargo
  • Badger Express: St. Paul-Superior/Duluth (later renamed Badger)
  • Cascadian: Seattle–Spokane (1909-1959)
  • Dakotan: St. Paul-Minot
  • Eastern Express: Seattle-St. Paul (1903–1906) (replaced by Fast Mail in 1906)
  • Empire Builder: Chicago-Seattle/Portland (1929–present)
  • Fast Mail No. 27: St. Paul–Seattle (1906–1910) (renamed The Oregonian in 1910)
  • Glacier Park Limited: St. Paul–Seattle (1915-1929) (replaced by Empire Builder in 1929)
  • Gopher: St. Paul-Superior/Duluth
  • Great Northern Express: (1909–1918) Kansas City-Seattle
  • International: Seattle-Vancouver, B.C.
  • Oregonian : St. Paul–Seattle (1910–1915) (replaced by Glacier Park Limited in 1915)
  • Oriental Limited : Chicago-St. Paul-Seattle (replaced by Western Star in 1951)
  • Puget Sound Express: St. Paul-Seattle (1903–1906) (replaced by Fast Mail in 1906)
  • Red River Limited: Grand Forks-St. Paul (later renamed Red River)
  • Seattle Express
  • Southeast Express: (1909–1918) Seattle-Kansas City
  • Western Star : Chicago-St. Paul-Seattle-Portland
  • Winnipeg Limited: St. Paul-Winnipeg

Rolling stock

In 1951 the company owned 844 locomotives, including 568 steam, 261 diesel-electric and 15 all-electric, as well 822 passenger-train cars and 43.897 freight-train cars.

Paint schemes

The Great Northern had numerous paint scheme variations and color changes over the years, but Rocky the goat was consistently featured.

Preservation

Preserved steam locomotives

Image Locomotive no. Class Type Built Retired City Location Extra information
1 - William Crooks 1 4-4-0 1861 9/1897 Duluth, Minnesota Lake Superior Railroad Museum In June 1962, the Great Northern transferred ownership to the Minnesota Historical Society
Was at Saint Paul Union Depot from June 1954 to 1975
1147 F-8 2-8-0 8/1902 6/1956 Wenatchee, Washington Lions Locomotive Park
1100 South Wenatchee Avenue		 Location also called "Mission Street Park"
1246 F-8 2-8-0 11/1907 7/1953 Snoqualmie, Washington Northwest Railway Museum Purchased from Fred Kepner Collection upon his death in 2021
Was stored by Kepner in Merrill, Oregon. Acquired by Northwest Railway Museum in April 2023.
1355 H-5 4-6-2 Rebuilt from E-14 1020 5/1924 7/1955 Sioux City, Iowa Milwaukee Shops Undergoing restoration to operating condition
2507 P-2 4-8-2 10/1923 12/1957 Wishram, Washington Wishram Depot Hidden under shelter
2523 P-2 4-8-2 10/1923 4/1958 Willmar, Minnesota Kandiyohi County Historical Society
2584 S-2 4-8-4 3/1930 12/1957 Havre, Montana Havre Depot Largest surviving GN steam locomotive
3059 O-1 2-8-2 2/1913 12/1957 Williston, North Dakota Williston Depot

Preserved diesel locomotives

Rails to Trails

In addition to the Stone Arch Bridge, parts of the railway have been turned into pedestrian and bicycle trails. In Minnesota, the Cedar Lake Trail is built in areas that were formerly railroad yards for the Great Northern Railway and the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway. Also in Minnesota, the Dakota Rail Trail is built on 26.5 miles of the railroad right-of-way. In Kalispell, Montana the original Great Northern grade from 1892 has been converted into a trail. The trail starts in Kila, MT, and goes to Kalispell Montana, travelling through downtown, right past the Kalispell Depot. The section of rails from Kila to West Kalispell was taken out in the early 1900s, while the section from downtown to where the current end of rail is, was taken out in 2021. Further west, the Iron Goat Trail in Washington follows the late 19th-century route of the Great Northern Railway through the Cascades and gets its name from the railway's logo. The Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad that James J. Hill purchased in 1929 became a bicycle path between Spokane, Wa and Coeur d'Alene, Id. and Spokane, Wa. and Pullman, Wa.

In popular culture

A Great Northern Railway train pauses for the photographer four miles west of Minot in 1914.

Appearances in popular culture:

The Great Northern is mentioned in the song "Jack Straw," written by Bob Weir and Robert Hunter and originally performed by The Grateful Dead.

See also

Footnotes

  1. Martin (1991), chapter 12.
  2. Malone (1996), p. 38-41.
  3. Malone (1996), p. 49.
  4. Yenne (2005), p. 23.
  5. Hofsommer (1996).
  6. Hidy & Hidy (1969).
  7. The Great Northern Goat. Vol. 10–15. 1939. p. 11.
  8. Downs, Winfield Scott (1940). Encyclopedia of American Biography. American Historical Company.
  9. ""Kenney's Goat" Story Recalled". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 12, 1931. p. 1.
  10. "GN Steam Locos". www.gngoat.org. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  11. Murray (1957), p. 57-66.
  12. Hickcox (1983), p. 58-67.
  13. Zeidel (1993), p. 14–23.
  14. ^ "GNRHS : GN Paint Schemes". www.gnrhs.org. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  15. Lennon, J. Establishing Trails on Rights-of-Way. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Interior. p. 50.
  16. ^ "Glacier Park Limited". Ted's Great Northern Homepage. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  17. ^ "Transcontinental Trains". Ted's Great Northern Homepage. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  18. "Great Northern Express". Ted's Great Northern Homepage. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  19. "Archives West: Great Northern Railway Company Wellington Disaster records, 1907–1911". nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu. Archived from the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  20. "Three Daily Trains". Great Northern Railway. c. 1912. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  21. "Great Northern History". Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  22. rgusrail.com
  23. Wrinn, Jim. "Major private collection of steam locomotives is sold to Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad". Trains.com. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  24. Andrew Weber; Bryce Stevens (February 1, 2010). 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Seattle: Including Bellevue, Everett, and Tacoma. Menasha Ridge Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-89732-812-8. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018.
  25. Mike McQuaide (2005). Day Hike! Central Cascades: The Best Trails You Can Hike in a Day. Sasquatch Books. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-57061-412-5. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018.
  26. Rand, Peikoff & Schwartz (1989), p. 92.
  27. Cusic, Don (2003). It's The Cowboy Way: The Amazing True Adventures of Riders in the Sky. University Press of Kentucky. p. 227. ISBN 0813122848.

References

Further reading

Further information: James J. Hill § Further reading
  • Pyle, Joseph G. "James J. Hill." Minnesota History Bulletin 2#5 1918, pp. 295–323. online
  • Rae, John B. "The Great Northern's land grant." Journal of Economic History 12.2 (1952): 140-145.

External links

Named trains of the Great Northern Railway
Transcontinental Service
Other Named Trains
Class I railroads of North America
Current
United States
Canada
Mexico
Former
1956–present
pre-1956
Timeline
Railroads in italics meet the revenue specifications for Class I status, but are not technically Class I railroads due to being passenger-only railroads with no freight component.
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