The origins of the Great Northern Railroad came from the old Minneapolis & St. Cloud and their route to the Pacific Northwest. The route took a line through the Rocky Mountains of Montana and an area that was later to become Glacier National Park. The Great Northern assisted the government in the development of this park which provided the road with its herald, the Rocky Mountain goat.

One of the best ways to see the landscape was to take the passenger train called the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle and Portland. The streamlined version of this famous train ran the first passenger cars ordered from Pullman-Standard for post-war delivery. These cars were designed to have beauty and gaiety fro all to enjoy. Interiors were based on the colorful motifs of the Black Foot Indians and included murals and paintings done by renowned western artists. The best way to describe this train and what it meant to the Great Northern was started by John Budd, a President of the Great Northern..."The world judges the railways by their passenger services, if this is the window through which we are viewed, we must wash it and shine it, or else cover it up with a dark shade".

FEATURES:

Powered A-Unit

• Dual Pullmor® Motors
• Eight wheel drive
• Magne-Traction®
• Transformer controlled forward-neutral-reverse operation

Both A-Units

• Working headlights
• Illuminated number boards
• Metal chassis and ladders
• Portholes
• Screened roof vents
• Front operating knuckle couplers
• Metal wheels
• Die-cast trucks

Non-Powered A-Unit

• Diesel RailSounds™ which creates the digitally recorded roar of a diesel engine at idle, start-up and full power, plus the blast of the diesel horn and the clanging of the electro-mechanical engine bell.
• Volume control

Non-Powered B-Unit

• Die-cast metal trucks
• Metal ladders
• Metal wheels

This engine set is new, still sealed in the factory cellophane so the box has not been opened. The pictures are from the catalog.