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Great Northern Books
Part 2
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A History
by Ralph W. Hidy, Muriel E. Hidy, Roy V. Scott and Don L. Hofsommer University of Minnesota Press, 2004 (First UMN Edition) 111 Third Avenue South - Suite 290, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520 ISBN: 0-8166-4429-2
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In the sprawling Northwest, from the upper Mississippi River valley to Puget Sound, no railroad shaped the landscape and society like the Great Northern Railway Company. This is the complete history of that enterprise, from 1856, when the first charter was granted, through the era of James J. Hill - known as the Empire Builder - to its maturation and eventual merger in 1970, when the eight-thousand-mile Great Northern was incorporated into the massive Burlington Northern. The Great Northern Railway highlights the changes brought on by economic, political, social, and technological advances, including world wars, increased competition from other modes of transportation, and tighter government restrictions. The first part of the book (1856–1916) examines the railway’s early strategies and philosophy, relations with employees, and vigorous campaigns to develop the service area. The second part of the history (1916–1970) offers an assessment of a dramatic period of transition for the railroad—international conflicts, the Great Depression, the rise of motor vehicles, increasing labor costs, and stronger unions. Illustrated with more than two hundred maps, period photographs, and drawings, the volume also includes appendixes listing the original track-laying history, track removals, ruling grades on main freight routes, and main line ruling grades from Minneapolis to Seattle.
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A Pictorial Study
by Charles & Dorothy Wood Pacific Fast Mail, 1979 Edmonds, WA Library of Congress: 77-91780
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Off all America's transcontinental railroads, none was more colorful then the Great Northern. Today, more than eight years after its merger into the sprawling Burlington Northern system, the "Big G" is still fondly remembered by railfans and model builders alike...and there is much to remember! The Steam Locomotives with their green jacketed boilers, the huge "Goat" heralds that adorned tender sides and rolling stock, the bright vermillion cabooses and the beautiful orange and green paint scheme that typified the streamline era are just a few of the GN's never-to-be-forgotten trademarks. The Great Northern was the brain child of James J. Hill, a man considered to be the arch-typical railroad tycoon of the late 19th century. Hill was a larger-than-life figure whose mere presence inspired respect, awe and fear! Even today, while viewing his photographs, one gets the impression that he's about to leap out of the picture and grab hold of the viewer. He tolerated nonsense from no one and pushed the railroad west against all odds...and without the benefit of government land grants. His dynamic energy helped the Great Northern grow through its difficult early years. Authors Charles & Dorothy Wood have tackled the writing of this book with the same determination and energy as its founder. Ever since the success of their early book on the road, "Lines West", the Woods have wanted to do an expanded version, one which would do further justice to this great railroad. Over seven years were spent in research and included trips to libraries, historical societies, interviewing former GN employees and current personnel of the BN, as well as corresponding with a large number of knowledgeable GN fans.
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Great Northern Railway in the Pacific Northwest
by Jeff Wilson Kalmbach Publishing, 2000 Waukesha, WI ISBN: 0-89024-420-0
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Travel the Great Northern Railway through its operations in the Pacific Northwest. Large unpublished photos of trains pushing through rugged mountain passes and Big Sky scenery will take your breath away! Includes views of the Empire Builder, plus track map and schematics.
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Great Northern Railway Main Line Northwestern Montana 1890-1904
by Frank C. Gregg Stumptown Historical Society, 2002 500 Depot St, Whitefish, MT 59937 ISBN: N/A |
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The highlights of what was finally called the Great Northern Railway from the summit of the Rocky Mountains through the Flathead Valley and on to the Kootenai River have been documented. This is the story that the newspapers of that time period revealed, just as it was printed.
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Great Northern - Steam & Electric In Color
by David H. Hickcox Morning Sun Books, Inc., 1999 9 Pheasant Lane, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076 ISBN: 1-58248-012-5 |
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The development of the Great Northern's steam locomotives and the construction of the Cascade Tunnel and electrification of the GN's route through the Cascade Range are two subjects of special interest to Great Northern fans. This book provides a review of Great Northern's steam locomotives and electric operations during the age of the color photograph. Covering the years from 1949 to 1957, and focusing on the 1950's, a representative view of Great Northern's steam and electric operations before dieselization is provided.
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A History of the Izaak Walton Inn and Essex, Montana
by Gail Shay Atkinson & Jim Atkinson Larry and Lynda Vielleux, Izaak Walton Inn, 1995 290 Izaak Walton Inn Rd, Essex, MT 59916 ISBN: N/A
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The Izaak Walton Inn was built for the use of railroad personnel in 1939 next to the Great Northern yard in Essex, MT. It was also intended to serve as a middle entrance to Glacier National Park between East Glacier and West Glacier, MT, but this plan never materialized. After changing ownership several times, it was bought in 1973 by Sid and Millie Goodrich, who have turned it, together with present day operators Larry and Lynda Vielleux, into the mountain resort and railfan heaven it is today. Read all about the history of the Izaak Walton Inn and the town of Essex in this interesting little book. Includes many historical photos and a 1942 map of the area around the Inn.
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James J. Hill and the Opening of the Northwest
by Albro Martin Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1991 345 Kellogg Blvd. W, St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 ISBN: 0873512618 |
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James J. Hill (1838-1916), the Empire Builder, created a vast railroad network across the northwestern United States. In this splendid biography, Martin, the first researcher to have access to Hill's voluminous correspondence, richly portrays a man of many parts: an entrepreneur, a family man, a collector of notable French paintings, a promoter of scientific agriculture, and a booster for the Northwest.
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Early GN Mileposts and BNSF Guide
by John R. Coy & Robert C. Del Grosso Great Northern Pacific Publications, 1996 Route 4, Box 627A, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805 ISBN: N/A |
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A detailed historical study of early GN mileposts from Shelby to Whitefish, MT, from 1889 onwards and a detailed contemporary railfan guide.
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by Claire Strom University of Washington Press, 2003 1326 Fifth Avenue, Suite 555,
Seattle, WA 98101-2604
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Profiting from the Plains looks at two inextricably linked historical movements in the United States: the westward expansion of the great Northern Railway and the agricultural development of the northern plains. Claire Strom explores the persistent, idiosyncratic attempts by the Great Northern to boost agricultural production along its rail routes from St. Paul to Seattle between 1878 and 1917. Lacking a federal land grant, the Great Northern could not make money through land sales like other railways. It had to rely on haulage to make a profit, and the greatest potential for increasing haulage lay in farming.
The energetic and charismatic owner of the Great Northern Railway, James J. Hill, spearheaded most of the initiatives undertaken by his corporation to boost agricultural production. He tried, often unsuccessfully, to persuade farmers of the profitability of his methods, which were largely based on his personal farming experience. When Hill’s initial efforts to increase haulage failed, he shifted his focus to working with outside agencies and institutions, often providing them with the funding to pursue projects he hoped would profit his railroad. At the time, state and federal agencies were also promoting agricultural development through irrigation, conservation, and dryland farming, but their agendas often clashed with those of the Great Northern Railway. Because Hill failed to grasp the extent to which politicians’ goals differed from those of the railroad, his use of federal expertise to promote agricultural change often backfired. But despite these obstacles, the railroad magnate ironically remained among the last defenders of the small-scale farmer modeled on Jeffersonian idealism.
This fascinating story of railroad politics and development ties into themes of corporate and federal sponsorship, which are increasingly recognized as fundamental to western history. As the first scholarly examination of James J. Hill’s agricultural enterprises, Profiting from the Plains makes an important contribution to the biography of the popular and controversial Hill, as well as to western and environmental history.
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Railfan's Guide To Stampede And Stevens Passes
by Robert C. Del Grosso Great Northern Pacific Publications, 1997 Route 4, Box 627A, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805 ISBN: N/A |
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A detailed historical study of GN's Stevens Pass and NP's Stampede Pass and a detailed contemporary railfan guide to these passes.
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The Great Northern Railway Company
by H. Roger Grant, Editor The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Inc., 1980 (Reprinted by the GNRHS in 1989) Westford, MA ISBN: N/A
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The ultimate source on locomotive rosters of the Great Northern Railway. Includes all steam, diesel, electrics and gas-electrics owned by the GN and predecessor roads. Also includes a listing of GN predecessor roads and fully controlled subsidiaries.
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The Saint Paul & Pacific Railroad An Empire in the Making, 1862-1879
Northern Illinois University Press, 1999 310 North Fifth St, DeKalb, IL 60115 ISBN: 0875802524
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Founded in 1862 as a small carrier connecting St. Paul and Minneapolis with outlying towns, the SP&P became the nucleus of the vast rail system that would open the entire Northwest. When railroad tycoon James J. Hill took over the railroad in 1879, it was absorbed into lines that eventually, as the Great Northern Railway, reached the Pacific Ocean. Enhanced by rare photographs, The Saint Paul & Pacific Railroad will appeal to all who are interested in Minnesota, the Northwest, and the saga of railroading.
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A View from the Roundhouse Window
by Paul Wolfgram Paul Wolfgram, 1999 912 Fourth Street North, Grand Forks, ND 58203 ISBN: 0-911007-36-9
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Railroading has always been part of author Paul Wolfgram's life. He was raised with the sound of a whistle in his ears and the smoke of a train on his horizon along the Great Northern Railway line near Niagara, North Dakota. He went to work for the railroad, first at the famous roundhouse in Grand Forks, then as a locomotive fireman and powerplant engineer. In this book, Wolfgram shares his love of the powerful steam locomotives as well as railroading itself. He explores the facilities, the engines and railroad operations, and recounts days both difficult and fun. For anyone who still remembers the echo of train whistles and smoke raising to the sky... this authentic and affectionate account is for you!
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University of Washington Press, 2008 P.O. Box 50096, Seattle, WA 98145 ISBN: 978-0-295-98769-9
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America's
Railroad Age was little more than a decade old when Ralph Waldo Emerson
uttered these prophetic words: "Railroad iron is a magician's rod in its
power to evoke the sleeping energies of land and water." Railroads
exercised a remarkable hold on the imagination. The railroad was not
merely transportation; it was a technology that promised to transform the
world. Railroads were second only to the federal government in shaping the
West, and nowhere was that shaping more visible than on the Great Plains
and in large parts of the Pacific Northwest. |
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