Great Northern 1195 was ordered as part of the complete upgrading of the heavyweight Seattle to Vancouver 'Puget Sounder'. This was a four-hour service operated two times a day, each way. Two complete sets of new lightweight, streamlined equipment were first ordered in 1946 and greatly anticipated. It was not delivered until June of 1950, however, because the car builders were extremely busy with a post-war business boom. To match the all-new equipment, the service was also given a new name; the 'International', and upgraded to three trips a day.
In Seattle, connections were made with all the GN's east-west long-distance trains, the north-south "Coast Pool Train", and other railroad's trains. In Vancouver, it connected with Canadian railroad's services. American and Canadian customs agents rode the train to speed passenger's passage across the border, and the food service could make change in either country's currency. Breakfast was served on the morning train, Lunch on the noon train, and supper on the evening train.
Front to rear, the first train consisted of:
The exterior decor was identical to the GN's premier 'Empire Builder' streamliner, except that the letter board said 'Great Northern' instead of 'Empire Builder'. The observation carried a drumhead featuring an illuminated GN logo surrounded by 'The International' in red neon. The interior decor featured artwork and hand-carved Oregon myrtle wood bas-relief friezes. The coaches closely resembled the 60-seat short distance coaches in the 1951 "Empire Builder", such as MTM's 1213, except they featured better Heywood-Wakefield "Sleepy Hollow" seats. The coach-diner's coach section was similar. It's dining section featured white table cloths and china, silver service, tan leatherette upholstery, gold-painted valence lighting and edge-lit artwork above the windows. The piers between the windows were wood-grained with bas-relief friezes, and the ceiling had recessed indirect lighting. The parlor-observation featured a rust-colored carpet and muted green, blue, or rust upholstery. An edge-lit half-height glass panel, decorated with leaf patterns, separated the parlor and observation areas. The windows had venetian blinds (as did the rest of the train) and were separated by wood-grain piers. The wall below the windows was painted light green. Polished aluminum valence lighting ran above the windows, and the ceiling was painted suede.
Mechanically, the cars all had inside swing hanger, clasp-brake trucks. Brakes were D-22 with antilock protection and the HSC electric-control option. The electrical system was 32 volts DC from a 20 kw axle-driven generator and storage batteries, with provision for 208v three-phase standby hook-up. A motor-generator provided 120 volts AC for lighting and receptacles. Air conditioning was a five-horse Frigidair electro-mechanical compressor, wet condenser, and overhead evaporator coils, ductwork, and diffusers. Steam provided overhead and baseboard heat, and hot water. The rear light was a Pyle-National Gyralite, with dual red and clear bulbs. The control circuit was tied to the axle-generator's reverse current relay, so that it would automatically change colors if the train changed direction. There were also manual overrides.
Click here for the equipment diagram. (Big)
The service survived unchanged throughout the 1950's. In 1960, airline and freeway competition necessitated cost-saving measures. The evening trip was canceled, and the coach-diners were deleted. Reduced food and beverage service was provided by "Train Sales Service". Additional coaches like MTM's 1096 and 1097, purchased used from the Chicago and North Western, were added if extra capacity was needed. In 1966, new motive power in the form of SDP40's and SDP45's began to appear. Colors became a riot starting in 1967, as the "Empire Builder" orange and green was phased out by "Big Sky Blue" blue, grey, and white, and in 1968 was itself replaced by "Cascade Green" green and white.
In the late 1960's, 1195 and 1196 narrowly escaped conversion into coaches. Business travelers had abandoned the railroads for the airlines, nearly killing the market for first-class sleeping car accommodations. The remaining large market segment, vacationers and tourists, typically traveled on a budget and bought reclining coach seats. Of the sleeping cars, the round-end observation cars were the most expendable, because their unique shape limited their operational flexibility. In 1967 the "Empire Builder" observation cars 1190-1193 were converted to 68-seat coaches 1300-1303, 1197 became coach 1304, and 1147 became coach 1147. That left only Burlington-owned 1194, "International" obs cars 1195 and 1196, "Western Star" tall-window obs cars 1290-1295, and "Gopher"/"Badger" square-end obs cars 1083, 1084, and 1085. In 1968, 1195 and 1196 were replaced on the "International" by 1290-series obs cars. Plans were made to convert them into coaches 1305 and 1306. The railroad got as far as issuing new equipment diagrams to mechanical personnel, but the conversion did not happen. Instead, the two spent the next three years in storage.
Under the Burlington Northern, 1195 and 1196 were to have retained their GN numbers. It is doubtful they ever received BN Cascade Green.
In 1971, the newly formed government passenger-train operator, Amtrak, opted to buy 1195 and 1196. In Amtrak's numbering scheme, they became 3770 and 3771. Their interior decor was changed to red, blue, and purple, and the GN-custom artwork thrown away. Outside, they changed the rear door and light. The car's specific assignments are unknown, but Amtrak used equipment nationwide, regardless of heritage. The cars were never upgraded, and in 1979 enough new equipment was on hand to permit retirement of obsolete cars like these two. 1195 was sold to a furniture manufacturer near Gettysburg, PA, who converted it to an office. The new owner was very careful to keep it intact, and preserved it wonderfully - even storing anything removed (mostly furniture) during the conversion to office use, and keeping it painted in Amtrak's second color scheme. 1196 was sold to a private individual in Spokane, and it operates today as a private car named the "City of Spokane".
1195 (3770) dropped from sight, and was presumed lost until it popped up on e-bay in July 2004. MTM recruited donations and purchased the car. It is currently being prepped for movement to Minnesota, where it will be restored to it's GN interior and exterior appearance and placed in operation.
1195 is a member of MTM's GN streamlined passenger train set.
More photos of the "Port of Seattle"
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The vestibule end of 1195. |
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The tail end of 1195. |
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Looking through the parlor towards the obs end, after removing office furniture. The wood between the windows is original GN. The purple and red are Amtrak. The carpet is modern. |
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Looking from mid-car towards the vestibule end, after removing office furniture. |
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