Annual Reports

Great Northern Annual Reports

In this section are a collection of all Great Northern Railway Annual Reports from 1940 to 1969, which I picked up on Ebay.  For now, this will just consist of a cover photo and highlights from that year's annual report.  Enjoy!

1940 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover photo of GN 2032 R-1 class 2-8-8-2 built by Baldwin in July 1925 pulling a long freight around the horseshoe curve at Blacktail, MT; Pair of Z-1 class electrics pulling freight eastbound down Chumstick line; view of various freight cars in yard at Willmar, MN; Land Grant Rates cancelled on certain Government Traffic; GN Freight Waybill from Klamath Falls, OR to St. Paul, MN; R-1 2054 along Flathead River in Montana; Builder's shot of GN 2024 N-3 recently rebuilt; 1500 75 ton steel ore cards delivered in 1940.  5000 40' boxcars ordered (with See America First - Glacier National Park forward-facing goat logo) in 1939-1940, which would occupy 42 miles of track; weight of rail on principal lines; color map showing GN, Burlington and SP&S lines on map of lower 48 United States.

1941 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover photo of 5700 class FT A&B diesel locomotives; Montage of early EMD & Baldwin diesels along with rebuilt N-3 #2024; GN 2515 P-2 on heavyweight Empire Builder on bridge at Delano, MN; GN 5900 A-B-A EMD FT helper assisting steam engine on passenger train/Marias Pass, MT; GN system profile (route) and rail chart (weight of rails system wide as of 1941); view of St. Paul freight house inside; rear page photo of GN 2125 steam engine with solid reefer block along Columbia River.

1942 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover photo of Superior, Wisconsin ore docks; Page dedicated to GN employees killed in World War 2 action; Feature story on 704th Railway Grand Division made up mostly of GN employees drafted into the army; System profile and rail weight chart; Photo montage of iron ore transportation from mine to ship; Rear page photo of John Frank Stevens at monument to him on Marias Pass.

1943 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover photo of GN 2057 Class R-2 2-8-8-2 steam locomotive inside roundhouse; Page dedicated to GN employees killed in World War 2 action; Comments of critical manpower shortage (1/3 employees left to fight in WW2); Celebratory montage of 50 years of transcontinental service (1893-1943); rear page heavily-retouched photo of man lining a switch for steam switcher.

1944 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover photo double track relocation near Red Eagle, MT; Freight revenues by commodities; Freight train performance 1919 - 1944; New equipment including EMD FT's with dynamic brakes, 50 foot plywood boxcars, Alco road switchers and Baldwin switchers; ties and rail applied.

1945 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover photo first section (Pullmans) of Empire Builder leaving Saint Paul behind P-2 class 4-8-2 #2517; Picture of steam engines inside Hillyard shop; GN 2043 passing semaphore at mp 1735.8 (near Grotto, WA); building EMD FT's; rare b&w photo of new EMD E7's in first EB scheme pulling heavyweight cars eastbound at Glacier Park station; revenue passenger trains 1945 - an all-time high; new Havre, MT diesel shop; new 3-unit FTs, 4-unit FTs, E7's and freight cars; center spread of forest products; inside back cover photo of interesting double searchlight signal with smashboard across tracks.

1946 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover painting of new 1947 edition Empire Builder along the Columbia River; Photo of GN 2515 P-2 class 4-8-2 steam engine on the Fast Mail; applying roller bearings to locomotive axles; national dispersion of box cars; new equipment; Five new Empire Builders - First post-war sleeping cars; profile of mainline and chart showing weight of rail; color map of GN lines and western States.

1947 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover photo orange boxcars; beautifully-manicured mainline track photo; EB getting its daily bath at Seattle; steam engines on turntable; factory combines on flatcar; payroll taxes steadily increasing; new 3-unit set of F3 diesels; 1943-1947 major line changes (Camden, Scotia, Penrith, WA & Columbia Falls to Red Eagle, MT & Merritt, WA new tunnel & bridge); Apples in the Wenatchee Valley.

1948 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover painting of E7-led Empire Builder at 4 blade semaphore (with smash board) at Java, MT (Nimrod); Photo of 1947 Empire Builder crossing trestle in Glacier National Park; 1948 floods; New Willmar, MN station and division offices; manufacture of pig iron at Rock Island, WA; Line change at Gaynor, WA; eulogy for Louis Warren Hill, 1873-1948; Center spread of locomotives and trains; Back cover picture montage of scenes along the GN.

1949 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover is construction of Gaynor trestle (and tunnel) line change in Washington State; classic photo of GN freight crossing Columbia River bridge near Malaga; EMD FT #410 splitting semaphores; laying welded rail in Cascade Tunnel; new industries along GN; canals for Columbia Basin irrigation (Grand Coulee Dam); new equipment including F7's #446, Alco RS-2 #208, NW2 #152, gondolas, covered hoppers, 1500 steel box cars and steel refrigerator cars; system map.

1950 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover photo new streamlined Internationals (June 1950) pass between Bellingham and Mount Vernon, WA; shipping copper and zinc by barge along Lake Chelan to GN railhead at Chelan, WA; finishing main rod on milling machine; W-1 electric #5019 west of Merritt, WA; spread of 80 new diesel locomotives in 1950 for $17 million +; EMD F7's, EMD & Alco switchers, EMD GP7 running long nose forward; last steam engine leaving Seattle March 23, 1950; building dams along the GN (Hungry Horse, Chief Joseph, Albeni Falls & Soap Lake Siphon; scale test car (with forward-facing goat logo); pouring molten aluminum.

1951 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover photo of newly-equipped Mid-Century Empire Builder; F units and Alcos lined up at Havre Diesel Shop; North Dakota's first oil well near Tioga, Williston Basin; Taconite development; Aluminum plant under construction east of Wenatchee; Hungry Horse (MT), Albeni Falls (ID) and Chief Joseph (WA) dams under construction; New Builder, Western Star, Red River and International trains all inaugurated; 30 GP7s, 100 70-ton hoppers, 665 50 ton box cars and 400 refrigerator cars on order; number of shareholders by states; Frank Gavin elected Chairman of the Board, John M Budd elected President, Ira G. Pool named VP, Operating Department.

1952 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Heavily-retouched cover photo of 4 unit F's on GN freight crossing new irrigation canal in Columbia Basin Project; GN freight eastbound coming off Fort Wright bridge in Spokane; Semaphore signal bridge; First iron ore train 1892 and typical 1952 ore train (3 unit F's); 3.6 mile line change between Triple Divide and Spotted Robe in Montana; Salute to agricultural and industrial state of Washington; Mechanical Refrigerator car; Columbia Basin Irrigation Development - Quincy district; Volume of traffic 1948 to 1952; Aluminum plants;

1953 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover is employee truing a wheelset; matched FT set crossing Two Medicine Bridge in Montana; F units being worked on in shop drop pit; Whiting crane lifting ore cars on Allouez docks; radio introduced on iron ore service trains; construction of Chief Joseph Dam; Boy Scouts and Indian Squaws performing the "Rabbit Dance"; system map; Williston Basin oil; new Anacortes, WA swing span being barged under Deception Pass bridge; sugar beet refinery Bingham, MN; steam locomotive vs. diesel locomotive mileage chart (diesels had more miles after 1949); Alco FA1 #310ABC set on freight; fire prevention car inside and out; 114 foot long gas storage tank on two flat cars; touched up Western Stars meet outside Whitefish.
 

1954 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover painting of GN yard tower; Installing computer by crane through window of St. Paul general office building; eastbound freight (mostly boxcars) along Flathead river; new freight cars purchased; elderly dispatcher at new CTC board; Back cover picture view from yard tower Whitefish or Hillyard (not sure).
 

1955 GN Annual Report. Highlights: Cover painting by Leslie Ragan of Great Dome (Budd full length) on Empire Builder; Block signals at milepost 1602.8 (west of Ephrata, WA); new Sauk Centre, MN depot; center spread featuring new Great Domes; Aluminum plant at Conkelley, MT; X1805 crane lifting rail; new freight car equipment; Back cover picture of Tioga iron ore mine in Minnesota.
 

1956 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover picture of GN 274A diesel emerging from Cascade Tunnel, east portal; Gavin Yard opens; RDC-3 #2350 placed in service in Montana; Unification study of GN, NP, CB&Q and SP&S; Back cover picture of The Giant Univac installed at St. Paul.

1957 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover photo of new GN 5700-series boxcars; Cohasset, MN coal-burning power plant to open in 1958; Color photo of GN Board of Directors; new GN X-1 slant cupola caboose; Freight car construction at St. Cloud, MN shops; New suburban depot opens in Edmonds, WA; Single track line change along Puget Sound; New 16.5 mile branch line built to serve Minot, ND air force base; Back cover photo of William Crooks inside St. Paul Union Depot.

1958 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover photo of Baldwin switcher #26 with new box cars at grain elevator; Ribbon rail installations; GN handles grain harvest; Back cover photo of Rocky, the Rocky Mountain Goat.

1959 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover photo of A-B-B-A set of F units leading freight train along Kootenai River; Wheelock-Epping line change; CTC added between Dodson and Pacific Junction, MT; Research into taconite pellets. 

1960 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover photo of Empire Builder being highballed in the Montana Rockies; Relocation of Wenatchee-Oroville branch for Rocky Reach Dam; Wenatchee apples loaded into WFE truck trailer; First life-size appearance of Rocky on a Glacier Green boxcar 27025; Fords loading onto tri-level auto racks.

1961 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover photo of freight cars at Hillyard, Spokane; photo of John Budd with F unit 365A; BN merger progress; 3 mile line change in the Cascades; loading a WHIX WFE boxcar; mechanized car cleaning at Grand Forks; laying ribbon rail at Carlton, MN with nice GN semaphore in foreground; Inside back cover photo of Empire Builder and Space Needle.

1962 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover drawing of GP20's leading freight next to typical GN depot; tri-level auto racks success story; Minuteman missile silo transport; Index, WA line change; Proposed landfill for historic GN Piers 88 and 89, Smith Cover, near Seattle; William Crooks presented to Minnesota Historical Society.

1963 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover photo of GP30 #3000 at Wenatchee depot with X-13 slant caboose in background; photo of GP30 quartet along Pend Oreille River; GP30's at Conrad, MT grain elevators; Western Star at Albeni Falls Dam; photos of all GN presidents and various annual reports.

1964 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover photo of GP30 3007 along Index, WA line change; GP30's on high trestle near Minot, ND; panel track for new 8 mile spur to Intalco aluminum plant near Bellingham; remodel of Minot, ND depot; Trainship Alaska at Delta terminal near New Westminster, BC, Canada; Flood damage in Rocky Mountains.

1965 GN Annual Report. Highlights:  Cover photo of refrigerated piggyback vans at Wenatchee hauling apples; Scotia canyon tunnel photo; Line change in Montana Rockies at Summit and Red Eagle areas; Proposed line change for Flathead Tunnel line.

1966 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover photo of new SD45's along Little Spokane River; New taconite pellet unloading area built in Superior, WI (aerial photo); Bison, MT line change; Taconite pellet plants come online; Drilling Flathead tunnel.

1967 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Cover and inside cover photos of new Big Sky Blue color scheme on equipment; Final phase of Index line change - new bridge at Sunset Falls; Canopy cars for use by Boeing at Everett plant; Taconite pellets; new 1500 HP EMD switchers; 800 covered hoppers purchased.

1968 GN Annual Report.  Highlights:  Interbay yard Seattle gets new hump; Piggy-packer to handle trailers; Open house at Havre diesel shop; filling in Elliot Bay, near Seattle for new Cargill grain elevator.

1969 GN Annual Report.  I'm cheating a bit here.  This is actually a Progress Report to Shippers.  Highlights:  Beautiful color drawing by Jack Damas of a "fanciful panoramic montage" of the area between Vancouver BC and Portland, Oregon (not an actual location); GN's "Piggy Packer" at work (mobile container lifter); 118 car potash train pulled by ABAABA set of matched Big Sky Blue F units; combines reaping grain at night; aerial view of future Cargill grain terminal north of Seattle downtown; Alumina storage facility at Everett; Transportation Service Control (location of freight cars); list of $36.3 million of projects including locomotives (F45 & U33C), 650 50-foot boxcars, 300 100-ton covered hoppers, 45 flatcars, 200 boxcars reconditioned at St. Cloud shops, 48 additional miles of CTC for a total of 1,425 miles of CTC.