Odds and Ends

GN-related stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else!:

I spotted this GN block signal at the famous Boeing Swap Meet in November 2010.  The only problem was where to put it!  It weighs about 200 pounds and there was no way to get it upstairs to join my semaphore in the "train room" (notice those reflective marbles on the crossbuck really work).  The next best place is out on our deck.  Baolu and I had a wonderful day driving out to Vashon Island to pick it up.  Highball!

Builder's Plate off of GN 2524, a P-2 class 4-8-2 Mountain.  I picked this up on Ebay.  There is a picture of the locomotive here.

1950 "The Internationals" button handed out on the inauguration of the streamlined Vancouver, British Columbia to Seattle, Washington train. 

1950 "The Red River" is the twin of the above International button.  This train ran between Grand Forks, North Dakota, Fargo, North Dakota and St. Paul, Minnesota. 

"Two Great Trains" blotter.  Item can be dated from late 1940's when streamlined Empire Builder and heavyweight Oriental Limited ran on the GN.  Collection of Lindsay Korst.

Dave Hawley owns four Fairmonts including this Great Northern Fairmont A-4D motorcar. He lives in Rochelle, IL. and works for the UP as an Engineer.  Dave Hawley photo.

24" enameled GNR logo from the cab side of GN GP7 #604

I purchased this item on Ebay and met the GN conductor, Thomas B. Sloan, in the Edmonds, WA ex-GN depot parking lot. He said of the two cab logos, he got one side and his brakeman got the other.  Mr. Sloan said the shop at Delta told them to bring the unit down so the logos could be removed and given their new number (BN 1504) just after the merger (March 28, 1970).

GN 604 was an EMD GP7 built November 1950).  This engine was equipped with a steam boiler in the short hood for use in passenger service, if needed. Mostly it was used in local freight service.  It had no dynamic brakes. When this logo was taken off the unit, it was painted in GN's "simplified scheme". It never wore Big Sky Blue. It was renumbered and repainted into Cascade Green as BN 1504. On February 7, 1975, it was rebuilt into a chopnose GP10 BN 1404.  It was retired in February 9, 1987 and sold to NRE on May 1, 1987.

There is a color picture of this engine in Charles Wood's Lines West book (revised edition 1997) on page 198. The picture shows it ran long hood forward and was a "torpedo
boat" (cylinder air tanks on the roof because of larger fuel tank below). On the long nose of the unit was a full, passenger light package including twin sealed beam below and combo red/white gyra-light above. It had an all-weather cab window on the engineer's
side.

The back of my 24" GN logo says:

Merger Date
March 3, 1970
GN - NP - SP&S - CB&Q
Burlington Northern

Taken off GN 604 at Delta

Freight Train 1970 March 28

1959 GN pocket-sized calendar.

What could be more fun than trying on your newly-acquired Great Northern conductor's hat?  Yes, you can find anything on Ebay.  January 2006 photos by Lindsay and Baolu Korst.

Local artist David Hose has painted a beautiful rendition of Great Northern steam locomotive #2555 (a 4-8-4, S-1 class Northern) on the side of a building in downtown Sultan, WA.  This mural is definitely worth a look on your next visit to Stevens Pass.  It is visible from US Highway 2 as you head west.  Note the detail of David's work in the close up with him standing next to the cab of 2555.  October 2005 photos by Lindsay Korst.

Fred Denton out Nebraska way, sends along these two photos of some of his large scale GN model equipment.  Check that Cornhusker State license plate!

GN Veteran's Pin with the likeness of James J. Hill.  Text reads, "Veteran's Association of the Great Northern Ry."  From the collection of Lindsay Korst.

Glacier Park "Red Jammer" tour bus along "Going-to-the-Sun" highway in Montana.  2003 photo by Lawrence Dodge.  Postcard from the collection of Lindsay Korst.

The Bruck!  Thanks to GN Empire webmaster Ben Ringnalda, we got a look at this GN bus being restored near Columbia Falls, MT.  This vehicle was a combination truck/bus (bruck) and was used to haul passengers and freight between Kalispell and Whitefish, MT.  July 2004 photos by Lindsay Korst.

Update:  In these June 2005 photos by Jan Tanner, the Bruck restoration is coming along nicely with all exterior painting finished including logos and lettering.  The interior has been painted gray and has been gutted for replacement of seats and fixtures.

How about some of that pink GN ballast from Essex and Scott Tanner's original "pumpkin scheme"?

Reproductions of 1954 GN Safety Stickers.  The first safety sticker was produced in 1954.  Although quickly recognized by active and retired employees of the Great Northern, these stickers were rarely seen by Great Northern's customers because it was issued every 5 years to individual employees for use on their own automobiles.  GN also applied these reflectorized stickers to all company vehicles.  See GNRHS Reference Sheet #157.  From the collection of Lindsay Korst.

While cleaning out my garage in the Spring of 2003, I found this long-forgotten button.  From the collection of Lindsay Korst.

This is my truck's license plate and the above GN Safety Stickers adorn the truck's back window.  HARKOW!  From the collection of Lindsay Korst.

GNRHS - British Columbia, Canada license plate spotted at the 2004 Spokane convention.  July 2004 photo by Lindsay Korst.

X228 license plate spotted at Skykomish, WA.  July 2004 photo by Lindsay Korst.

Map of Hillyard area (from exhibit inside X-176 and freight cars).  WARNING:  This is a large jpeg (400k)  July 2004 photo by Lindsay Korst.

Nifty little GN speeder with trailer (X3842) at Interbay yard.  July 2004 photo by Lindsay Korst.

Update April 9, 2005 -> for additional photos scroll down.

Webmaster Lindsay Korst with his newest toy -- a genuine Great Northern 
semaphore blade!  Photo by Baolu Korst taken March 20, 2005.

This semaphore has special meaning to me, because it symbolizes
the first time I can remember a passenger train ride at age 7. 

In 1967, my old man pulled me out of school (West
Vancouver, BC, at the time) and took us to Whitefish, Montana
to go skiing at Big Mountain. Of course, since he worked for
the Pennsy, we were pass riders which meant we rode 
Great Northern's Western Star.

Since it was winter, the train had one short dome in the consist.
I was too excited to sleep, so late at night or early morning, I
took a seat in the darkened, empty dome to watch the world go by. 

I remember watching the locomotive's headlight illuminate
the track ahead as we curved through mountains.  This section of
line was signaled with semaphores and I'll never forget the
sight of the blade dropping from green to yellow to red as
it passed my dome seat. 

The person I bought the blade from tells me it comes from 
"somewhere between Hillyard and Newport" so it's quite
possible I passed this very signal on our trip to/from Whitefish (in
daylight, according to my 1966-67 winter timetable).

I'm in the process of restoring it and soon it will take it's
place on display in my "train room".  More pictures will be
posted here as I complete the clean up and painting.

Update April 9, 2005:  Here are some additional photos of the GN semaphore blade after applying some paint.  Look at little Baolu holding up that 53 pounds of iron and glass!  Photos by Baolu Korst.

Here I am at the 2005 GNRHS Fergus Falls convention operating the Society's big SD45, the GN #400 "Hustle Muscle".  This unit is too large to fit in my garage, but it is lovingly cared for by the good folks at MTM in St. Paul.

I recently picked up this Great Northern step stool on Ebay.  These items were used on GN passenger trains and placed on the platform to allow easier access getting on or off the train.