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North Coast Limited
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleMidwestern and Northwestern United States
First serviceApril 29, 1900
Last serviceApril 30, 1971
SuccessorNorth Coast Hiawatha
Former operator(s)Northern Pacific Railway (1900-1970), Chicago and North Western (1911-1918),[1] Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (1918-1970), Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (1908–1971), and Burlington Northern Railway (1970–1971)
Route
TerminiChicago, Illinois
Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon
Train number(s)25 (Chicago-Pasco-Seattle)
26 (Seattle-Pasco-Chicago)
1 (Pasco-Portland) (SP&S)
2 (Portland-Pasco) (SP&S)
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
North Coast Limited 1900.

The North Coast Limited was a named passenger train operated by the Northern Pacific Railway and briefly its successor, the Burlington Northern Railroad, between Chicago, Illinois and the Northwestern United States. It commenced service on April 29, 1900 and ceased operation the day before Amtrak began service on May 1, 1971. The Chicago to St. Paul, Minnesota leg of the train's route was operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad along its Mississippi River mainline through Wisconsin. Westbound the train split into two separate sections at Pasco, Washington bound for terminals in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington, the Portland section being operated by the Northern Pacific subsidiary Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.

The train's route passed through the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.

History

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Heavyweight North Coast Limited (1900 - 1948)

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Inaugurated on April 29, 1900, between St.Paul, Minnesota, and Puget Sound, the North Coast Limited was one of the first named trains in the United States. Initially the Northern Pacific launched the train as a summer-only service but due to its popularity service was expanded to a year-round daily operation in 1902. The North Coast Limited operated as Number 1 westbound and Number 2 eastbound.

In 1909 the train was re-equipped with new heavyweight cars constructed by Pullman-Standard and added a Portland section which operated via the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway between Spokane, Washington and Portland, Oregon.

On December 17, 1911, service was also extended east of St. Paul directly into Chicago over the Chicago and North Western Railway. In 1918 the Chicago to St. Paul leg was shifted to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad via that road's Mississippi River mainline, a route that persisted until 1971. With the change in carriers the eastern terminus of the train changed from Chicago's Northwestern Station to Union Station.

On May 14, 1930 the North Coast Limited was again re-equipped with a new heavyweight steel equipment. The new trains were launched with cars that featured rubber roller bearings, brass windows, barber and valet services, a barber shop, separate bath and shower facilities for men and women, a soda fountain and radios on-board. Parlor cars were also added to the consist for the daylight portions of the run, so the train lost its exclusive All-Pullman status since then and never regained it back. Another upgrade came in 1937 with the introduction of air conditioning, and in 1942 the lounge observation cars with open platforms were replaced by buffet solarium sleepers. By that time the train was also featuring cheap tourist sleepers and coaches.

A 1937 consist:[citation needed]

  1. Railway Post Office
  2. Baggage Dormitory
  3. Coach
  4. Coach
  5. 16-section Tourist sleeper
  6. 16-section Tourist sleeper
  7. Diner
  8. 10-section, 1-drawing room, 1-compartment sleeper Chief-series
  9. 10-section, 1-drawing room, 1-compartment sleeper Chief-series
  10. 6-section, 6-double bedroom sleeper Poplar-series
  11. 6-section, 6-double bedroom sleeper Poplar-series
  12. Lounge Observation (3-compartment, 1-drawing room sleeper buffet solarium after 1942)

The Streamlined Vista-Dome North Coast Limited (1948 - 1971)

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In 1946 the Northern Pacific board of directors authorized the purchase of new streamlined equipment for the railroad, beginning with the North Coast Limited. The new train began service in 1948.

From 1948-1970 this was truly one of the world's finest trains. Everything was streamlined and upgraded. Tables in the dining car were set with fresh flowers and linen table cloths. The luxury train crew included a stewardess who was also registered nurse.

Before 1954 the train was painted in the “Pine Tree” or "Streamline" scheme: grey roof, dark green letterboards, light green windowband and dark green lower sides with black trucks. The train's more famous two-tone green paint scheme which was added in 1954 and Lewis and Clark-themed interiors of the Traveller’s Rest Tavern car added in 1955 were designed by industrial designer Raymond Loewy. The train now was painted with a green roof, letterboards and windowband, a thin white line below the window band and pale mint green lower sides with black trucks; most car names were replaced with numbers.

The streamlined North Coast Limited operated daily as Northern Pacific train Number 25 westbound and Number 26 eastbound. Train Numbers 1 and 2 were re-assigned to a secondary Chicago-Seattle service named the Mainstreeter, which took its name from the Northern Pacific advertising slogan "Main Street of the Northwest."

The North Coast Limited observation car at Union Station (Chicago) in 1963

In 1954 the Northern Pacific introduced the dome car to the consist and renamed their flagship train "The Vista-Dome North Coast Limited." There were two dome coaches and two dome sleepers in a single train consist, making a total of four dome cars. The Budd-built dome sleepers had four roomettes in the short end, four double bedrooms in the long end, and four single bedrooms under the dome. The Northern Pacific were careful to place at least one flat-topped car between each dome car to maximize passengers’ view.

In 1967 the observation lounge cars were discontinued, but the sleeping car passengers could still enjoy lounge atmosphere in the dome sleepers, since below the dome two of the four single bedrooms were replaced with a buffet, and 24 lounge table seats were installed on the dome level, which made Northern Pacific advertise the new rebuilt and re-styled dome sleepers as “Lounge in the Sky.”

The scenic route went west across northern Illinois to the Mississippi River at Savanna, Illinois and then closely followed the Mississippi through La Crosse, Wisconsin, St. Paul, and Minneapolis in Minnesota as far as Little Falls, Minnesota. North Dakota cities served includes Fargo, Bismarck, and Dickinson. Crossing Montana, the train passed through Glendive, Billings, Livingston, Bozeman, Butte, and Missoula. After passing though Sandpoint, the train made stops at Spokane, Pasco, Yakima, and East Auburn (a stop for connecting service to Tacoma) before terminating at King Street Station in Seattle. The trip from Chicago's Union Station to Seattle was just under two days, taking about 45 hours.

Declining ridership and continuing red ink led the train to be jointly operated with the Great Northern's Empire Builder between Chicago and Minneapolis. By late 1967, the combination was joined by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy's Twin Cities Zephyr between the two regions. The eastbound North Coast Limited/Empire Builder was combined with the Morning Zephyr, while the westbound train combined with the Afternoon Zephyr.[3]

The Burlington Northern Railroad was created in March 1970 through the merger of NP, GN, CB&Q, and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, and the North Coast Limited ran combined with its former rival Empire Builder between Chicago and Minneapolis, between Spokane and Portland and between Spokane and Seattle. The original train ceased operation with the Amtrak takeover. The last train operated on April 30, 1971, exactly seventy-one years and one day after the inaugural run.

A Westbound Consist for NP Train 25, the NORTH COAST LIMITED, from the May 27, 1962 NP System Public Timetable

Applied for the main NP route from St. Paul, MN to Pasco, WA. The train split at Pasco, WA into Seattle, WA and Portland, OR sections)

  1. Baggage (for Seattle)
  2. Mail Dormitory (for Seattle)
  3. Dome Coach Car 250 (for Seattle)
  4. Coach Car 251 (for Seattle)
  5. Coach Car 254 (for Seattle)
  6. Coach Car 253 (for Portland)
  7. Dome Coach Car 252 (for Portland)
  8. “Lewis & Clark Traveller’s Rest” Buffet-lounge car (for Seattle)
  9. Diner (for Seattle)
  10. Dome Sleeper Car 256 4 Double Berooms, 4 Duplex Single Rooms, 4 Roomettes (rebuilt to Dome Lounge Sleepers “Lounge in the Sky” in 1967—car always for Seattle)
  11. Sleeper Car 258 8 Duplex Roomettes, 6 Roomettes, 4 Double Bedrooms (for Seattle)
  12. Sleeper Car 257 8 Duplex Roomettes, 6 Roomettes, 4 Double Bedrooms (for Portland)
  13. Dome Sleeper Car 258 4 Double Berooms, 4 Duplex Single Rooms, 4 Roomettes (for Seattle)
  14. Sleeper Lounge Observation Car 259 4 Double Bedrooms, 1 Compartment(for Seattle—discontinued after 1967)

At Pasco,WA the Portland cars were switched onto Spokane, Portland and Seattle RR Train 1, which also carried through equipment from Spokane, WA to Portland from the Great Northern RR EMPIRE BUILDER. SP&S Train 1 carried a diner and lounge-sleeper, as well as the NP and GN cars.

The balance of the train continued as NP Train 25 from Pasco, WA over Stampede Pass into Seattle King Street Station.

Amtrak North Coast Hiawatha (1971 - 1979)

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Main article: North Coast Hiawatha

On June 5, 1971 service was reinstated over much of the former North Coast Limited route by Amtrak as the North Coast Hiawatha. The train's name was an amalgam of North Coast Limited and Olympian Hiawatha, the Milwaukee Road's former Pacific Northwest train. The train was combined with the Amtrak Empire Builder between Chicago and Minneapolis and between Spokane and Seattle (at the time the Empire Builder used the former North Coast Limited route between Spokane and Seattle, via Yakima) and operated three days per week. On November 14, 1971, the North Coast Hiawatha began operating as a separate train from Chicago to Spokane (and daily between Chicago and Minneapolis on former Milwaukee Road trackage). It still combined with the Empire Builder between Spokane and Seattle. On June 11, 1973, the North Coast Hiawatha began operating as a separate train (still tri-weekly, except during some summer and holiday periods) all the way from Chicago to Seattle; the segment between Spokane and Seattle used was the former Empire Builder route via Cascade Tunnel. The North Coast Hiawatha was discontinued on October 1, 1979.

The North Coast Limited was the Northern Pacific's flagship train and the Northern Pacific itself was built along the trail first blazed by Lewis and Clark.

Much of the route today is not served by passenger train, through Amtrak's Empire Builder does run on some of the same trackage in its St. Paul-Moorhead and Sandpoint-Pasco segments. The lone remaining Chicago to Seattle/Portland passenger train today is Amtrak's Empire Builder which primarily traverses much of the former Great Northern route west of St. Paul, Minnesota via Grand Forks and Minot, ND; Havre, Whitefish, and Glacier National Park in Montana; and Wenatchee and Everett in Washington State.

Accidents

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References

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  1. ^ Kubler, William R. (2004), The Vista Dome North Coast Limited: The Story of the Northern Pacific Railway's Famous Domeliner (1st ed.), Hamilton, Montana: Oso Publishing Company, p. 15, ISBN 1931064067
  2. ^ The Northcoast Limited - April, 1959 - SteamlinerSchedules.com, Eric H. Bowen, retrieved August 14, 2011
  3. ^ Karl R. Zimmerman (2004). Burlington's Zephyrs. MBI Publishing Company. p. 151. ISBN 9780760318560.
  • Dining Car to the Pacific: The "Famously Good" Food of the Northern Pacific Railway published by Minnesota Historical Society Press 1990.
  • Northern Pacific Railway Passenger Train Schedules Time Folder issued May 27, 1962
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