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Unveiled in June 1929, the "Empire Builder" quickly established itself as the flagship passenger train of the Great Northern. Named for GN founder James J. Hill, it ran from Chicago (via the Burlington to St. Paul) to Seattle, with a separate section to Portland. Post-war plans for the new streamlined version were unveiled in early 1945 with the arrival of EMD E7A-A diesels attired in brilliant Omaha Orange and Pullman Green (later known as the Empire Builder scheme); deliveries of matching cars continued through 1947. Not content with this upgrade, GN completely refitted the train once more in 1951 and assigned A-B-A sets of F units as standard power. The Empire Builder reached its pinnacle of luxury in 1955 with the arrival of brand-new Vista-Dome and full or Great Dome cars offering incredible views of western scenery. This longer and heavier train was pulled by A-B-B-A sets of F units. Based on the 1955 train, Walthers offers a complete series of authentic models to re-create this legendary streamliner:
* Completely New Car * Superbly Detailed Inside & Out * Authentic Paint & Lettering * Car Name & Number Decals * Correct Truck Sideframes * Metal RP-25 Wheels * Factory-installed Electrical Pickups * Easy DC or DCC Interior Lighting Installation * Working Diaphragms * Knuckle Couplers
PLEASE NOTE: As these cars are the correct prototype length and feature full underbody detail to match the prototypes, a minimum 24" radius is recommended for operation.
