The Empire Builder

'Empire Builder' was a fitting appellation for the Great Northern Railway's entrepreneur James J. Hill, who in the 1890s opened the Northwest to settlement and economic development. In 1929, the new 'Empire Builder' train between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest became the railroad's leading express. This view shows it leaving the St. Paul Union Station, powered by Baldwin engine #2517. This engine was named 'Marathon' for having made a fast, service-free trip in 1925 of over 3600 miles between Seattle and St. Paul.