The Santa Fe


	Vancouver, British Columbia Canada

GNRHS - Kalispell, Montana

My wife Francina and I had the pleasure of attending the annual convention of the Great Northern Railway Historical Society
in Kalispell, Montana this summer. The convention ran from July 16 to 19 and was attended by 141 GNRHS members and
many of their spouses.

My history with the GN goes back to when I was literally a baby. My parents told me that I took my first train trip at the age
of 10 months and spent most of it sleeping on the floor of the observation car of the International as we went from Vancouver
to Seattle and back in the summer of 1954. We continued riding the International almost every summer until the service was
discontinued in 1969. I have pleasant memories of sitting in my seat with my nose glued to the window as I watched the
towns and scenery along the route pass by. My parents always booked coach seats for the trip to Seattle but pampered
themselves a bit with observation car seats for the trip home.

The convention officially opened on Sunday afternoon, July 16th. with a welcome from President Duane Buck and convention
organizers John and Bev Tracy. John and Bev did an absolutely superb job of organizing this convention.

The Convention Banner
It hung in the main meeting area of the
Red Lion Inn and was given away as a raffle
prize at the closing banquet.

They certainly kept us busy

The Rail Fair on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning saw a lot of GN and other railroad items for sale, while much of it
was either HO or memorabilia there was some N-Scale available and I did manage to get a very good deal on new GN 2-8-2
Mikado steam engine.

Monday evening saw most of the wives off to a museum tour while the guys went on the layout tour. Now of the layouts were
even close to being "finished" but all of them offered some interesting features and lots of good ideas.

Classic GN steam power	E-7's of the 1947 Empire Builder
This was the only club on the tour	Not exclusively GN, but close to it.
This is a very large layout	Nice examples of GN steam in HO.
A nice long mainline.	Early GN diesels in HO.
This layout was still at the framing stage.	The entire building holds one person's layout.
A beautiful HO model of the GN fire car.	"Hustle Muscle" in all her glory.

The Tuesday tour took us to the Belton Chalet, one the original Great Northern crew hotels in the Glacier Park area, it is still
in business today. While we there the Amtrak Empire Builder arrived at the station just across the highway from the chalet,
this was a nice surprise for all of us.

After a visit to East Glacier we arrived at the "Holy Grail" of great Northern, the Isaac Wlaton Inn at Essex, Montana. The staff
provided a nice barbecued lunch for our group and we had several hours to explore the grounds and visit the gift shop inside
the hotel. While we were there the BNSF provided us with a nice display of snow removal and other MOW equipment, which
was parked on a siding behind the hotel. The Isaac Walton Inn was the site of the first GNRHS convention, back in 1979.

The Belton Chalet dedication plaque	Our visit to the Belton Chalet
Amtrak's Empire Builder arriving at Belton.	This trip featured the president's private car.
East Glacier Lodge, a former GN station	The Isaac Walton Inn at Essex, Montana.
A barbecue lunch was provided for our group.	BNSF provided a "hands on" display of MOW equipment.
Up close and personal with a Jordan Spreader.	The temperature was in the high 80's F.
A visit from a westbound BNSF freight.	The Isaac Walton Inn and railyard at Essex, Montana.

Wednesday saw us visiting the old GN station at Whitefish, Montana for the official dedication of the restored "Bruck" which
is on display there. The Bruck is part bus and part truck, it was built for the GN by Kenworth in 1951 to serve the Whitefish to
Kalispell route and carry passengers as well as Baggage and freight to and from the GN station at Whitefish. Bruck was
retired from the route when Amtrak took over the passenger service in 1972 and was found rusting in salvage yard in 1999.
She was purchased and donated to the Stumptown Historical Society that year and has been restored for static display by the
GNRHS. Unfortunately her engine is not in operating condition.

"Rocky" at the old GN station (now Amtrak) at Whitefish.	GNRHS President Duane Buck (L) presenting a Bruck dedication plaque to the Stumptown Historical Soc.
GN No. 181 on permanent display at Whitefish, Montana.	The newly dedicated Bruck.
Built by Kenworth the Bruck served GN passengers travelling between Kalispell and Whitefish from 1951 until 1972, averaging six trips per day. Rescued from a salvage yard in 1999 she was restored for static display at Whitefish, Montana by the GNRHS.

Francina and I had a great time at the Kalispell convention, meeting many new friends and enjoying to beautiful countryside
and warm summer weather. This was our first GNRHS convention, but it won't be our last. The 2007 convention is at Minot,
North Dakota, and that might be great opportunity to ride the Empire Builder.

Article and photos by Tom Carr