TREGO, Wis. – A former Great Northern Railway ranch car that was once part of the storied Empire Builder streamliner has been purchased and moved to the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad in Trego. The ranch car, No. 1244, named White Pines Lake, was purchased from a former conference center operation in Columbus, Ohio, in January 2023. It was recently trucked from Ohio to Northwest Wisconsin completing eight days of work as part of the move.
The car was one of six coffee shop lounge cars built by American Car & Foundry in 1951 for GN’s newly branded “Mid-Century Empire Builder.” Five of the cars survive today. The car sports an iconic interior from the streamliner era, based on a Montana ranch house.
The car is planned to improve the experience of first-class ticket holders on the overnight bed and breakfast and dinner trains operated out of Trego. Few alterations were made to the car during its operation as part of the conference center. “We made a thorough inspection of the car and realized it would fit into our business plan for the Bed & Breakfast Dinner train,” said Wisconsin Great Northern President Greg Vreeland.
The car still retains its original Great Northern décor, including seating at the bar, art-deco style Great Northern interior lettering and several western paintings and wood artwork. Four original Great Northern decorative branding irons are part of the interior.
Modern heating and air conditioning systems were installed beneath the car when it was at the conference center. WGN repaired and upgraded its electrical systems to 480-volt operation and have replaced a water tank and waste tank to make the car self-contained.
One major modification was a large hole cut in the middle of one side to connect it to the conference center. That door will now be used to service the bar area of the ranch car.
Another ranch car, No. 1242 Hidden Lake, is currently under restoration at the Niles Canyon Railway in Sunol, Calif.
Restoration work continues on the Mark Twain Zephyr streamliner that WGN purchased in 2019. For more information go to spoonertrainride.com.
The hole in the wall was already there from its use when up in Maine to allow handicap access.
The lunch counter is not considered a ‘bar area’.