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I have not read Craig Johnson, but his Longmyre series is very popular, what with the TV series and all. The 13th book in the series is Western Star and some sort of homage to trains. At any rate, I'm posting to let interested folks know that it is on sale, at least for today, for $1.99 at amazon/kindle, if you buy kindle e-books.
palmland Member # 4344
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Thanks, Sojourner. We enjoyed the Longmire series very much, at least until Netflix took it over when it got a little weird. We’ll download it.
Western Star was Great Northern’s (now BNSF) very nice, if secondary, train to the Empire Builder.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Mr. Palmland is on mark noting that the GN Western Star was "Nice" as second trains went. That train, routed by way of both Fargo and Great Falls, even had pick up and set out Pullman lines at Glacier Park. While I'm sure some heavyweights, including open Sections, were in the consist and there were no domes, it did have a wide window Obs much as did The Century.
GN even had a THIRD transcon, the Fast Mail. Now that one, had Head end on the rear as well as on the head, and the Coaches (only) were HW, but of course nicely maintained.
The NP had only The Mainstreeter as a second train; that was a pile of Head End cars with a feature car called the Holiday Lounge, which was configured as a Parlor/Café and which were the backups when a North Coast Travelers Rest was shopped.
Now on "my" MILW, the Olympian Hiawatha was adios during '61 and that was after it was stripped of both the Skytop Obs and Dome. It was cut to a Mpls-Butte Coach only and further to a Mpls-Aberdeen run before it finally was dead. I don't think the secondary train, The Columbian, made it much beyond the Korean War.
Finally, in the linked video, the "Ticket Agent" was long time Chicago (various stations) news anchor, Fahey Flynn.
palmland Member # 4344
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GBN, my brother and I had a work session on our model railroad today. During our lunch break, we usually watch a model railroad video. Today we saw your link to the Olympian Hiawatha. Even if those days are long past, we thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks. Hard to believe the 'progress' we've made in passenger rail in the past 75 years.
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