GN 1291 St. Nicholas Mountain Restoration

St. Nicholas Mountain is one of six tall-window observation cars built by American Car & Foundry for the Mid-Century Empire Builder. Introduced in 1951, St. Nicholas Mountain and her sisters were an immediate success. Her twenty tall windows provided a splendid view of the seemingly endless plains of the upper Midwest, and of the spectacular mountain scenery along Glacier Park and through the Cascades. With comfortable seating for thirty-six and a beautifully crafted interior the lounge and observation rooms provided a great place to relax and take in the scenery while enjoying a nice conversation and a drink served by the courteous car attendant.

For many years St. Nicholas Mountain remained in private hands for possible conversion into a business car but was eventually put up for sale. In June 2004, Ben Ringnalda acquired St. Nicholas Mountain, an event that marked the beginning of the restoration of this beautiful car.

St. Nicholas Mountain will be brought back to original, as-delivered, condition. She will be used as a Private Railcar and made available for pre-arranged and chartered rail journeys anywhere across the continent. St. Nicholas Mountain will be fully Amtrak certified but will retain that splendid look she had when she first rolled off the assembly line more than 50 years ago.

This website details the design, history and restoration of this great tall-window observation car. Please follow along with the restoration of this truly remarkable car!

Site URL: http://www.stnicholasmountain.com
Date resource added: 13-Nov-2006
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