Railthunder, thanks for sharing the pix of a truly beautiful train. Indeed, Northern Pacific knew how to run passenger trains and the North Coast Limited was a Train deLuxe if there ever was one! The NP also knew how to professionally promote the territory it served including Yellowstone National Park.
It's a tragedy that the NP route through Montana was sold to Montana Rail Link, thus severing part of the NP's mainline to the Pacific Northwest. Of course, MRL has become a modern railroad success story in itself, considering how much track in the U.S. has disappeared over the last say 50 years or so. Much of this track came up as a result of the Merger Madness that for the most part originated in the 60s.
Not to forget that the creation of Burlington Northern in 1970 saw a lot of track removed too. Not without blunders of course, which included the NP's line over Stampede Pass, which was sold and became a Washington State regional. Then came the abandonment of the SP&S in Eastern Washington, and not to forget the sale of the NP Montana track to MRL. Even Great Northern's former Hillyard in Spokane came up as a resulf of perhaps (?) another smart move which can be credited to "Big Nothin" (as some railfans came to call BN) gross mismanagement.
Of course, it must be remembered that BN was forced to swallow one of their big blunders big time on a silver platter, when it reached the decision that it was in the best interest of the railroad to repurchase the NP Stampede Pass line back, not to forget at a fancy inflated price as well. Most railfans remember this was due to the unexpected overnight explosive traffic growth as it began to emerge from the Asian Pacific market. As a result, it litterally taxed the former GN, as well as the remander of the SP&S, to the limit.
Fast Forward to Century 21: It's a pity a privately owned North Coast Limited Cruise Train can't emerge from the ashes of what had become one of the most popular elegant passenger trains in North America. Picture with me if you will, P40s in the two-tone green and powering a set of brand spanking new cars, built from the plans of the original cars?
ALL ABOARRRRRRD! ... as you prepare to take the ride of a lifetime, to enjoy the splender of the Great Pacific Northwest and sheer beauty of Yellowstone National Park along the way, on the all new North Coast Limited!