The Great Northern

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Next on…
“In Search Of…
Unsolved Mysteries”
We go in search of…
The Great Northern Railroad
&
Great Northern Beans…
Any relation?
You be the judge…

The Great Northern Railroad, James Jerome Hill’s railroad empire, conquering the northern wilderness of North America from Chicago to Seattle. A rugged and self-made railroad, much like Hill himself.

Great Northern Beans, traditionally prepared in North America as Boston Baked Beans. Great Northern Beans are small and naturally bland. Mostly they are used in soups. In France they are used in cassoulet (a white bean casserole).

Great Northern Beans and the Great Northern Railroad. Very dissimilar in characteristics, yet they share the same name. What’s the connection? Perhaps long ago hoboes ate Great Northern Beans in hoboe jungles along the Great Northern Railroad during the Great Depression. Or perhaps there’s an extra-terrestrial connection?

Could the Great Northern ever be run on Mars? Mars… the red planet. Great Northern… the red/orange railroad… is there a conspiracy? A secret government cover-up plot to mine the deposits of Mars? Mine them for what? Beans! GREAT Northern Beans.

(all images used without permission[:p])

Sources:
The Great Railroads of North America. 1999, Bill Yenne, gen. ed.
Great Northern Beans - Food, Facts, & Trivia. http://www.foodreference.com/html/fgreatnorthernb.html <

2

I maybe wrong but the early settlers to The Northern Plains named the beans after the railroad that transported them to market. Seems I read this somewhere recently. I wished I had never opened this forum now will lose nights sleep until I remeber where I read it.

3

Hmmm… makes a strong case for beans…

4

Did the Great Northern ever have Mars lights on their locomotives? Mars is really in Pennsylvania north of Pittsburgh. The B&O used to serve it but now it’s the Allegheny Valley.
Or is Mars north of Chicago on the Metra/Milwaukee Road line to Elgin?

5

In my opinion the GN was a icon of the times so the bean company who beans were grewn in the great north was just another company who took the GN name to sell more cans. [8D][:p]

[quote]
Originally posted by ironhorseman

6

You can take the Milwaukee District West Line to Mars from Chicago Union Station. It’s actually the stop near the M&M/Mars candy plant on Chicago’s West Side.

7

Nanaimo:

The “WUSSY” Great Northern orange survived into the best run railroad of the Big 4.
If memory serves me the Milwaukee developed into nothin but a branch of the “CP”.

Ringer
God Bless the Great Northern

8

beans beans the magical fruit the more you eat 'em the more you…