VINTAGE 1947 Great Northern Railway Empire Builder Jacket Souvenir Sutherland Co For Sale

Estate find. Passed down through the same Minnesota family.

An extraordinarily rare piece of post-WWII American railroad history.

This is an original 1947 Great Northern Railway (GNR) Employee Uniform Jacket, manufactured by The Sutherland Co. out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to regional historical provenance, this jacket was specifically commissioned by the GNR for the high-profile February 23, 1947 grand reopening and relaunch of the Empire Builder—the railroad’s legendary flagship streamlined passenger train. This event marked the historic post-war debut of GNR’s ultra-modern Pullman-Standard fleet and their striking new Omaha Orange and Pullman Green corporate color scheme.

Features:

Historic Provenance: Manufactured explicitly for the 1947 streamline fleet inauguration.

Iconic Embroidery: Features the large, original circular "Great Northern Railway" Rocky the Mountain Goat patch on the back, and the rare teal/orange "Empire Builder" oval patch on the sleeve.

Period-Correct Hardware: Features its original, beautifully working heavy-duty CROWN zipper pull, a hallmark of premium mid-century outerwear.

Construction: Shimmering Omaha Orange satin exterior with contrasting Pullman Green pocket welts and shoulder piping. Insulated with a dense green pile wool-blend lining for trackside/platform wear.

Flat Measurements (Jacket Zipped Up):

Chest (Pit to Pit): 23.5 inches (Measures between 23" and 24")

Length (Back Collar Base to Bottom Hem): 23.5 inches

Sleeve Length (Shoulder Seam to Cuff): 25 inches

Shoulder Width (Seam to Seam across the back): 18.5 inches

Fits closely to a modern Men's size Medium or short-waisted, tailored large.

An absolute holy grail for Great Northern Railroad collectors, streamliner era historians, and high-end vintage workwear archivists alike. Shipped securely from a smoke-free home.

Please review all photos for condition. Zipper in good working condition.