Wisconsin Great Northern
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Everlasting
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For a brief period of time beginning in the 1890’s and ending in the late 1930’s, thirteen chapel cars roamed the newly laid rails of the western United States from Chicago to the West Coast. The purpose of these “churches on wheels” was to bring the word of God to the frontier towns along the new railroads. The primary mission was to unite settlers and put together new congregations in these developing towns. Many town sites during this period of time came and went as quickly as the railroads could lay track on their advance westward. The churches of the time did not want to waste valuable resources by constructing buildings in locations that would not develop into permanent communities. Thus the chapel car could be parked next to the station and serve the community and allow residents to worship together and unite for the purpose of building a lasting community and parish.The Railroad Chapel Car . . .
These cars were built by the most famous car builders for three separate denominations. There were three Episcopal cars: The Cathedral Car of North Dakota, and the two cars of Upper Michigan; three Catholic Extension Society cars: St. Anthony, St. Peter, and St. Paul; and seven American Baptist Publication Society cars: Evangel, Emmanuel, Glad Tidings, Good Will, Messenger of Peace, Herald of Hope, and Grace. Of these cars only three remain: Emmanuel is currently being restored at Prairie Village in South Dakota, St. Paul is owned by a private collector in Michigan, and Grace is at the American Baptist Assembly in Green Lake, Wisconsin.
In the fall of 1996, Greg Vreeland, General Manager of the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad had the opportunity to work for a couple of months on the movement of chapel car St. Paul from a mountain top display site in southeastern Montana, some 30 miles to the railhead, then travel with the car across the country to its current location in a private collection in Michigan. while working on this project the concept for The Great Wedding Train was conceived. At that time he made a pledge to build a replica of the car and planned to get married in it following its' completion. Over the ensuing years the details surrounding The Great Wedding Train were refined and in the spring of 2003, while shopping for furniture for a contract passenger car rebuild project in Georgia, he came across the 1876 Peloubet, Pelton & Co. pump organ that is one of the center pieces of Everlasting.Chapel Car Everlasting . . .
Planning for the actual construction of Chapel Car Everlasting has been going on for years. During this period of time several different car shells have been considered as the starting point for conversion. The plan had always called for a single chapel car, but during the planning for a wedding held on the train in October 2003, it became apparent that a single chapel car could only handle a limited number of guests and that many wedding parties would no want to be so constrained. This brought about the need for a companion car, which we'll refer to as a presentation car for the purpose of multiple use.
Conversion of chapel car Everlasting from a commuter coach began in mid-February 2004 and was completed on June 5, 2004. The chapel car is decorated in such a way as to resemble a historic small chapel in the spirit of the original chapel cars. The car features varnished red oak throughout; the oak church pews came from a small church in Grafton, North Dakota, and were stripped, sanded, stained and varnished. The alter, lectern, and communion railing were acquired through Ebay from a church in Vincennes, Indiana, and are currently in their original blonde finish. The alter area also features stained glass windows which were custom made by Gloria Vreeland and Jodi Slick, the General Manager's mother and sister. Extra large picture windows line the sides of the seating area so that guests may have the opportunity to enjoy the scenery as The Great Wedding Train moves between the station and the ceremony location.
The chapel car also features a clergy preparation room behind the alter, a passageway to the adjoining cars, a state of the art audio/video control room and of course the pump organ. The car is carpeted throughout and features beautiful ceiling fixtures as well as wall sconces. Rich oak trim accents the light blue ceiling. The car will have four video cameras to provide closed circuit video to the presentation car once completed.
The presentation car will be decorated in such a way as to utilize the ambiance of the wooden interior of the chapel car without the obvious religious undertone. The car will also feature moveable furniture which will allow the car to be used for other events as well. At the leading end of the car, a large screen will be installed with a video projector displaying the activities taking place in the adjacent chapel car. The cars will be arranged in the train such that the wedding party will first pass through the presentation car then march down the isle of the chapel car.
Until the presentation car is finished we will utilize our lounge car Arrowhead for overflow ceremony seating. This will permit a total ceremony capacity of 170 during the 2006 operating season. Upon completion of the presentation car in early 2007, the total seating capacity will be increased to 200. This number will also coincide with the seating capacity of the dining cars on the train. Additional, capacity is possible by holding the reception under our new Big Top tent!
Our photo gallery below shows many pictures of Everlasting following completion in June.
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