This 1941 update is only 44 pages long, and doesn’t repeat information about the trains listed in the 1938 and 1939 reports. It does briefly list the equipment of new trains: Zephyr-Rocket, Santa Fe Tulsan, Rock Island’s Choctaw Rocket, Rock … Continue reading
I previously presented the 1938 Report on Streamline, Light-Weight, High-Speed Passenger Trains by Coverdale and Colpitts. This is the 1939 update of that report. The updates includes detailed financial information about most of the streamlined trains that began operating in … Continue reading
The failure of the 1956 super lightweight trains left the rail industry discouraged about the future of passenger rail service. While the Burlington, Santa Fe, and a few other railroads persevered, most rail officials felt that it was only a … Continue reading
Page 109 of a 2002 book on rail posters, Travel by Train, says, Out West, a coalition of nearly thirty railroads pooled their resources against the auto and introduced the “Travel by Train” campaign. Their cooperative effort produced nearly a … Continue reading
This photo of Pleasure Dome 501 was taken on January 29, 1951, the day the Pleasure Domes were first introduced to regular service on the Super Chief. Click image for a larger view. With the delivery of new Pullman-built sleepers … Continue reading
The domeliner–a streamlined train with domecars–was the pinnacle of passenger train development. The railroads tried several new ideas after domes were developed, but only one of them–the Santa Fe hi-level cars–was successful. I’ll always feel that riding in a dome … Continue reading
Streamlining meant several things to railroad passengers. It meant newer, flashier trains, either stainless steel or painted in bright colors, inside and out. It meant more comfortable trains, with Heywood-Wakefield seats, air conditioning, and large windows for viewing scenery. And, … Continue reading
I recently scanned a library copy of of the 1950 update to the 1938 Report on Streamline Trains. The report is something of a disappointment, mainly because most railroads had stopped keeping track of (or at least releasing) data for … Continue reading
