For the full-page advertisement on the front cover of this timetable, Southern Pacific hired a 23-year-old artist named Norman Todhunter, whose father, Francis Todhunter, was also a commercial artist. Norman later became known as a postage stamp designer who encouraged … Continue reading
Category Archives: Southern Pacific
The Depression was ending, finally, and Southern Pacific and its partner railroads were increasing their passenger service. This timetable advertises the San Francisco Challenger, an economy train inspired by the success of Union Pacific’s Challenger to Los Angeles. This timetable … Continue reading
This timetable represents a momentous occasion: the introduction of the streamlined City of San Francisco, the first regularly scheduled streamliner to operate on the Southern Pacific. The full-page ad on the front cover announces “an entirely new kind of train, … Continue reading
Today’s booklet was advertised in yesterday’s timetable as an “example of the principles of fine book-making applied to travel literature.” While it only superficially resembles a fine book, it is certainly a lavish travel booklet. At 9″x12″, it is much … Continue reading
This timetable advertises a 32-page booklet about Mexico sold by SP for 25 cents (about $5 today), calling it “an effective example of the principles of fine book-making applied to travel literature.” I’ll present this booklet here tomorrow. Click image … Continue reading
This brochure promotes the Playa De Cortés (Cortés Beach) Hotel and travel to Mexico in general on SP’s route down the West Coast of that nation. The brochure is undated, but it does say that the hotel will open “starting … Continue reading
We’ve already seen an SP timetable dated August, 1935, but that one was 16 pages long. This one is 48 pages and includes lots of local and branchline trains that aren’t listed on the other one. The shorter one also … Continue reading
Comparing this timetable to the 1929 edition presented a few days ago shows the toll the Depression took on passenger service. Where that timetable had two trains a day between New Orleans and Los Angeles, three a day between Chicago … Continue reading
Here are more Southern Pacific menus featuring covers by Bay Area artist Michel Kady. These were used during a trip by the 1934 University of Southern California football team to play the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh. USC lost that … Continue reading
The painting on the cover of this menu is signed Michel Kady, a San Francisco Bay Area artist who lived from 1901 to 1977. In addition to doing ads for other California companies such as North American Aviation, Kady’s art … Continue reading