This booklet describes a dozen different escorted tours, most of them lasting two weeks. The least-expensive tour drops visitors at a hotel in Manitou Springs and leaves them there for ten days with a coupon book for day trips to … Continue reading
The text in the 1913 edition of Turquoise Skies is attributed to, or at least copyrighted by, L.M. Allen, who was Rock Island’s passenger traffic manager, even though John Sebastian was still Rock Island’s third vice-president in charge of passenger … Continue reading
The 1907 edition of Under the Turquoise Sky has a much nicer cover than the 1905 version. This image probably represents a scene in what would become Rocky Mountain National Park, where the Trail Ridge Road reaches dizzying heights. While … Continue reading
We have already seen a 1902 booklet by this name, as well as at least four later editions. The 1902 version contained text written by “Henry P. Phelps of New York,” who wrote travel booklets for several railroads. This one … Continue reading
We’ve previously seen a dinner menu for the Golden State Limited from about 1940 and one for the … Continue reading
The first cover today commemorates the 30th anniversary of the first run of the California Zephyr. Postmarked March 17, 1979, in Bond, Colorado, the envelope includes a printed note saying that it was carried from Denver to Bond on the … Continue reading
Although the American Freedom Train that was put together for the Bicentennial used two different steam locomotives at different times, the one that made the lasting impression — and that is still active today — was the Southern Pacific 4449. … Continue reading
I’ve probably read more about the Arizona Limited than the Choctaw Rocket, Zephyr-Rocket, and Californian combined. The Choctaw Rocket was a secondary train to the Memphis-California, the Californian itself was a secondary train to the Golden State Limited, while the … Continue reading
This brochure presents the Californian as a direct competitor to the Challenger, Union Pacific’s budget alternative to the Los Angeles Limited and Overland Limited. The Challengers operated at approximately the same schedules as their higher-priced counterparts, leaving Chicago or the … Continue reading
The Burlington and Rock Island railroads each served both Minneapolis and St. Louis, but the shortest Burlington route between the two cities was 615 miles and the shortest Rock Island route was much longer. By using the Rock Island for … Continue reading
