As previously mentioned here, in 1926 the Santa Fe introduced the Chief, which went between Chicago and Los Angeles in 63 hours, five hours faster than previous trains. The railroad also charged a $10 extra fare (about $175 in today’s … Continue reading
Category Archives: Golden State
The purpose of this booklet isn’t entirely clear. The main cover shown below (which, this being the Rock Island, is the back cover) is boring and uninformative. The front cover is the painting of Carriso Gorge by W.H. Bull, which … Continue reading
Because of the San Francisco and San Diego exhibitions celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal, “California the wonderland, with two Expositions, will be irresistible” in 1915, says this booklet. For easterners who could not resist, the Golden State Limited … Continue reading
In late 1901, Rock Island completed a 264-mile extension from Liberal, Kansas to Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Its goal was to reach coal mines that were opening up in the territory, which wouldn’t become a state until 1912. To that … Continue reading
Having lost the speed race when UP and Santa Fe reduced the times of their premiere Chicago-Los Angeles trains to 39-3/4 hours, Southern Pacific/Rock Island’s Golden State was a distinctly third-rate train in the 1950s. So this six-panel welcome-aboard brochure … Continue reading
We’ve previously seen a dinner menu for the Golden State Limited from about 1940 and one for the … Continue reading
We’ve seen the Rock Island’s booklet about the Golden State. Here is Southern Pacific’s brochure about the same train. Perhaps it is a brochure rather than a 16-page booklet because SP was less enthusiastic about running the train. Click image … Continue reading
This menu is undated, but the fact that it is for the Golden State Limited tells us that it from before 1947, as the train’s name was changed to just Golden State in that year. The prices on the menu … Continue reading
This card is for E-7 locomotives built for the Golden State. The back of the card provides specifications similar to the … Continue reading
This dinner menu dates from 1965. Though a single card the same size as the 1966 breakfast menu, the smaller print indicates a wider variety of choices. Still, rivals City of Los Angeles and Super Chief/El Capitan continued to use … Continue reading