Here’s a March, 1955 brochure describing Union Pacific’s new American Car & Foundry-built dome cars. The domes in the coaches, say the brochure, are distinctive by having “divan-type seats” that are angled so “the aisle seats are slightly forward of … Continue reading
Back in 1951, the Union Pacific wanted potential passengers to know that coaches were comfortable and economical. The brochure especially emphasizes the streamliners, noting that coaches on the City of Los Angeles, City of Portland, and City of San Francisco … Continue reading
Playing on the “progress” theme of Chicago’s 1933 Century of Progress fair, the Milwaukee Road presented its version of what would soon be called a streamlined passenger car. It has roughly the same profile of future streamlined cars, instead of … Continue reading
This undated brochure doesn’t mention air conditioning or roller bearings, suggesting that it was printed before the mid-1930s. Northern Pacific was proud of its dining car service, having been the first transcontinental railway to offer a dining car on its … Continue reading
Like the Western Star, which brought many tourists to Glacier Park in tour cars from other railroads, the NP used the Mainstreeter to bring tour cars to Livingston, where they would board buses to Yellowstone Park. By the mid-1960s, however, … Continue reading
“An impressive feature of the Great Domes is the dramatic use of color and art in the interiors,” says this little brochure about the Great Domes. “Developed by Philip Will Jr., nationally known Chicago architect, the decor was inspired by … Continue reading
On May 29 1955–barely a month after the inauguration of the Canadian–the Great Northern added domes to the Empire Builder. Like the Union Pacific, the GN was a reluctant dome-car buyer, but was forced to do so to meet competition … Continue reading
In 1958, the Budd Company’s continuing quest to one-up the Pullman Company resulted in the development of the Slumbercoach, a sleeping car with 40 beds. Though one was used by the porter, this was still far more than the 22 … Continue reading
In 1944, Cyrus Osborn, a General Motors vice president in charge of its Electro-Motive Division that built Diesel locomotives, rode in the cab of a Rio Grande Diesel through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado. “If the traveling public only knew what … Continue reading
Easily the equal of Union Pacific’s pre-war Little Nugget or Frontier Shack cars, the Ranch car was the most distinctive car on the 1951 Empire Builder, which made it (in the early 1950s at least) the most distinctive car on … Continue reading
