Southern Pacific issued several portfolios like this one with names like Scenic Grandeur of the West and Scenic California. Each contained 16 color or colorized photos “suitable for framing.” The ones we’ve previously seen that are dated 1943 say they … Continue reading
Like the July timetable shown here a couple of days ago, this one is 24 pages long. The main difference between the two is that this one shows the schedule of the Arizona Limited, which was then in its second … Continue reading
This issue of West is the second to advertise southern Arizona as a winter destination. The first one was undated but was from late 1940; I guessed December. This one is marked September, 1941, so I now suspect the first … Continue reading
This timetable has just 24 pages. The back cover (shown below) doesn’t say so, but the front cover says, in tiny print, “Condensed Through Schedules.” There are no full-page ads, timetables are abbreviated, and the station index is reduced from … Continue reading
“Five More!” brags the cover of this issue of West, referring to five new streamlined trains being put into service by Southern Pacific. Two of these were for the overnight Lark, two were the San Joaquin Daylights, and the fifth … Continue reading
The front cover of this timetable advertises a new train and a renewed train. The new train was the Beaver, which was also introduced with the June 1940 issue of Southern Pacific’s West periodical. The Beaver was SP’s budget train … Continue reading
Southern Pacific commissioned a San Francisco writer named H.K. Reynolds to spend three weeks traveling in Mexico and report on his journey. Due to the language barrier, most Americans considered Mexico a somewhat mysterious place. SP hoped to break down … Continue reading
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
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
