To emphasize both freight and passenger, many railroads used the slogan, “Ship and travel [railroad name],” especially on things like note pads that were designed to advertise both. This one from the Chicago An estimated 50% of men age 40 … Continue reading
Unlike yesterday’s stationery, this one lists the Chicago and North Western as the connecting railroad from Chicago to Omaha. It also has a nice little graphic of the sun setting behind the Golden Gate, entrance to San Francisco Bay. Click … Continue reading
“With the single exception of its eastern counterpart The 20th Century Limited,” wrote Lucius Beebe, the Overland Limited was for a period of time “the most radiant and celebrated train name in America.” Where the Century survived as a premiere … Continue reading
This 1940 brochure notes that the Pacific Limited was “completely air conditioned,” including both coaches and Pullmans. The Pacific Limited was a distinctly secondary train on the Chicago-San Francisco route, a cut above the Challenger but not as luxurious as … Continue reading
Out of the 120,000 or so steam locomotives built and used in the United States, only about 220 were streamlined–or, as the Chicago & North Western called it, steamlined–for passenger service. Railroads went to the trouble to streamline steam locomotives … Continue reading
A consulting firm named Coverdale and Colpitts (now part of URS) once did a variety of economic analyses for the rail industry. In 1935, the firm published a report on the Burlington Zephyrs, followed by reports in 1938, 1939, 1941, … Continue reading
The Burlington not only had to compete with the Union Pacific in the Chicago-Denver market, it had two other entrenched rivals in the Chicago-Twin Cities corridor. The routes of both of the other railroads, the Chicago & North Western and … Continue reading
