The Columbia River Highway has been built, which dates this postcard to 1917 or later. The fuzzy white thing on the rocky outcropping on the right is probably supposed to be the Vista House, which was built shortly after the … Continue reading
Most western national parks had short seasons of around June 15 through September 15. But Union Pacific could offer a winter destination as well: Death Valley, which had a “delightful climate,” at least after November 2, when the 1928 season … Continue reading
When Burlington inaugurated the vista-dome Twin Zephyrs in 1947, it moved the 1936 edition of the Twin Zephyrs to Chicago-Lincoln service, renaming them the Nebraska Zephyrs. The engines and cars were still named after Greek and Roman gods. The best … 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
As previously noted, the Southern Pacific was the last of the three “overland” railroads to actually use the name Overland Limited, as Union Pacific and Chicago & North Western began using the name no later than 1895 while SP did … Continue reading
For more than three decades, the Great Big Baked Potato was a mainstay of Northern Pacific advertising. Many of the ads featured the same image of a potato on a plate (Garnet pattern of China), with a spoon on the … Continue reading
If the Western Star was downgraded after 1967, its rival the Mainstreeter was never really upgraded. While the Star began in 1951 as a completely streamlined train, the Mainstreeter was inaugurated on November 16, 1952 with Diesels and streamlined coaches, … Continue reading
After the GN had painted one set of Empire Builder equipment Big Sky Blue, it ran a publicity train from Chicago to Seattle. After that, the newly painted cars were mixed in with the orange-and-green cars and it is difficult … Continue reading
In lieu of canceling train service (which generally required either federal or state approval), various ways that railroads attempted to save money in the face of declining ridership included: 1. Simplifying exterior paint schemes; 2. Simplifying dining car menus; 3. … Continue reading
In 1926, the Northern Pacific Railway became the first to use a 4-8-4 locomotive, which is why this wheel arrangement is often called a Northern. To publicize this achievement, the railway hired Austrian artist Gustav Krollmann to paint scenes along … Continue reading
