Passenger Train Identification

[airdescent]

I took a trip from Buffalo to Los Angles when I was a teenager in July 1962.  I am now trying to identify the trains that I was traveling on. 

The first leg was New York Central Buffalo to Chicago, the only thing that I remember was it traveled thur Ontario Canada in the middle of the night.

The second leg was Santa Fe to LA.  I thought it was the El Capitan, it had double height cars but it also had sleepers, so now I'm confused.  It traveled thru Kansas in the morning hours and passed thru Needles CA about 4am. I also remember that it stopped on Raton Pass and had to send for helper locomotives to get over the top.

The third leg was Union Pacific LA to Chicago, the only thing I remember is it traveled thru Wyoming in the middle of the night.

The last leg was New York Central Chicago to Buffalo, and all I remember was traveling thru Ohio along Lake Erie in the early evening.

 I would appreciate any help with the identification of any of these trains. 

Thanks 

[Texas Chief]

I don't know about the other legs, but the second leg was the Super Chief/El Capitan combined. They were combined in January 1958 and run that way right up untill Amtrak.

 Dick

Texas Chief

[KCSfan]

The Buffalo-Chicago part of your trip was very likely on the NYC North Shore Limited lv Buffalo @9:53 pm and arr Chicago @7:30 am. This train operated via Detroit and ran through Canada over the NYC's Canada Southern Division from Niagra Falls, Ont. to Windsor, Ont.

I think Texas Chief has pegged the Chicago-LA leg of your trip correctly. While the El Capitan was previously an all coach hi-level train, sleepers became part of the consist when it was combined with the Super Chief. I don't have a timetable for the early 60's so I'm unable to give you departure and arrival times or the time of the Needles station stop.

Someone else will have to come up with the identity of the UP train you rode from LA-Chi.

I believe your return from Chi-Buffalo was on the NYC's Fifth Ave-Cleveland Limited lv Chicago @11:00 am and arr Buffalo @10:45 pm. It departed Cleveland @7:05 pm which would have put it along Lake Erie in the early evening hours.

Mark

  

[wjstix]

In steam days NYC had trains called the "Niagara" and the "Canadian" that went Buffalo to Chicago thru Canada (Michigan Central and I presume Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo) but not sure if those trains (or train names) were still around in '62. NYC sometimes changed train names while keeping basically the same service. Maybe check with NYC hist. society??

[timz]

The third leg was Union Pacific LA to Chicago, the only thing I remember is it traveled thru Wyoming in the middle of the night.

I'm not home to check the timetables, but I think that rules out the City of LA and maybe the City of StL as well. That leaves the mail train.

[Anonymous]

airdescent, nobody has posted anything definite about the 3rd leg of your journey, and although I don't have a July 1962 timetable, I do have an October 1965 public timetable, an older 1954 Official Guide, and the last timetable prior to the AMTRAK takeover.

I traveled with my son from Denver to Los Angeles the summer of 1967.  We left Denver late, missed the first seating for dinner as we were sight seeing in the dome car, and when we went down for the second seating were told there wouldn't be one as the train was so late and the diner was being dropped at Ogden. This was at 10 pm.  The train was hauled backwards to Salt Lake City where we dashed into the station for something to eat only to find nothing available but a vending machines. The times in the '65 timetable match what I remember of the trip.

Notice that the Challenger has exactly the same schedule as the City of Los Angeles. From Ogden on our 'City of Denver' was merged with the City of Los Angeles.  This train was often referred to as ' The City of Everywhere'.  The Train with No Name, Number 6-8 runs through Wyoming in the midnight hours.

Here is the condensed schedule for October 65.




And this is a page from the June 1954 Official Guide. Notice that the Challenger has it's own schedule here, not running with 'The City of Everywhere'.  I don't know when the merged schedules took place; maybe one of the readers knows.

Hope this helps.

Art

[airdescent]

Thank You, Art

Your description of the UP trains part of the trip is very helpfull

 

Jim