Older transcontinental trains

[agentatascadero]

We should all have an old Official Guide. Anyone near to Sacramento should visit the library at the rail museum, they may have a complete set of copies. And they DO have a complete set of bound TRAINS mag. I have ridden the Argonaut and the Gold Coast end to end.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

On GN, the Oriental Limited was renamed the Western Star when it received the Empire Builder's original streamlined equipment when the Empire Builder was itself re-equipped.

[passengerfan]

Thx fiverings for the Milwaukee Road Info It will help me in a research project I am working on
Passengerfan

[Anonymous]

Milwaukee Road's principal transcontinental train was the Olympian, trains 15 and 16. It began operation in May 1911 and lasted until May 1961 (from June 1947 under the name Olympian Hiawatha, and with a substantially faster schedule).

The secondary transcon on the Milwaukee was the Columbian, trains 17 and 18. It began operation at the same time as the Olympian, but was discontinued in 1931. The train was reinstated in June 1947 (coincident with initiation of the Olympian Hiawatha). In January 1955 the Columbian was reduced to a Chicago-Avery, Idaho train, and was discontinued entirely in April 1957.

[passengerfan]

UP829 Thanks for the information I have the Steam Steel and Ltd. book and guess I was tired or just overlooked the info. Another good source has been The Trains We Rode by Beebe and Clegg a two volume set but was vague on this info.
If you ever need any help with passenger info will try and find for you.

[Anonymous]

One of my favorite books covering the limiteds is Kratville's "Steam, Steel. and Limiteds". The book says the top U.P. train in 1929 was the Portland Limited. The Rose took over in 1930. It doesn't say if the Portland Limited continued to run. It does mention a train called the Continental Limited, but doesn't give the years of service. Another interesting U.P. train is the Pacific Limited. It ran in sections, sometimes all the way from Omaha to L.A. Oakland, and Portland. A book I have has a picture of it leaving Portland behind a 2-tone grey-painted Pacific, so it lasted well into the City-era.

The N.P. ran a train called the Mainstreeter, often as a second section to the North Coast. I'm not sure if it was a limited, but the Great Northern ran the Fast Mail for many years. The book mentions a Milw train called the Columbian, but doesn't give it's status or years in service.

[passengerfan]

I know the UP primary passenger train between Chicago and Portland in 1929 was the PORTLAND ROSE how about the name of the secondary train.
Also the NP primary train between Chicago and the Northwest was the NORTH COAST LIMITED and the secondary train was the ALASKAN were their any others in this time period.
The GN introduced the EMPIRE BUILDER during 1929 as the primary train between Chicago and the Northwest and the secondary was the ORIENTAL LIMITED Any others?
The Milwaukee Road operated the OLYMPIAN did they have a secondary at that time between Chicago and the Northwest?
THX