SP&S Passenger Trains

[SPer]

while the Great Northern ran the Empire Builder and Northern Pacific ran the North Coast Limited solely on their own lines, did the SP&S ran their own passenger trains on their own lines.

[Overmod]

Wiki says they did, and names a couple of name trains.  (Of course most of the SP&S passenger operation was the 'parent' companies' more famous named trains.)

[wjstix]

Technically any passenger train on the SP&S was an SP&S train. The Spokane to Portland section of the Empire Builder (for example) was an SP&S train, using SP&S locomotives. GN preferred to have "EMPIRE BUILDER" spelled out on the passenger car letterboards rather than "Great Northern" since the Portland to Chicago Builder would be on the SP&S, GN, and Burlington.

[SPer]

CB&Q had their own St.Paul-Chicago trains the Black Hawk ran only on the CB&Q St.Paul-Chicago mainline, Empire Builder ran from Saint Paul to Seattle and Portland only on GN. North Coast Limited ran only on the NP from St. Paul to Seattle and Portland, SP&S had their own Portland-Spokane passenger trains (I can't remember the name)

[Overmod]

Inland Empire Express, North Bank Limited, Columbia River Express.

[NP Eddie]

All are correct that the SP&S did run their own passenger trains between Portland and Spokane, however the train that connected with the NCL at Pasco and EB at Spokane did have their NCL or EB cars in the consist in addition to a few SPS cars that turned at Spokane. I saw the eastbound NCL switched at Pasco twice. There were two cuts, one for the Portland Chicago coach and one for the Portland Chicago sleeper. In those days coaches were up front and the sleepers were in the rear part of the train.

As information, prior to the 1970 merger, the SPS painted their NCL dome sleeper SPS colors. I posted that thought a number of years ago and I still feel that the SPS wanted to spite the Hill Lines. The reference is "The Cars of Pullman, Welch, et all, Page 159. The SPS seemed to be the forgotten road the BN merger. I was a Northtown as an NP clerk and ended my day about 2AM as a BN clerk.

Ed Burns

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

I do recall seeing an "Empire Builder" sleeper in full GN colors with the train's name in the letterboard with SP&S reporting marks near the door.  The car was stored at Pullman Company's Calumet shop in 1967 or 1968 and was easily visible from 111th Street, among any number of cars in various other colors.

[rcdrye]

There were also some "Empire Builder" cars with CB&Q sublettering.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

SPer

CB&Q had their own St.Paul-Chicago trains the Black Hawk ran only on the CB&Q St.Paul-Chicago mainline, Empire Builder ran from Saint Paul to Seattle and Portland only on GN. North Coast Limited ran only on the NP from St. Paul to Seattle and Portland, SP&S had their own Portland-Spokane passenger trains (I can't remember the name)

 

The "Empire Builder" ran on SP&S from Spokane to Portland and the "North Coast Limited" ran from Pasco to Portland on SP&S.

[MidlandMike]

Did any NP or GN trains continue on SP&S's Astoria branch?

[NP Eddie]

No the Northern Pacific did not run their own trains on the SPS Astoria branch as 1 1938 shows that branch as SPS only.

 

Ed Burns