If you had the chance to...............

[gbrewer]

I had a chance to ride both the original California Zephyr and the CNS&M Electorliner. I wrote a little article about riding the Electorliner. It is available online if you are interested:
http://homestaydenver.com/northshore

[passengerfan]

I was also fortunate to have ridden the Electroliners before all CNS&M service ended and remember the Hamburger was particularly good. I was also fortunate to have ridden the Pacific Electric its last year of operation between downtown Long Beach and Los Angeles. The USO club in LA was only a couple of blocks from the PE terminal and many service men rode the PE to Long Beach returning to their ships. I was probably the only Railfan in the service at the time who rode the PE, Pioneer Zephyr and the Electroliners. I also remember traveling on the American Royal Zephyr overnight between Chicago and St. Joseph in a upper berth and returning to Chicago on the Kansas City Zephyr in the Parlor Observation where I caught the electroliner home. None of these trains are in service today but they talk about the new services available in southern California but it was my understanding that the PE as i remember it took one hour to go from Longe Beach to Los Angeles with numerous stops and they replaced it with the bus service called the freeway flyer between downtown Long Beach and LA and it made no stops and took an hour and one-half and that was called progress.

[passengerfan]

I was also fortunate to have ridden the Electroliners before all CNS&M service ended and remember the Hamburger was particularly good. I was also fortunate to have ridden the Pacific Electric its last year of operation between downtown Long Beach and Los Angeles. The USO club in LA was only a couple of blocks from the PE terminal and many service men rode the PE to Long Beach returning to their ships. I was probably the only Railfan in the service at the time who rode the PE, Pioneer Zephyr and the Electroliners. I also remember traveling on the American Royal Zephyr overnight between Chicago and St. Joseph in a upper berth and returning to Chicago on the Kansas City Zephyr in the Parlor Observation where I caught the electroliner home. None of these trains are in service today but they talk about the new services available in southern California but it was my understanding that the PE as i remember it took one hour to go from Longe Beach to Los Angeles with numerous stops and they replaced it with the bus service called the freeway flyer between downtown Long Beach and LA and it made no stops and took an hour and one-half and that was called progress.

[cnw1995]

I would've loved to ride any sort of passenger train, but I would choose a Zephyr or one of the North Shore Line streamliners.

[cnw1995]

I would've loved to ride any sort of passenger train, but I would choose a Zephyr or one of the North Shore Line streamliners.

[passengerfan]

I was fortunate enough to have several rides on the PIONEER ZEPHYR before it went to the museum. But in its last couple of years of service it wasn's the glamor king it once had been. It ran out of St. Joseph its final couple of years and more often than not it would return behind a diesel after breaking down somewhere on its route to Lincoln and return. The St. Joseph mechanical forces had very little good to say about the Pioneer Zephyr and were quite happy to have it donated to a museum. Most parts for the engine had to be hand made as it had been years since the old Winton diesel had been built. The St. Joseph shops were not much on washing the stainless steel streamliner and it often appeared unkempt its last couple of years in service. It was still a thrill to ride this early streamliner and have many fond memories.

[passengerfan]

I was fortunate enough to have several rides on the PIONEER ZEPHYR before it went to the museum. But in its last couple of years of service it wasn's the glamor king it once had been. It ran out of St. Joseph its final couple of years and more often than not it would return behind a diesel after breaking down somewhere on its route to Lincoln and return. The St. Joseph mechanical forces had very little good to say about the Pioneer Zephyr and were quite happy to have it donated to a museum. Most parts for the engine had to be hand made as it had been years since the old Winton diesel had been built. The St. Joseph shops were not much on washing the stainless steel streamliner and it often appeared unkempt its last couple of years in service. It was still a thrill to ride this early streamliner and have many fond memories.

[Anonymous]

The Mercury at night time...you know why...[:D]

[Anonymous]

The Mercury at night time...you know why...[:D]

[Anonymous]

For a steamliner, I'd pick the 1938 20th Century Limited complete with a Dreyfuss 'Flash Gordon' Hudson. For a heaywight, I'd just continue the journey west from Chicago on the late '30s Overland Limited, complete with a C&NW Hudson, UP Northern, SP Cab Forward, and an SP Mountain.

It would be tempting to continue on to L.A. on the S.P. Daylight, but that would be 2 streamliners. Honarable mention for a heavyweight would be a Hariman era(~1915) Overland Limited with Palace cars.

[Anonymous]

For a steamliner, I'd pick the 1938 20th Century Limited complete with a Dreyfuss 'Flash Gordon' Hudson. For a heaywight, I'd just continue the journey west from Chicago on the late '30s Overland Limited, complete with a C&NW Hudson, UP Northern, SP Cab Forward, and an SP Mountain.

It would be tempting to continue on to L.A. on the S.P. Daylight, but that would be 2 streamliners. Honarable mention for a heavyweight would be a Hariman era(~1915) Overland Limited with Palace cars.

[espeefoamer]

I would like to reconstruct a train that was proposed but never acually ran.Some cars were built and lettered for this train. I would build the SP-RI Golden Rocket.The inaugural run would have originated at the corner of Hollywood & Vine over the Pacific Electric. Curves on the route were widened to accomodate the train.Riding a pullman through the streets of L.A. would have been awesome[:D].

[espeefoamer]

I would like to reconstruct a train that was proposed but never acually ran.Some cars were built and lettered for this train. I would build the SP-RI Golden Rocket.The inaugural run would have originated at the corner of Hollywood & Vine over the Pacific Electric. Curves on the route were widened to accomodate the train.Riding a pullman through the streets of L.A. would have been awesome[:D].

[Anonymous]

I have to go along with "rdganthracite", and do the Champion with a GG1 loco

[Anonymous]

I have to go along with "rdganthracite", and do the Champion with a GG1 loco

[passengerfan]

I would resurrect the Mid Century Empire Builder It had it all F-units up front four in summer months most often in A-B-B-A sets. The G-N Ranch car three classic short domes for coach passengers. A 36-seat Dining car for pullman passengers, variety in sleeping accommodation, Full dome lounge car for Pullman passengers and and observation bringing up the markers for a short while before they were rebuilt to coaches. Anyway one looked at it the GN Empire Builder was a class act. Even later when the Obs was dropped and the Big Sky Blue paint scheme was introduced they still offered all of the other amenities including most dome seats of any train prior to Autotrain. And the SDP45 diesels seemed to fit in as well. Maybe the North Coast Limited would be a second choice another class act.

[passengerfan]

I would resurrect the Mid Century Empire Builder It had it all F-units up front four in summer months most often in A-B-B-A sets. The G-N Ranch car three classic short domes for coach passengers. A 36-seat Dining car for pullman passengers, variety in sleeping accommodation, Full dome lounge car for Pullman passengers and and observation bringing up the markers for a short while before they were rebuilt to coaches. Anyway one looked at it the GN Empire Builder was a class act. Even later when the Obs was dropped and the Big Sky Blue paint scheme was introduced they still offered all of the other amenities including most dome seats of any train prior to Autotrain. And the SDP45 diesels seemed to fit in as well. Maybe the North Coast Limited would be a second choice another class act.

[Anonymous]

The Frisco MKT Texas Special is my choice any day

[Anonymous]

The Frisco MKT Texas Special is my choice any day

[Anonymous]

Maybe get my hands on a small 2 footer to ride around
on the lower forty.

[Anonymous]

Maybe get my hands on a small 2 footer to ride around
on the lower forty.

[Anonymous]

.....reconstruct ANYTHING, it would be the 1938 version of the NYC 20th Century Limited. Imagine how wonderful it would be to have a NYC 4-6-4 again! I'd be ecstatic to just have a "plain" J-3a with a consist of Budd stainless and smooth-side cars and a heavyweight or two mixed in.

[Anonymous]

.....reconstruct ANYTHING, it would be the 1938 version of the NYC 20th Century Limited. Imagine how wonderful it would be to have a NYC 4-6-4 again! I'd be ecstatic to just have a "plain" J-3a with a consist of Budd stainless and smooth-side cars and a heavyweight or two mixed in.

[Anonymous]

ride in the cab of an E or F unit on the old B & O between Deshler, OH and Cincinnati, OH.

[Anonymous]

ride in the cab of an E or F unit on the old B & O between Deshler, OH and Cincinnati, OH.

[Anonymous]

Go back in time I would go to Horseshoe curve back in 1944 with a case of Bud Light and a lounge chair............

[Anonymous]

Go back in time I would go to Horseshoe curve back in 1944 with a case of Bud Light and a lounge chair............

[Anonymous]

Either the 400 or the Broadway Limited, probably the latter.

[Anonymous]

Either the 400 or the Broadway Limited, probably the latter.

[Anonymous]

NYC Niagra and Hudson; PRR T1, J1, BP60, Keystone Tubular Train. Somebody please ask Bill Gates!