On April 24, 1955 the CPR inaugurated the Candian between Montreal/Toronto and Vancouver. For this new streamlined dome equipped train the CPR rebuilt a number of heavyweight tourist sleeping cars with stainless steel sides to match the Budd streamlined equipmnt and renamed them into the "U" series. Not only were they assigned to the Canadian but the secondary CPR trancontinental the Dominion. They lasted well into the early 1960's. On the same date April 24, 1955 the CNR introduced the Super Continental streamlners between Montreal/Toronto and Vancouver. The CN train was equipped with semi-streamlined Tourist Sleepers of the Point/Pointe series also the secondary transcontinental train the Continental carried tourist sleepers as well. They to were not withdrawn until the CPR withdrew there's. The reason for tourist sleepers in both of these new trains was that Canada was welcoming European immigrants all through this period and most immigrated to Canada on steamships of Cunard and Candian Pacific.
Al - in - Stockton
passengerfan wrote: Actually the Milwa\ukee Road operated Tourist sleepers under the name Touralux sleepers right up until the Olympian Hiawatha was discontinued in 1960. These cars were fourteen section sleepers built in the Milwaukee's own shops . Initially when the Olympian Hiawatha was inaugurated as a streamlined train their were two full 14 section Touralux sleepers and one 32 seat coach 8 section Touralux car the latter for women and children. The combination cars were rebuilt to full touralux cars and assigned to the Columbian until that train was discontinued in 1954. The Olympian Hiawatha operated with 14 section Touralux sleepers until its demise in 1960.Also the Milwaukee Road Touralux Sleepers were never operated by Pullman, they were always railroad operated as they were railroad built. Al - in - Stockton
Actually the Milwa\ukee Road operated Tourist sleepers under the name Touralux sleepers right up until the Olympian Hiawatha was discontinued in 1960. These cars were fourteen section sleepers built in the Milwaukee's own shops . Initially when the Olympian Hiawatha was inaugurated as a streamlined train their were two full 14 section Touralux sleepers and one 32 seat coach 8 section Touralux car the latter for women and children. The combination cars were rebuilt to full touralux cars and assigned to the Columbian until that train was discontinued in 1954. The Olympian Hiawatha operated with 14 section Touralux sleepers until its demise in 1960.Also the Milwaukee Road Touralux Sleepers were never operated by Pullman, they were always railroad operated as they were railroad built.
I'm still trying to get my head around the term "tourist sleepers," whose meaning I apparently don't know as well as I thought I did. If they aren't sections, checkerboards or Slumber(Sleeper-)coaches, what were they?
This is just IMHO but I think ster1 should retain the right to post the next question. He was declared a winner by the question-poser and I don't think that should be taken away from him. I am glad passengerfan was able to add more info, so maybe if ster1 demurs he should get to post the next question.
Me, I'm in the soup. The questions up my sleeve are either way too easy or grotesquely difficult. Not that I've given up.
BINGO Ster1 wins!
It was the Milwaukee Road Trains No's. 17 and 18 which carried a single 14 sec. tourist sleeper between Chicago and Tacoma at least through the summer of 1954. Tourist sleepers continued to run later in Canada on several CP trains and on the CN's Continental Limited between Toronto and Vancouver. The last to run on the CN even had "kitchen facilities" for passengers to use, a feature which years earlier had been discontinues on those cars running on US roads.
Time for the next question, Ster.
Mark
How about the Alaskan or maybe the Portland Rose. It has to be a secodary train as none of the UP City streamliners ever operated with Tourist sleepers. And for everyones information some of the tourist sleepers operated had sixteen sections. It. also might have been the Exposition Flyer.
Is it the North Coast Limited NP/CB&Q
or is it MILW's Columbian
I haven't seen any guesses, er I mean answers, posted lately. Are you guys all out fishing, golfing or maybe just mowing the grass this Saturday AM?
Still no cigar Al. Think of a route further north than that of either the Sunset or Overland Ltd's.
It occurs to me that many forum members might not be aware of what a tourist sleeper even was. They were usually older Pullman cars with 14 open sections and less lavish interior appointments and restrooms than those of a standard sleeper. IIRC only a regular rail fare and a lower Pullman fare were charged as opposed to the higher first class rail and Pullman fares required to travel in a standard sleeper. In this regard they were akin to the slumbercoaches of more modern times. In the US at least, tourist sleepers were largely confined to trains running on the western railroads. There probably were some, but I am not personally aware of any that operated east of Chicago, St. Louis and the lower Mississippi River gateways. As their popularity declined and they were taken off of regularly scheduled trains they saw continued use in trains such as Boy Scout Jamboree Specials and troop trains. In fact the Pullman Co. converted a number of their standard cars to tourist sleepers for troop train service during WW2.
Was it the SP Sunset Ltd. or the joint UP/ SP Overland Ltd. later known as the San Francisco Overland.
Al - in -Stockton
Sorry, not the Rock either.
Guess: Was it a Rock Island train?
Sorry guys but still no cigars for you all. Not the Empire Builder, Oriental Limited or Zephyr. All are the wrong trains and more significantly these three ran on the wrong railroad(s) which is your next hint.
Was it the RIO GRANDE ZEPHYR, some of whose route is still today run by the CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR IIRC??
Was it the Oriental Limited.
Sorry Al it wasn't the Challenger or Floridia Special. I'll post the first clue which is; the train ran between Chicago and a western destination.
Florida Special, PRR, RF&P, SAL, FEC?
how about a cigarillo ?
Challenger
Al in Stockton and Al in Chicago, nope no cigar for either of you yet.
Northern Pacific's MAINSTREETER?
To borrow a quote from you Al, sorry but no cigar. LOL
How about the Olympian Hiawatha.
Dang Al you threw me off when you said Amtrak operated over the same (or nearly the same) route today but under a far different name. I ruled out the Cascade knowing that Amtrak had a Cascades but of course it runs only in the Pacific northwest and not over the route of the former SP train.
In any event here is a new question. Name the train and the railroad that had the last regularly scheduled Pullman Tourist Sleeper service in the US.
Mark I will give it to you. It was the Cascade inaugurated August 13, 1950 and coaches were added October 11, 1950. The train operated between Oakland and Portland with four through sleeping cars to Seattle. The four Seattle sleeping cars were forwarded from Portland to Seattle in the UP pool train then transferred under the fourth ave. viaduct from Union Station to King St. Station for return to Portland the following day in the NP pool train. The NP actually purchased two 10-6 sleepers for this service the only 10-6 sleepers ever owned by the NP. When the through Seattle service ended January 9, 1966 the two NP cars were assigned to there business fleet and special charter service as they had no other overnight trains they were suitable for.
Today the route is operated by the Coast Starlight although ahen Amtrak took over it was immediatly a through train between Los Angeles and Seattle with through cars to San Diego. The through car service to San Diego ended a couple of years after Amtrak took over. At the present time service on the Coast Starlight is still interupted due to the Oregon slide in January. Passengers now can travel between Los Angeles and Sacramento where they board buses for the overnight trip to Eugene and reboard the train at that point. The full service train route should be back in service in the next couple of weeks.
I feel fairly certain it was an overnight SP streamliner running on either the Coast Line or Shasta Route but all of these that I know of have already been mentioned. Perhaps you are making a distinction between the San Francisco Lark and the Oakland Lark which ran as one train between San Jose and Los Angeles. Another possbility that comes to mind is that when inaugurated (probably in the 1946-48 time period) the train had a different name than it did later on, say in the early to mid-'50's, which is a time I am more familiar with.
Still no cigar for anyone. Another Clue I will give the entire consist of one of the inaugural consists including power.
Alco PA 1
Alco PB 1
Baggage Car
Baggage - Mail Car
22- Roomette Sleeping Car
12- Double Bedroom Sleeping Car
10- Roomette 6-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car
Dormitory Kitchen
44- Seat Dining Room
44-Seat Tavern Lounge
4-Compartment 4- Double Bedroom 2-Drawing Room Sleeping Car
10- Roomette 6- Double Bedroom Sleeping Car
10- Roomette 6- Double Bedroom Sleeping Observation
Florida Special?
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