how about MoPac's Texas Eagle
or ATSF's Southwest Chief
I don't know still guessing.
KCSfan has come the closest, in fact real close.
Al - in - Stockton
Niether answer is correct.
One last clue 2 and 1/2 consists were built brand new by Pullman Standard postwar and they were by all accounts two of the finest All Pullman train sets ever constructed. When coaches were added after 59 days to the consists they were of 1937 vintage but still streamlined and there were two coaches per consist initially.
How about the MeadowLark
I don't if this is even a train it just sound good.
City of Portland
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Florida Special?
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
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.
Mark
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.
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.
How about the Olympian Hiawatha.
To borrow a quote from you Al, sorry but no cigar. LOL
Northern Pacific's MAINSTREETER?
Al in Stockton and Al in Chicago, nope no cigar for either of you yet.
Challenger
Florida Special, PRR, RF&P, SAL, FEC?
how about a cigarillo ?
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.
Was it the Oriental Limited.
Was it the RIO GRANDE ZEPHYR, some of whose route is still today run by the CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR IIRC??
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.
Guess: Was it a Rock Island train?
Sorry, not the Rock either.
Was it the SP Sunset Ltd. or the joint UP/ SP Overland Ltd. later known as the San Francisco Overland.
Al - in -Stockton
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.
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?
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