what is your favorite streamliners i have five
1.the California zephyr
2.the empire builder
3.the north coast limited
4.the super chief
5.city of Portland
I'm not sure whether all these qualify as streamliners, but here goes:
1. The Corn Belt Rocket/Cornhusker
2. The Nebraska Zephyr (articulated consist)
3. The Zephyr Rocket (I rode it when it was a one or two-car nameless successor.)
4.The Quad City Rocket (when Bigi Ben was on it)
5.The Kate Shelley
6.Amtrak's Southwest Chief
7. Amtrak's Capitol Limited
8. Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited
9. Amtrak's Broadway Limited
10. The United Aircraft TurboTrain (rode it twice in 1969)
1. The Union Pacific/Milwaukee Road "Cities" trains
2. Illinois Central's Hawkeye
Not quite streamliners, but much more interesting:
1. Bi-Level Peninsula 400 (C&NW)
2. Lake Cities (EL)
3. Thoroughbred (MON)
4. Campus (IC)
5. Maple Leaf (GTW)
6. Fast Mail (ATSF)
1. California Zephyr (CB&Q, DRG&W, WP)
2. Kate Shelley 400 (CNW)
3. Land of Corn (IC)
4. Empire Builder/Afternoon Zephyr (CB&Q, GN)
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
True "Streamliners", unit trains not locomotive hauled
1. 1930s - New Haven RR "Comet" --- builder "Goodyear Zeppelin Company"
2. 1970s - United Aircraft "Turbo-Train" --- builder "United Technologies Corporation"
3. 2000 to present - Amtrak "Acela" --- builder "Bombardier/Alstom Consortium"
Don U. TCA 73-5735
From my limited rail travel (thus far), I can definitely name the original Santa Fe Super Chief as the best "streamliner." But in the present day, with what is left, I'll have to go with the Amtrak Superliner cars (w/bedroom) on any route, but also the Parlour Car on the Coast Starlight.
Twentieth Century Limited
IC's Panama Limited - blasting through down state Illinois at 100+ MPH
SAL's Silver Meteor & Silver Star
B&O's Capitol Limited
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JNR-485-Hitachi.jpg
Hitachi service operated from Tokyo (Ueno Station) to the north and east from 1963 - 1998. The same design cars were used on the original Kodama, Tokyo-Osaka. (The name was later used for the Shinkansen 8-stop schedule trains on the same route but different rails.) Incidentally, this is a head-end view - the JNR operates by British rules. The other end would show red markers, but was otherwise identical.
Also the Odakyu Dentetsu "Romance Car" train of the 1960's - think round-end observation with a motorman's 'bubble' (like a Mustang's bubble canopy) stuck on top just behind the lounge area glass. Sorry I couldn't find an on-line photo. (The name survives, but the design is very different now.)
The original bullet-nosed Shinkansen trains. (The most recent variants look more like inverted grain scoops.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with none of the above)
None. I much prefer heavyweight cars.
Mark
If non-US streamliners count, then I vote for Italy's IL SETTEBELLO (ETR 300). Also had observation/lounge at each end, with the engineer's cab above.
Here is a link to a picture of one of the end cars, after they had been withdrawn:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Settebello_power_car.JPG
I have never seen it, but SP's Daylight must have been great, in Australia we have the "Indian Pacific", the "Ghan", both with Budd designed stainless cars, and from the past, the "Overland" which used cars based on SP's Daylight.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
I've always lived around NYC, but I have gotten out west and down south.
The Phoebe Snow (observation lounge open to all passengers)
The Crusader (neat little Budd stainless steel Reading/CNJ streamliner)
The Denver Zephyr (with 30 Boy scouts en route to Philmont Scout Ranch)
The Morning Zephyr (Minneapolis to Chicago with both Seattle trains included & an obs/dome/parlor)
The Nelly Bly (funky, NY/Camden/Atlantic City in my Rutgers days, parlor car & diner.)
The Royal Blue (a real attempt at class to make up for PRR time advantage NYC-WAS - the connecting buses to NYC, the Bronx and Brooklyn really added to the convenience)
1. UP City of St. Louis-rode it 3 times
2. California Zephyr -the original
3. UP City of Los Angeles-all Pullman train
4. Amtrak Empire Builder
5. Amtrak Southwest Chief
I've loved every one of these.
How could I forget to add:
Frisco's Sunnyland - the only one from the home railroad that I've been on. She may not have been in the same class as these bigger trains, but I used to see her often when Dad and I would visit the yards where he worked. We often saw Frisco's Meteor and Texas Special too, but I never rode those.
My Dad worked for the Frisco for 47 years. I rode both the Meteor and Texas Special from Springfield into Oklahoma and Texas numerous times. They were neat trains for a kid under 10 years of age.
Put me down for 8-trains ....
Evanston Express (CTA 4000s, "Cincinatti Heavyweights" only.)
Super Chief (1970-1971), "Thank you Mr. Reed!"
California Zephyr (pre-1970)
Afternoon Hiawatha (Skytop Lounge Parlor Car equipped) "Thank you Mr. Crippen!"
The Twentieth Century Limited
PRR Philadelphia-New York "Clockers" (the older the coaches the better!)
Anything Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee
Espee's Coast Daylight
I always favored the Broadway Limited and 20th Century Limited, the stories the competition and groundbreaking equipment sets during their history.
As to Amtrak, the Empire Builder. I really enjoyed the Capitol back when it was all vintage equipment and had the dome car. I had great trips on both.
My first pick would have to be The Canadian (originally CP and then VIA Rail operated).
I would also say The Ocean, VIA Rail's Montreal-Halifax service, which I ride frequently. It is, in fact, the oldest continuously running named train in North America, and was a real beauty when it still ran with all Budd cars. I've managed to ride the Budd consist a few times in the winter (when it still operates along with the Renaissance consists), and it is a real pleasure to ride. It's still a great trip in the new Renaissance equipment, but you can't beat the Budd cars, especially with the Skyline dome.
-Tim
Santa Fe's Super Chief is the best streamliner I ever experienced. When I was a boy it was combined with the bi-level El Capitan, which was also a very nice train. We could only afford tickets for the El Capitan, but after two or three tries I would be able to sneak past the conductor and spend my day in the Super Chief's vistadome car, watching the train wind through the mountains.
I like the Empire Builder best among today's US trains. I hope to take the Canadian with my wife on our 30th anniversary next year. This train appears to be the only thing that might approximate what the Super Chief was like.
START WITH: Illinois Central 'Panama Ltd" (All Pullman)
"City of New Orleans" ( All Coach)
Frisco RR "Will Rogers" and the "KC-Florida Special"
NC&StL RR " City of Memphis" (rode as a child with my father.
Big yellow streamliner-steam engine.)
Without question the original Rio Grand Zephyr. The best scenery in America and the best equipment to view it. Even the schedule was perfect for maximum sightseeing. Amtrak's version ain't so bad either.
I like the Phoebe Snow (EL), the Hiawathas, The Canadian and the Broadway Limited (PRR)
The old Southern Railway's Crescent Limited and The Southerner.
CB&Q - Twin Cities Zephyr - with lots of dome cars and matched E5's leading!
GN - The Badger/Gopher trains. Not really streamlined, but just nice trains between the Twin Cities & Twin Ports.
MILW - Twin Cities Hiawatha - Blasting through Wisconsin. Where else did you see signs warning of 100 mph trains at country crossings?
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Texas Chief
Twin Star Rocket
Empire Builder
Silver Meteor
City of Portland
From the past, the 1938 Twentieth Century Limited and the Super Chief. For today, the Via Rail Canadian. I watched it leave Toronto the other day, there were four domes on! Also, the German ICE trains. Fast, quiet and very comfortable.
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