Southern Pacific’s premier trains the Shasta Daylight, and the Cascade served the northwest from San Francisco to Portland and Seattle from the 1950s into the 1960s. They served dozens of California, Oregon and Washington cities. The Shasta was popular with tourists and the Cascade, a favorite with business people. THE ... Read More »
Tag Archives: Amtrak
Then and Now: Comparing SP’s Shasta Daylight, and Cascade to Amtrak’s Coast Starlight!
Southern Pacific’s premier trains the Shasta Daylight, and the Cascade served the northwest from San Francisco to Portland and Seattle from the 1950s into the 1960s. They served dozens of California, Oregon and Washington cities. The Shasta was popular with tourists and the Cascade, a favorite with business people. THE ... Read More »
The Streamliner COAST DAYLIGHT was considered the most beautiful train in the world
The Southern Pacific’s Streamliner Coast Daylight was the West’s finest train into the 1950s, linking Los Angeles and San Francisco in a glorious daylight trip, streaking along the edge of the Pacific Ocean for more than a hundred breathless miles. Chair car passengers had full access to the Coffee Shop, ... Read More »
SP’s Streamliner COAST DAYLIGHT – The most beautiful train in the world
The Southern Pacific’s Streamliner Coast Daylight was the West’s finest train into the 1950s, linking Los Angeles and San Francisco in a glorious daylight trip, streaking along the edge of the Pacific Ocean for more than a hundred breathless miles. Chair car passengers had full access to the Coffee Shop, ... Read More »
From America’s great railways in the 1950s to China’s latest high-speed rail line.
China’s latest new high-speed passenger rail line halves travel time between Shanghai and the eastern city of Hangzhou China on Tuesday unveiled what it described as the world’s fastest bullet train, which will connect two of the country’s industrial hubs traveling at an average speed of 350 km per hour. ... Read More »
PALM SPRINGS AND THE STREAMLINER
Retro look at the 1950s – Cruising the Past – A major element in the development of Palm Springs was the Southern Pacific Railroad. At one time the SP offered passenger service on over eight daily trains. The SP served Palm Springs from a Spanish style station especially built for ... Read More »
Seeking the last of the Pullman Porters.
New York Central’s all-Pullman 20th Century Limited departs Chicago for its nightly run to New York in the 1950s. The deluxe train carried a staff of Pullman Porters, Pullman Conductors, waiters, maids, chefs, cooks, train conductors, brakemen, stewards, along with a train secretary, CRUISING THE PAST: AMTRAK IS SEEKING THE ... Read More »
Cruising the Past: Amtrak will never be the answer… no matter how much money the USA gives it.
Compare dinner aboard the Southern Pacific’s Lark between Los Angeles and San Francisco in the 1950s with dining aboard today’s USA Government run Amtrak. No matter how much money they sink into Amtrak – rail service will never achieve the elegance and opulence of the past. The Lark Club dining ... Read More »
Empire Builder to Milwaukee. From Streamliners to Amtrak.
Youtube video on the change from private rail service to Amtrak. Privately run intercity passenger service in Milwaukee was a thing of the past by early 1971. The Federal government had formed Amtrak to remove the burden of passenger service from the railroads and insure that core passenger routes remained ... Read More »
PRSIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA ARRIVES ABOARD PRIVATE PULLMAN RAILWAY CAR “GEORGIA 300” IN WASHINGTON DC ABOARD SPECIAL AMTRAK TRAIN.
President-Elect Barack Obama’s arrival in Washington Union Station today was aboard the GEORGIA 300 – a 1930s Pullman manufactured private railway car attached to the rear of the streamlined Amtrak train carrying him from Philadelphia and Baltimore. This was not Obama’s first use of the private car GEORGIA 300 – ... Read More »