I'd have to second that vote for the Olympian Hiawatha. Mainly because most of the route is long gone. But like the other transcons, it offered spectacular scenery, as well as interesting equipment--the as mentioned "Creek" obs-sleepers, as well as the full length dome-lounges. And the electric loco's in two segments was neat, too.
If you could go back to the 50's
- Thread starter the Other Mike
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but.....would you skip dessert?
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Thanks Tom. I'm jealous of all the trains you got to see. How many of these were you able to ride?
I have memories of riding the PRR, L&N, B&O, IC, CMSP&P, UP and CNW.
In grade school we rode the PRR from LOU to CHI at least once, sometimes twice a year to visit grandparents. There was a lot of El riding, too.
My fondest memory is riding from DEN to CHI on The City of Denver, being in the diner dome car after dark and having a great steak meal. And, I was a coach passenger. Great trip.
:hi: ".. Those were the Days My Friend, I thought they'd never end.." As always good stuff Tom, Dreams and Pictures provide those of us "of a Certain Age" Great Memories! :wub:
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I'd choose a train whose route has been abandoned. The Olympian Hiawatha would be a strong choice objectively, but it's trumped by the fact that my dad worked for the GM&O. I'd have to say the Gulf Coast Rebel from St Louis to Mobile, for sentimental reasons.
One minor correction....the Royal Gorge operated on the MoPac from St. Louis and Kansas City directly into Pueblo. The only train that ran into Colorado Springs directly from the East, was the Rock Island's Rocky Mountain Rocket, and its predecessor's. The Rock trains split at Limon, with half going into the Springs, and the other half into Denver over trackage rights on the UP's K-P line.
Ocala Mike
Lead Service Attendant
Might have to change my vote to the 20th Century Limited if the trip included a ride "through the tunnel" with Eva Marie Saint.
I'm old enough to have seen (but never traveled on) this train, circa mid-50's. Remember the red carpet being rolled out for Track 34 at GCT for its 6:00 departure, and once went up to Harmon in advance of it just to watch the engine change.
I'm old enough to have seen (but never traveled on) this train, circa mid-50's. Remember the red carpet being rolled out for Track 34 at GCT for its 6:00 departure, and once went up to Harmon in advance of it just to watch the engine change.
P
PaulCross
Guest
I would have traveled on:
1. California Zephyr
2. North Coast Limited
3.
1. California Zephyr
2. North Coast Limited
3.
crescent2
Conductor
The Flagler or the Floridian, because their route was near enough to be feasible.
20th Century Limited, but I couldn't have afforded to get to that one!
20th Century Limited, but I couldn't have afforded to get to that one!
Another one comes to mind.....the Santa Fe "DeLuxe".....touted as "Extra Fine, Extra Fast, Extra Fare"...it ran once a week on a Limited schedule carrying only sixty Pullman passengers that slept on brass beds, and dined in a Fred Harvey dining car. The extra fare was $25......a princely sum in 1911 to 1917. It only handled passengers at Los Angeles, Williams, Kansas City, and Chicago. Ladies received orchid corsages's, and gentlemen received engraved pigskin wallets as gifts....
jis
Permanent Way Inspector
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Me too!
Coming to think of it I'd have taken the 20th Century Limited too.
I would probably have avoided the deep south back then for being pigemntationally challenged. Wouldn't have wanted a Gandhian experience afterall!
Referring to the incident when Gandhi got kicked off a First Class car for being non-white in South Africa.I have one up on you. Not only did I get to ride the Flagler,renamed as Dixieland in 1954 ,it was actually the first train I ever rode.
I was taken on it overnight from Chattanooga to Daytona Beach and return in 1947. I was three years old and that is when I discovered my lifelong fascination with trains
I
Shasta DaylightIt ran much of the route that is now covered by The Coast Starlight; however, unlike the current Amtrak service, it passed Mt. Shasta in the daytime, as its name would suggest.
I would opt for the Olympian Hiawatha. The scenery in the Bitterroots of Montana and Idaho along the Milwaukee corridor IMHO was spectacular, based on the many photos I've seen of it and my own rudimentary knowledge of that area. The scenery in the Washington Cascades was great as well.
Besides that, I would have wanted to be able to say something that has never been possible in the Amtrak era: that I traveled by train in South Dakota, small a sample of the state as that would have been.
Another would have been the Western Star, in particular the Spokane-Portland section. In the pre-Expo '74 days, there were three sets of tracks that ran through Spokane. In addition to the current BNSF tracks, formerly the NP tracks, the UP and Milwaukee shared one set of tracks and the GN and SP&S shared, at least for a mile or, a third set. The Western Star's Portland section departed Spokane from the GN station, and a mile or so later crossed the Spokane River. The view of the nighttime Spokane skyline from the high bridge over the river would have been neat to see. Just after crossing the river, the GN and SP&S lines parted company, with the GN heading to Seattle and the SP&S to Portland. Immediately after this junction, the SP&S tracks entered a mile-long tunnel........beneath a cemetery. It would have appealed to my sense of the bizarre knowing I was traveling beneath a cemetery.
Besides that, I would have wanted to be able to say something that has never been possible in the Amtrak era: that I traveled by train in South Dakota, small a sample of the state as that would have been.
Another would have been the Western Star, in particular the Spokane-Portland section. In the pre-Expo '74 days, there were three sets of tracks that ran through Spokane. In addition to the current BNSF tracks, formerly the NP tracks, the UP and Milwaukee shared one set of tracks and the GN and SP&S shared, at least for a mile or, a third set. The Western Star's Portland section departed Spokane from the GN station, and a mile or so later crossed the Spokane River. The view of the nighttime Spokane skyline from the high bridge over the river would have been neat to see. Just after crossing the river, the GN and SP&S lines parted company, with the GN heading to Seattle and the SP&S to Portland. Immediately after this junction, the SP&S tracks entered a mile-long tunnel........beneath a cemetery. It would have appealed to my sense of the bizarre knowing I was traveling beneath a cemetery.
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Did you adda century? I thought it was the Flambeau 400. Similar to the Peninsula 400, which I rode in both single-level and bi-level versions before its discontinuance.
Hey - it was along time ago, but you are right, it was 400.
the Other Mike
Lead Service Attendant
Well, I still vote The Panama Limited, but some of your posts make me want to ride the North Coast Limited
MikefromCrete
Engineer
California zephyr to the west, 20th Century Limited to the east.
Other western dream trips: Empire Builder, North Coast Limited, Super Chief
Other western dream trips: Empire Builder, North Coast Limited, Super Chief
