City of Los Angeles (train)

The City of Los Angeles was a streamlined passenger train between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California via Omaha, Nebraska, and Ogden, Utah. Between Omaha and Los Angeles it ran on the Union Pacific Railroad; east of Omaha it ran on the Chicago and North Western Railway until October 1955 and on the Milwaukee Road thereafter. The train had number 103 westbound and number 104 eastbound.

This train was the top-of-the-line for UP, which marketed it as a competitor to the Super Chief, a streamlined passenger train on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and the Golden State, a streamlined passenger train jointly operated by the Rock Island and Southern Pacific railroads. Many of the train's cars bore the names of locales in and around its namesake city.

CNW / UP used one of two three-unit sets of EMC E2 locomotives as motive power beginning in 1937. The UP scored a public relations coup in the mid-1950s when the City of Los Angeles was featured in two episodes of the popular television series I Love Lucy. In 1955 the Milwaukee Road assumed the service, replacing the Chicago and North Western between Chicago and Omaha. Actor Ronald Reagan often traveled on this train and even did a full page print ad for it that appeared in the National Geographic magazine. In a cost-cutting move, the City of Los Angeles was combined with the City of San Francisco in 1960.

History

Timeline

May 15, 1936: City of Los Angeles makes its first run between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California. One trainset (the M-10002) leaves each terminal five times a month.
December 1937: 14-car 791-ton train powered by three EMC E2s replaces the older trainset, reassigned as City of Portland.
July 1938: Former City of San Francisco trainset M-10004 joins service, allowing departures ten times a month.
March 1939: New train powered by two unit EMC E3 set enters service, replacing M-10004; frequency remains ten departures per month. The Hollywood, a lounge car built for the City of Los Angeles, is the first passenger car with an interior built entirely of synthetic materials, including the newly invented formica (plastic) and naugahyde.
July 1941: EMC E6 three unit set replaces E3 set; consist of train expanded to 14 cars.
1947: City of Los Angeles begins running daily.
1955: Astra Dome dome cars are added to the City of Los Angeles. The Milwaukee Road takes over operation of the City of Los Angeles from the Chicago and North Western Railway between Chicago and Omaha.
1956: Challenger and City of Los Angeles are combined and operate on the City of Los Angeles schedule. (The Challenger operated on its own schedule during a couple of summers thereafter.)
1970: Dome dining cars retired and replaced with standard flat top cars.
May 1, 1971: Amtrak takes over long-distance passenger operations in the United States.
May 2, 1971: UP-operated long-distance rail service ends when the City of Los Angeles arrives at Los Angeles Union Station.

In 1979 Amtrak created the Desert Wind, running mostly on the City of LA route from Los Angeles to Ogden, Utah where it connected to the Oakland-Chicago train. (After a year or two some of its cars ran through to Chicago.) The Desert Wind ceased operation in 1997.

Other railroad uses of the name City of Los Angeles

The City of Los Angeles name has also been applied to a 48-seat diner built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1949. The car was originally UP No. 4808 and is currently owned and operated by the Union Pacific as part of their excursion fleet.

Equipment

The City of Los Angeles began running in 1936 using the articulated M-10002 trainset. Behind the two power units were an RPO-baggage car, a baggage-dormitory-kitchen, a diner-lounge, an 11-section sleeping car, a 7-double bedroom 2-compartment sleeper, two more 11-section sleepers, a 48-seat coach, and a 38-seat coach-buffet car. All the passenger-carrying cars were air-conditioned.^[1] The Union Pacific areplaced it with a non-articulated train in late 1937. A trio of EMC E2 diesel locomotives pulled a baggage-dormitory car, two 52-seat coaches, a coffee shop-kitchen car, a dining car, a dormitory-buffet lounge, seven sleeping cars of varying configurations, and a buffet-lounge-observation car.^[2] Union Pacific added a second articulated trainset in 1938, the M-10004. Its configuration was similar to the M-10002: two power units, a baggage-dormitory, 40- and 48-seat coaches, a coffee-shop kitchen, a diner, an 11-section sleeper, two 7-double bedroom 2-compartment sleepers, two more 11-section sleepers, and a buffet-lounge-observation car.^[3]

A typical City of Los Angeles train consist around 1955 included:

EMD E9 A-B-A diesel locomotive set
Mail express 5707
Baggage 5606
Baggage dormitory 3107
Placid series sleeper 11-double bedroom Placid Lake
Placid series sleeper 11-double bedroom Placid Dune
Sleeper 4-4-2 Imperial Hill
Astra Dome diner 8008
Sleeper 4-4-2 Imperial Club
Sleeper 5-2-2 Ocean Beach
Sleeper 5-2-2 Ocean Bay
Astra Dome lounge observation 9009

Domeliner diner upper level.
Domeliner diner lower level.
The Gold Room, a private dining room available by reservation.
Astra Dome observation car.
Astra Dome lower level.
Observation car room for playing cards.
The Redwood Lounge.
Pullman car in day mode.
Pullman private compartment.
Seating in a coach car.
"The Little Nugget"-one of the streamliner's club cars.

Station stops

Station stops, 1950^[4]

Chicago, IL (Chicago & North Western)
Clinton, IA
Cedar Rapids, IA
Ames, IA
Boone, IA
Omaha, NE (Union Pacific)
Fremont, NE (departing passengers only)
Columbus, NE (departing passengers only)
Kearney, NE (departing passengers only)
Grand Island, NE
North Platte, NE
Sidney, NE
Cheyenne, WY
Laramie, WY
Rawlins, WY
Green River, WY
Evanston, WY
Ogden, UT
Salt Lake City, UT
Milford, UT
Las Vegas, NV
San Bernardino, CA
Riverside, CA
East Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA

Time Table

Sample Time Tables, 1947 - 1953

Westbound Read Down			Condensed Schedules All trains daily			Eastbound Read Up
City of Los Angeles 103						City of Los Angeles 104
Sep. 11, 1949	May, 1950	Sep. 27, 1953				Sep. 27, 1953	May, 1950	Sep. 11, 1949
7.15	7.15	7.15	Lv.	Chicago C.& N.W.	Ar.	10.40 +2	10.40 +2	10.45 +2
3.00 +1	3.00 +1	3.00 +1	Ar.	Omaha C.& N.W.	Lv.	2.50 +2	2.50 +2	2.50 +2
3.10 +1	3.10 +1	3.10 +1	Lv.	Omaha Un. Pac.	Ar.	2.40 +2	2.40 +2	2.40 +2
9.25 +1	9.25 +1	9.25 +1	Ar.	Cheyenne	Lv.	6.30 +1	6.30 +1	6.30 +1

9.35 +1	9.35 +1	9.35 +1	Lv.	Cheyenne	Ar.	6.20 +1	6.20 +1	6.20 +1
6.20 +1	6.20 +1	6.15 +1	Ar.	Ogden	Lv.	9.45 +1	9.45 +1	9.40 +1
6.30 +1	6.30 +1	6.25 +1	Lv.	Ogden	Ar.	9.35 +1	9.35 +1	9.30 +1
7.10 +1	7.10 +1	7.10 +1	Ar.	Salt Lake City	Lv.	8.50 +1	8.50 +1	8.50 +1

7.20 +1	7.20 +1	7.20 +1	Lv.	Salt Lake City	Ar.	8.40 +1	8.40 +1	8.40 +1
9.00 +2	9.00 +2	9.00 +2	Ar.	Los Angeles	Lv.	5.00	5.00	5.00
39 h 45 m	39 h 45 m	39 h 45 m	---Elapsed Time---			39 h 40 m	39 h 40 m	39 h 40 m

Notes:
Bold numbers indicate P.M.
+1 indicates the day after departure
+2 indicates two days after departure

Compare the run time to that of Amtrak's Desert Wind in 1979: Westbound (train 35) 48 hours and 30 minutes. Eastbound (train 36) 48 hours and 00 minutes.

Notes

^ Wayner 1972, pp. 140–141
^ Wayner 1972, p. 148
^ Wayner 1972, p. 142
^ The Official Guide of the Railways, May 1950

References

Ranks, Harold E.; Kratville, William W. (1974). The Union Pacific Streamliners. Kratville Publications, Omaha, NE.
Schafer, Mike; Welsh, Joe (1997). Classic American Streamliners. Osceola, Wisconsin: MotorBooks International. ISBN 978-0-7603-0377-1.
Solomon, Brian (2000). Union Pacific Railroad. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI. ISBN 0-7603-0756-3.
Wayner, Robert J., ed. (1972). Car Names, Numbers and Consists. New York: Wayner Publications. OCLC 8848690. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

Passenger trains operating on the eve of Amtrak

[1] Wayner 1972, pp. 140–141

[2] Wayner 1972, p. 148

[3] Wayner 1972, p. 142

[4] The Official Guide of the Railways, May 1950

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Named trains of the Chicago and North Western Railway
400s	The 400/ Twin Cities 400 Capitol 400 City of Milwaukee 400 Commuter 400 Dakota 400 Flambeau 400 Kate Shelley 400 Minnesota 400 Peninsula 400 Rochester 400 Shoreland 400 Valley 400
Overland Route	Challenger City of Denver City of Los Angeles City of Portland City of San Francisco Gold Coast Los Angeles Challenger Los Angeles Limited Overland Limited Pacific Limited Portland Rose San Francisco Challenger San Francisco Overland Limited The Columbine The Forty Niner The Nightingale
Other Named Trains	Arrowhead Limited Ashland Limited Ashland Mail Corn King Limited Duluth-Superior Limited Iron & Copper Country Express Minnesota & Black Hills Express North Western Limited Northwoods Fisherman Rochester-Minnesota Special The Commuter The Mondamin The North American The Shoreland The Valley The Victory The Viking The Winnebago

v t e Passenger trains of the Milwaukee Road
Hiawathas	Afternoon Hiawatha Chippewa-Hiawatha Hiawatha-North Woods Section Hiawatha-North Woods Service Midwest Hiawatha Morning Hiawatha North Woods Hiawatha Olympian Hiawatha Twin Cities Hiawatha
Overland Route	Challenger City of Denver City of Los Angeles City of Portland City of San Francisco Colorado Special Pacific Limited Portland Rose San Francisco Overland Limited
Others	Arrow Chippewa Columbian Copper Country Limited Fast Mail Marquette Minnesota Marquette Olympian "On Wisconsin" Pioneer Limited Sioux Southwest Limited St. Paul-Minneapolis Special Tomahawk Varsity
Suburban service	North Line West Line Watertown–Milwaukee
Rolling stock	Beaver Tail Bilevel gallery car Skytop Lounge Super Dome