City of St. Louis (train)
The City of St. Louis was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Wabash Railroad between St. Louis, Missouri and Los Angeles, California. It operated from 1946 to 1971.
 Postcard depiction of the train headed by a Wabash diesel. The Union Pacific shield and the Wabash flag are seen on the locomotive's nose. | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Inter-city rail |
| Status | Discontinued |
| Locale | Western and Midwest United States |
| First service | June 2, 1946 |
| Last service | April 30, 1971 |
| Former operator(s) | Union Pacific Railroad Wabash Railroad (later Norfolk and Western Railroad) |
| Route | |
| Start |
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| Stops | 34 |
| End |
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| Distance travelled | 2,328 miles (3,747 km) |
| Average journey time |
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| Service frequency | Daily |
| Train number(s) |
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| On-board services | |
| Seating arrangements | Reclining seat coaches |
| Sleeping arrangements | sections, roomettes, double bedrooms |
| Catering facilities | Dining car |
| Observation facilities | club-lounge car |
| Technical | |
| Operating speed |
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History
The City of St. Louis began operating on June 2, 1946 between St. Louis, Missouri and Cheyenne, Wyoming, where its cars were switched to other Union Pacific trains to continue west to the Pacific coast. In April 1951 it became a separate train from St. Louis to Los Angeles, California, skipping Cheyenne; it still carried some cars to switch to trains to other coast cities. In 1964 it was combined with the City of Los Angeles west of Ogden, Utah, and in 1968 with the City of San Francisco from Cheyenne to Ogden.
Between St. Louis and Kansas City the train ran on the Wabash Railroad, then on the Norfolk & Western which leased the Wabash in 1964. This part of the run became a separate train on June 19, 1968, retaining the City of St Louis name until its discontinuance in April 1969; after June 1968 the Union Pacific train was the City of Kansas City, which lasted until Amtrak took over on May 1, 1971.
Equipment
The original 1946 version of the train required three consists to protect its schedule. The consists contained a mix of heavyweight and lightweight equipment:
- Heavyweight baggage-mail (UP #5808-#5810)
- Three lightweight 48-seat coaches (UP #5331-#5365)
- Heavyweight dining car (UP #4627, UP #4629, or WAB #32)
- Heavyweight club-lounge (UP #1540, #1543, or #1544)
- Heavyweight 10-section, 1-drawing room, 1-compartment sleeping car
- Lightweight 4-compartment, 2-drawing room, 4-double bedroom sleeping car (UP Lakeside, Palos Verdes, or Verdugo)
- Lightweight 6-section, 6-roomette, 4-double bedroom sleeping car (UP American Army, American Monitor, or American Trooper)
- Heavyweight postal car (UP 2200-series)
The 10-1-1 sleeping car operated through to Portland, Oregon; cars used in this service included Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir, Inland Empire, Pinion Pine, Poudre Lake and Silver Spruce. The 6-4-4 sleeping car operated through to Los Angeles. The 2200-series postal car was added in Denver, Colorado for Cheyenne.[1]:158–159
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to City of St. Louis (train). |
- Kratville, William W. and Ranks, Harold E., The Union Pacific Streamliners. Kratville Publications, 1974.
- Stout, Greg, Route of the Eagles: Missouri Pacific in the Streamlined Era. Kansas City, White River Productions, 1995.
- Thomas, Lawrence, "Going to California on the Overland Route", TRRA Historical Society magazine, Spring/Summer 1996.