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.

City of St. Louis
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 typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleWestern and Midwest United States
First serviceJune 2, 1946
Last serviceApril 30, 1971
Former operator(s)Union Pacific Railroad
Wabash Railroad (later Norfolk and Western Railway)
Route
Termini
Stops34
Distance travelled2,328 miles (3,747 km)
Average journey time
  • 46 hours 50 minutes (St. Louis – Los Angeles)
  • 46 hours 45 minutes (Los Angeles – St. Louis)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)
  • 209-9-103 (St. Louis – Los Angeles)
  • 104-10-210 (Los Angeles – St. Louis)
On-board services
Seating arrangementsReclining seat coaches
Sleeping arrangementssections, roomettes, double bedrooms
Catering facilitiesDining car
Observation facilitiesclub-lounge car
Technical
Operating speed
  • 49.7 mph (St. Louis – Los Angeles)
  • 49.8 mph (Los Angeles – St. Louis)

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.

Major stations, 1951
  • St. Louis[1][2]
  • Kansas City
  • Topeka, Kansas
  • Denver
  • Ogden
  • Reno
  • Sacramento
  • Oakland (ferry connection to San Francisco)
    • Branch to Los Angeles:
  • Salt Lake City
  • San Bernardino
  • Riverside
  • Los Angeles
    • Branch to Portland & Seattle:
  • Pocatello
  • Boise
  • Nampa
  • Portland
  • Tacoma
  • Seattle

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.[3]: 158–159 

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to City of St. Louis (train).
  1. Official Guide of the Railways December 1951, Union Pacific section
  2. Union Pacific timetable, September 1951 https://streamlinermemories.info/UP/UP9-51TT.pdf
  3. Wayner, Robert J., ed. (1972). Car Names, Numbers and Consists. New York: Wayner Publications. OCLC 8848690.
  • 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.
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