Pacific to offer patrons the availability to ride between The trains had full Pullman service and coach seating and were an attempt to draw Depression-Era riders back to the rails. 3985 is one of only two Challengers still in existence and the only one to have operated in excursion service. The train had ebbed and flowed as part of continued to wane the Union Pacific began combining most of its The five UP articulated Dorm-Kitchen-Diners were assigned only to the LA Challenger. A popular pastime for many is studying and/or exploring abandoned rights-of-way. Introduced in 1936, the burly but relatively compact 4-6-6-4 was designed to replace UPs 9000-class 4-12-2 monsters, putting an equally prodigious boiler atop a much more versatile jointed frame. This ended in Spring 1956 when, in a cost-cutting measure, the Challenger and the City of Los Angeles were combined on the City of Los Angeles schedule. Trains 11 and 12 were shown in the January 9, 1955, June 20, 1955, October 30, 1955, February 1, 1956, and January 16, 1957 public timetables as "Mail & Express" Portland to Green River. Union Pacific Challenger No. The 105 locomotives were ordered in five batches: the first two of light Challengers, and the final three of heavy Challengers. However, the War Production Board diverted six locomotives after completion to the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad via a lease through the War Department's Defense Plant Corporation. They operated over most of the Union Pacific . Additional equipment and enhanced service notwithstanding, 105 years of carrying passengers came to an end for Union Pacific on May 1, 1971. Skip to main content. They operated over most of the Union Pacific system, primarily in freight service, but a few were assigned to passenger trains operating through mountain territory to California and Oregon. It was pulled by 7000-class 4-8-2s and 800-class 4-8-4s. Products of Union Pacific HO Scale Model Train Passenger Cars. On August 1, 1940 the Cascade Basin was removed from the consist account of light business. Union Pacific Passenger Trains. The introduction of the Challenger also marked the advent of registered-nurse-stewardess service in August 1935. Baltimore & Ohio's fleet of 4-8-2's (Class T) were used in heavy passenger service and occasionally on freight assignments. Coach passengers had free pillows and tickets were pouched to avoid having to waken passengers during the night. September 15, 1937
Over the next couple of decades, however, Union Pacific made substantial additions to their passenger service equipment. The first passenger trains were undeniably crude; they seldom traveled more than 20 miles per hour and meals were eaten quickly in station dining halls. The 10 section, 1 drawing room, 2 compartment car and the two 6 compartment, 3 drawing room cars had been refurbished, air conditioned and repainted but not remodeled in 1938. . One car of the articulated pair was the kitchen and dormitory space for crew members, and the other car was the dining space. Get great snapshots of railroading history in Art Petersons newest book. The Challengers were named passenger trains on the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago and North Western Railway (which was replaced in 1955 by the Milwaukee Road). February 26, 1933
It is one of 105 Challengers built for Union Pacific between 1936 and 1943 and was, for many years, the only operating engine of its class in the world - the largest and most powerful operating steam locomotive. said Bailey. December 14, 1905
So, it was regularly assigned the finest steam power of all three railroads. "At Silver Bow, a Northern Pacific Geep would be placed on the point and the NP crew would run the train into Butte. With the change from C&NW to Milwaukee for Omaha-Chicago connections on October 30, 1955, trains 27 and 28 operated between Omaha and Green River. (Trainorders.com, January 27, 2019), Typical power was usually a three-unit set of 900-class E8 or E9s. Picture Information. Trains included are: Trains 103-104, Los Angeles Challenger and City of Los Angeles; Trains 9-10, City of St. Louis; Trains 5-6, Mail & Express; Trains 29-30, Butte Special; Trains 33 . The balance of the year, the two trains would be combined as No. During the summer and holiday travel times of the late 1950s the railroad would just run the "Challenger" as a separate train: technically a different train (as it carried train 107 & 108), but in practice a 2nd "coach" section of the COLA. 3977 is on static display in North Platte, Nebraska. 3985 was restored to operating condition by Union Pacific in 1981 and used in excursion service until mechanical problems sent it back into storage in October 2010. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for newspaper ad 1946 UNION PACIFIC railroad passenger train California Challenger at the best online prices at eBay! View a list of Pullman cars assigned to The Columbine during the 1930s, Read more about the first electric lights on passenger trains, View a list of Pullman cars assigned to the Los Angeles Limited during the 1930s, Read more about UP's early passenger trains, View a list of Pullman cars assigned to the Pacific Limited during the 1930s, Read more about UP's Pony Express passenger train, Read more about UP's Portland Rose passenger train, View a list of Pullman cars assigned to the San Francisco Overland Limited during the 1930s, Read more about UP's City of St. Louis passenger train, Read more about the types of cars that were used on The Utahn, 3 Bedroom 1 Compartment 1 Drawing Room Lounge observation, "The Official Pullman Library - Vol.14" by Randall & Anderson, The UPHS magazine "The Streamliner" articles by John Carroll in Vol. The Challenger was a named passenger train fleet jointly operated by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago and North Western Railway (which was later replaced by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, better known as the… Originally built by the Pullman-Standard Co. in 1958, it was one of the last dome cars produced in the United States and can seat 24 in . Union Pacific has the technical expertise and money to keep these steam giants running. It was a surprisingly comfortable place to be. For the Union Pacific passenger train, see Challenger (train). In the early 1960s the railroad began showing them as 1st and 2nd 103 & 104 trains. The equipment today is a remnant of those lightweight passenger trains that began operation in 1934 with Union Pacific's City of Salina. A 2nd section may not have honored passengers. One car to Washington, and two cars to New York, Starting in September 1947 the Pennsylvania had a New York-Oakland sleeper (10 section, 1 drawing room, 2 compartment) daily on the San Francisco Overland Limited. The Union Pacific Challenger 3985 has since been committed for donation to Railroading Heritage of Midwest America in Silvis, Ill. All bright lights were extinguished during the night (only blue lighting was used after 10:00p.m.). Buy HO Brass Model - CIL 2386.1 UP Union Pacific HK-50-4 ACF Hart Selective Ballast Car #87512 - F/P - 2001 Run - Boo-Rim Call 352-292-4116 Mon-Thur 9am-4pm EST Product Search: In 1998 a gentleman by the name ofAndre Kristopans put together a web page highlighting virtually every unit out-shopped by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. This page was last edited on 10 February 2023, at 21:10. Some of it is based on the frequency with which Challengers show up in steam-era photographs of the UP. George Pullman's famous "hotel" sleeping cars were in service before the golden spike was driven, and dining cars followed soon after. November 13, 1887
TheChallengerbegan operation in 1935 as a heavyweight train although its affordability made it so popular that soon afterward its equipment was updated (with rebuilt equipment) and featured reclining-seat coaches, diners, sleepers, and lounges. It will carry standard
Overnight sleeper service was also offered between Salt Lake City and Victor, Idaho, the gateway to Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole. "The cars are being completed now in eastern shops for the initial run." When the first Challengers entered service in 1936, on the UP's main line over the Wasatch Range between Green River and Ogden, the locomotives had problems climbing the steep grades. As with the other west coast trains like Click here to learn about the Unlimited Membership. 4-8-2 class locomotives hauling passenger trains on the Portland and Huntington divisions. Disagreement with CNW over divisions of passenger revenues led UP to switch to the Milwaukee Road (MILW) for service to Chicago's Union Station (the trains had terminated at North Western Station) beginning November 1955. See also: "Union Pacific's Challenger, An Unusual Passenger Train, 1935-1971" by Patrick C. Dorin, TLC Publishing, 2001, See also: John Carroll's two-part article in The Streamliner, published by the Union Pacific Historical Society in 1994-1995, "The Challenger" Part I, The Train, in Volume 9, Number 4
In 1969 it along with the Los Angeles, City of San Francisco, City of Denver, and City of Portland were all combined into one giant consist the City of Los Angeles, Union Pacific Challenger Class 4-6-6-4 #3977 is on display at Cody Park in North Platte, NE. The Challengers were named passenger trains on the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago and North Western Railway . February 6, 1938
It was officially retired in January 2020 and is stored in Cheyenne, Wyoming, but has since been acquired by the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RRHMA) in Little Silvis Shops in Silvis, Illinois, where the locomotive is now being restored to operation once again. Normally, diners did not continue through to foreign roads, so they had faster turn-around. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the increased use of family automobiles to bring visitors to the park brought a general decline in rail passengers. It should be noted that the UP had a streamlined coach Chicago-LA train, the "Challenger" trains 107 & 108. There were three Challenger trains: San Francisco Challenger, Los Angeles Challenger, Portland Rose Challenger. (Read more about UP's City of St. Louis passenger train). The only way one could tell it was not Union Trains 11 and 12 were shown in the January 11, 1959 public timetable as "Mail & Express" Portland to Pocatello. The name "Challenger" was given to steam locomotives with a 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement: four wheels in the leading pilot truck to guide the locomotive into curves, two sets of six driving wheels, and four trailing wheels to support the rear of the engine and its massive firebox. Just type in a town or city and click on the timeline of maps at the bottom of the page! Copyright 2007-2023 American-Rails.com. The Streamliners' opulent furnishings, impeccable service and total comfort combined to lure customers back torail. Rolling stock included reclining seat chair cars, heavyweight cafe lounge, 6-6-4 Pullman, RPO, mail and express cars, both UP and offline. August 27, 1942
Id ridden in a number of mainline engines by that time and the watchword usually was hang on! Not quite so the cab of 3985. (Some Classic Trains, page 179), July 20, 1931
The Challenger Domeliner permanently combined with City of Los Angeles; still designated Trains 107 and 108, April 30, 1971
Other railroads were impressed. I suspect 3985 will never shine the rails again. July 21, 1936
Ive seen 3985 run and I doubt it will happen again. This special Pullman equipment was interchangeable and sometimes ran in The Overland as is testified in another photograph by Stimson showing The Overland running beside the Humboldt on the Southern Pacific with a Los Angeles Limited observation car in its consist. $28.00 shipping. Also I have seen quite a few pictures of the Butte Special in Butte, and the locomotives were always turned to lead either in the morning from Salt Lake (NP eastbound), or in the evening when preparing to depart for Salt Lake (NP westbound). "The first dining car on the Chicago-Los Angeles limited coming east passed through Salt Lake yesterday on its way to Los Angeles, where it will be made up on the train which will arrive in this city on Tuesday." The San Francisco Overland reverted to being an all-Pullman train. In essence, the result is two engines under one boiler. Closer to our own time, it means yellow City streamliners flashing across the Nebraska prairie, midnight sleeping-car moves at Ogden, and 4-8-8-4s storming up Sherman Hill. On May 11, 1946, the following cars were to be used as regularly assigned, or as helper cars in Challenger service, and were to be marked as such: June 2, 1946
The coaches had large reclining chairs and a new color scheme to make the interior more attractive, especially to women passengers. They were paid $125 per month plus expenses. The twin-unit diners were capable of serving 700 to 800 meals per day. After the Treasure Island Special service ended in 1940, the train's sleepers became the Arizona Limited. They dont write em like that anymore. September 24, 1967
45 min. The ICC ordered Union Pacific to continue operation of Trains 5 and 6 for another year. From 1941, the Challengers were intended to speed up freight operations on the grades across Wyoming; the Wasatch Range climb east from Ogden was to be conquered by the Big Boys without helpers. These books are an excellent anthology of the development and operation of the Union Pacific type, three cylindered 4-12-2 locomotives that graced the entire Union Pacific System. No. Union Pacific. Showing only minor signs of wear and handling consistent with its age. The Union Pacific Railroad took delivery of the very first locomotive with the 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement in 1936 when it received 15 of them from the American Locomotive Company. It refers to Union Pacific Challenger #4014. Pacific equipment was by Milwaukee Road's name and logo. They were air conditioned with Pullman mechanical systems and painted two-tone gray with white letters and striping. "The new train will be thoroughly modern in all its appointments and completely air conditioned, will be the only train on any railroad departing in the mornings from Los Angeles, San Francisco or Portland and providing through service from these points to Chicago, Denver and Kansas City." In the July 20, 1931 timetable the Overland Limited and San Francisco Limited were combined as the San Francisco Overland Limited, trains 27 and 28. fleet would have looked like when UP operates its official business November 17, 1895
between Chicago and Oakland. In his "Some Classic Trains" book, Arthur Dubin wrote about the Los Angeles Limited: On December 15, 1905, the Los Angeles Limited was instituted between Chicago and Los Angeles via the C&NW-UP Salt Lake Route (San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake). E9B passenger locomotive shell. . Lucius Beebe wrote in his "Overland Limited" book: As an indication of the success of The Overland Limited as a deluxe flyer on the Chicago-California run, it is notable that a new companion train, The Los Angeles Limited was inaugurated in January 1906 following the route of The Overland as far as Ogden where it diverged toward Southern California over the rails of Senator William Andrews Clark's Los Angeles & Salt Lake line. east of Wyoming. See also: John Carroll's two-part article in The Streamliner, published by the Union Pacific Historical Society in 1994-1995 "The Challenger" Part I, The Train, in Volume 9, Number 4 The Utahn was never one of UP's famous Streamliner trains, and operated with numerous head-end cars. 3985 was designed by Union Pacific and built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company. The initial trip for the Special in the 1940 summer season left Chicago June 19 with a completely different set of equipment than had been used during the 1939 runs. ", (View a list of Pullman cars assigned to the Pacific Limited during the 1930s), The name "Pacific Limited," as used for the UP Heritage Fleet sleeper (UPP 4003)," per UP's web site: "Named 'Pacific Limited' to commemorate an all-Pullman electric-lighted train between Chicago and Ogden, Utah, where it split and separate sections went on to either Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD Lounge Car Challenger Sleeping Car Passengers Unpost A250 - $16.31. TheCityfleet became revered throughout the west and rivaled the Santa Fes legendarySuper Chief, and every other western passenger train, in exquisiteness and fine traveling. The trip between Chicago and the Coast by the Los Angeles Limited is an exposition of what the West stands for socially, commercially, and from an agricultural standpoint.". On May 16, 1968, the federal ICC denied Union Pacific's request to discontinue The Butte Special, stating in its decision that the train was the last passenger train between Salt Lake City and Butte, and its operation should be continued for the public good. country, has been with us since 1862. (Wayner, Car Names Numbers and Consists, 1972, page 164), January 10, 1954
$44.98 $38.59. The interior of this 3 bedroom, 1 drawing room observation car was smartly decorated in the latest mode. 1, 1950-1964, Union Pacific Railroad Passenger Cars, Vol. April 1, 1935
August 24, 1927
3-Micro-Trains Scale UP-Union Pacific 40' Single Door Box Car-3 diff. 2, 1940-1949, Union Pacifics Challenger: An Unusual Passanger Train, 1935-1971, Union Pacifics Streamliners (Great Passenger Trains), UP Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment. At first the train used steam motive power, and later it became known for its mix of diesels from Electro-Motive, Alco, and Fairbanks Morse. The economy service ran between Chicago, Illinois, and the West Coast of the United States. One of these seven feeder lines was the Yellowstone Park Railroad, organized in September 1905 to build a branch from St. Anthony, Idaho, northeast to Ashton, then to the boundary of Yellowstone National Park. Although both the COSF and SFO carried fancy paint schemes just after WW II, the Gold Coast was left with the Dark Olive and Pullman Green of the Challenger and Pacific Limited. The name Challenger was given to steam locomotives with a 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement. The public timetables for January 1957 and January 1959 both show trains 27 and 28, Omaha to Oakland, but the name has been dropped. Its a 595-ton superlative. 28 between Sparks and Ogden; SP Train no. Classic Railroad Scenes: Railroads at Work. The notices will be filed
", March 31, 1946
"[1], During the late 1930s the Challenger fleet was among the highest-patronized of American trains, and the best revenue producers of the UP passenger fleet. Union Pacific Challenger Union Pacific 3985 running through Sloat, California on September 2, 2005 Union rules require 15 crewmen, each receiving a day's pay, to move the train over the 433 miles from Salt Lake City to Butte, and another 15 men on the return trip. Mechanical problems forced it out of service in October 2010; it was retired in January 2020 after the restoration of the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy 4014[1][2] and eventually donated to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America in 2022, where the locomotive is undergoing a second restoration. This means that they have four wheels in the leading "pilot" truck, which helps guide the locomotive into curves; two sets of six "driving" wheels, and finally, four "trailing" wheels, which support the rear of the engine and its massive firebox. The best ones spoke of far-flung places, and how to get there: Main Street of the Northwest; Everywhere West; Through the Heart of the South. Passenger travel via train began in the 1830s in eastern markets, reaching midwestern lines in the 1860s. Each set of driving wheels is driven by two steam cylinders. 52 was a Cheyanne to Denver local passenger. [3] The only other surviving Challenger is UP No. The following comes from "Union Pacific Streamliners" by Ranks and Kratville, pages 275, 278, 279, 280, 285: On Monday, May 22, 1939 a new fast seasonal train, the Treasure Island Special, went into service. ", Trains 11 and 12 were shown in the June 11, 1949, January 10, 1954, and June 20, 1954 public timetables as "The Idahoan.". "Union Pacific Adds Two New Fast Trains -- New and additional train service from its Pacific coast terminals at Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland to Chicago, Denver, Omaha and Kansas City is to be inaugurated April 1st, according to an announcement by Union Pacific headquarters in Omaha. This group, designated Class CSA-2 . "We are in effect, paying 15 men to move 24 passengers 433 miles." 9 between Ogden and Sparks. U. P. asked to discontinue the two train runs two years ago and was denied its application by the ICC. M. Pullman). Wes Barris's SteamLocomotive.com is simply the best web resource on the study of steam locomotives. On December 8, 1953, the C&NW and UP announced that a Challenger between Chicago and Los Angeles would return with all-streamlined equipment, and on January 10 the first lightweight trainset hit the rails. Full online access to this resource is only available at the Library of Congress. Much of the train's equipment came from discontinued runs like theLos Angeles Limited, which had since been upgraded to lightweight streamliners. 2, the Los Angeles Express. June 1931
operations in May of 1971 it chose not to retain the name or any other 1937 saw the UP partnering with the Southern Pacific Railroad to add a train from Chicago to Oakland, California, a line that would take the name San Francisco Challenger (the original then became the Los Angeles Challenger). The Utahn replaced an unnamed train, Train 43 and 44, that operated between Omaha and Los Angeles from June 2, 1946 to May 14, 1947. No. Toggle menu. This change was instituted by the C&NW. rd numbers. When Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail Whatever the priority of invention, the simple-expansion articulated had been developed in just three decades from a ponderous and specialized beast into a fast, flexible, and potent machine [Their] contribution to railroad economics was disproportionate, Bill writes. 1 and No. $142.50. A 4-6-6-4 could and did work heavy passenger trains with no apology, wrote David P. Morgan, and in the words of one expert it rode as well at 60 to 70 miles per hour as any articulated ever built.. Trix 22940 Class 3900 Challenger Steam Locomotive Number 3969. the Los Angeles and City of San Francisco, this streamliner Both trains often ran in two or more sections - splitting the chair cars and the tourist Pullmans. The derailment of a Union Pacific freight train in Gothenburg, Nebraska, on 21 February, came after three coal trains had derailed in the area in 2022. . Unlimited Members, sign in to enjoy sitewide access. 11, The Idahoan, at The Dalles, John Bromley added the following information about other Union Pacific passenger trains: The Los Angeles Limited, as a planned luxury train between Chicago and Los Angeles, was mentioned as early as May 4, 1905, when upon the completion of the SPLA&SL on May 1st, the first through trains began operating between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. railroading event in our countrys history, and accordingly has a very HO Scale AHM/Rivarossi 4-6-6-4 Challenger Repainted to Undec Item #5113. It operated via the C&NW, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific between Chicago and San Francisco and was an extra fare ( $10.00), all-Pullman train for the benefit of summer visitors to the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island, close to the "city by the bay." This item is in the category "Toys & Hobbies\Model Railroads & Trains\Railroads & Trains\Passenger Cars".