Challenger (train) Register to access Secure Tools, Applications and Reports to help simplify your business. Challenger name adopted; still as a second section to Los Angeles Limited, made up of coaches and tourist sleeping cars. May 1955 Remember when phrases like Water Level Route or Main Line of Mid-America told you so much about a particular railroad? Additional equipment and enhanced service notwithstanding, 105 years of carrying passengers came to an end for Union Pacific on May 1, 1971. The three 6 section, 6 double bedroom cars (Popular series) had been rebuilt in 1938 from 12 section, 1 drawing room, 1 compartment cars. 31 built but only 25 delivered to UP (see below); 39753984 converted to oil fuel in 1945; renumbered 37083717 in 1952. May 12, 1936 This latest version made its inaugural run on January 10, 1954. . C1936-44 NORTH WESTERN Union Pacific Challenger Broschre/Zeitplan sehr The society is not supported by, or affiliated with the railroad other than the preservation of its rich and colorful history. Challenger, streamlined passenger train, of the Union Pacific. Still, it wasn't possible to maintain daily streamliner service between Chicago and the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland areas until 1947. HO Scale AHM/Rivarossi 4-6-6-4 Challenger Repainted to Undec Item #5113. They operated over most of the Union Pacific . When the 9000-series Dome Observation cars were delivered in February and March 1955 (with the last one coming in early April), the five cars numbered as 9010-9014 were assigned to the Challenger train. $499.99. A registered nurse-stewardess was carried, another first. Union Pacific's Challenger was a more affordable option to the City of Los Angeles as both passenger trains operated over the same route, connecting Chicago with Los Angeles Trains 35 and 36 were "The Butte Special" between Salt Lake City and Butte, Montana, so Trains 11 and 12 were combined with Trains 35 and 36 between Pocatello and Salt Lake. ho scale Train. 4-6-6-4 Challenger AHM Rivarossi Union Pacific | eBay This group, designated Class CSA-2 . services C&NW citing declining transit times. 28 between Sparks and Ogden; SP Train no. Union Pacific Railroad Heritage - (america Through Time) By Beth Anne As patronage and passenger rail travel Passenger Cars; Track; Starter Sets & Packs; Parts & Accessories; Other Railways & Trains; All; . One of the six open sections was converted to a dining table and the one across from it to a small kitchen where the sleeping car porter could prepare a light dinner. Private museums dont. The fifteen 9000-series Dome Observation cars were ordered by UP in March 1954 as part of a $10 million order from American Car & Foundry for 35 dome cars that included ten 7000-series Dome Coach cars and ten 8000-series Dome Diner cars. It should be noted that the UP had a streamlined coach Chicago-LA train, the "Challenger" trains 107 & 108. Work begins on Union Pacific Challenger No. 3985 - Trains Union Pacific Challenger - Wikipedia 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… The Yellowstone Park Railroad was leased to Oregon Short Line for operation in June 1906, and OSL took full control by deed of sale on October 31, 1910. Their design and operating experience shaped the design of the Big Boy locomotive type, which in turn shaped the design of the last three orders of Challengers. Los Angeles Challenger changed to Trains 7 and 8; Los Angeles Limited became Trains 37 and 38, April 8, 1944 It will carry standard UP Passenger Trains, 1946-1959 -- An incomplete list of Union Pacific passenger trains in the post-war period, taken from a very small sampling of public timetables. Picture 1 of 1 . In 1990, it was converted to use No. In later years the train did include a few lightweight cars. 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. It was pulled by 7000-class 4-8-2s and 800-class 4-8-4s. Union Pacific 3985, also known as the "Challenger", is a four-cylinder simple articulated 4-6-6-4 "Challenger"-type steam locomotive built in July 1943 by the ALCO of Schenectady, New York, for the Union Pacific Railroad. (Salt Lake Herald, November 9, 1905; San Bernardino County Sun, November 12, 1905; Salt Lake Tribune, November 19, 1905), The actual delay came from Pullman not being able to procure the needed dynamos for electric lighting. The train continued to run until Labor Day 1962 (with some additional holiday runs from Christmas to the New Year). Both trains often ran in two or more sections - splitting the chair cars and the tourist Pullmans. A total of 105 Challengers were built in five classes. The Challengers were named passenger trains on the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago and North Western Railway . Also, through operation of diners, lounges and baggage-dormitory cars resumed between Oakland and Chicago. No. Founded in 1984, the Union Pacific Historical Society (UPHS) is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the history of the Union Pacific Railroad from its beginning in 1862 to the operation as it is today. Copyright 2007-2023 American-Rails.com. (Union Pacific public timetable, dated June 2, 1946). American Flyer S gauge electric trains,Western Pacific dome passenger car in box 48930 Ad vertisement by area51vintageshop. The San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake railroad announced its new Los Angeles Limited train. The UP mainly ran two sections of the COLA in the early 1960s over summer and holidays travel times. Public timetables for June 1946 through June 1955 show the San Francisco Overland, Trains 27 and 28, as being a Chicago to Oakland train. . But it remains on UPs active roster, sharing the same PTC exemption as the other two engines. I can't put my hand on my 1930s UP make-up lists right now, so I can't tell you how long the UP dining car runs were. Union Pacific's Challenger: An Unusual Passenger Train, 1935-1971 Normally, diners did not continue through to foreign roads, so they had faster turn-around. Originally a part of the Union Pacific Heritage Fleet, it was taken out of service in 2010 and subsequently retired in 2020. (Wayner, Car Names Numbers and Consists, 1972, page 164). The cafe-lounge remained until shortly after the loss of the mail contracts in late 1967. known as the Pacific Limited." SP met UP's Overland trains at Ogden with its connecting westbound trains operating as the Pacific Express and eastbound trains as the Atlantic Express. Category : Toys & Hobbies > Model Railroads & Trains > Railroads & Trains > Starter Sets & Packs; Seller : xingpin78 See more from this seller; Items Specifications - MPN : BAC00692 - Country Of Manufacture : China, People's Republic of - Harmonized System Code : 9503.00.00.90 - Number of Items in Set : 1 - Year Manufactured : 2014 85' Budd Large-Window Coach Union Pacific. No excess fare will be charged, but in connection with it, everything is expected to be first-class. Items 3, 4, and 5 were Pullman demo cars and were painted in the demo paint. 108 over the CNW (eastbound) consisted of: The meals served in the Challenger's dining cars, while basic (definitely not the first-class fare found aboard the UP's streamliners, where a single meal might cost as much as $1.25) were ample, served on distinctive china and in portions large enough to satisfy even the heartiest traveler's appetite. In addition, it carried a Vegas to Ogden, Cheyenne to Omaha cafe-lounge, until their removal in 1967. When first relocated to Cody Park in 1968, however . February 14, 1936 September 25, 1960 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. Each set of driving wheels is driven by two steam cylinders. And some of it is based on a very special day in September 1990, when I rode the cab of UP No. HO Scale Model Train Passenger Car. The car Geo. According to the July 1960 Official Guide, "Mail and Express No. 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." The trains had full Pullman service and coach seating and were an attempt to draw Depression-Era riders back to the rails. Travelers from Salt Lake, Denver and Cheyenne will need but one night in journeying to Chicago or Kansas City." The American Milemaster also ran on the Arizona Limited before going to the SoP Lark. The westbound Challenger completed its run in 39 hours 30 minutes, while eastbound ran 39 hours 45 minutes. 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.. Without going into technical detail beyond my pay grade, the locomotive designers took a hard look at the way both front and back engines were attached to the boiler and made some changes to contact surfaces and hinge pins, all to make the best single-expansion articulated even better. (Portions taken from "Union Pacific Mainline Passenger Services, 1921-1971" by David Seidel, The Streamliner, Volume 22, Number 3, pages 20-21; center spread), (Portions taken from Jeff Cauthen, via email dated March 17, 2007), With the opening of the "Golden State International Exposition" in 1939, more service was needed with a seasonal summer all Pullman the "Treasure Island Special". (Craig Lacey, August 18, 2022, Facebook), On January 22, 1968, Union Pacific applied to the federal Interstate Commerce Commission for permission to discontinue The Butte Special, Trains 35 and 36. September 24, 1967 However, the company was permitted to reduce operations to three round trips weekly, and ordered the running of the trains on a trial basis. The train ran from 1913 to 1947, when it was combined with the Portland Rose, another all-Pullman train which had added coach service when the streamliners went to daily service. public, it purchased seven more sets and the City fleet was born! discontinue operating trains 35 and 36 between Salt Lake City, and Butte, Mont., effective May 13. 6 would have carried the revenue passengers. Union Pacific / C&NW / SP Werbebroschre - Der Challenger-Personenzug $8.80 shipping. Diner-Lounge car. -- Cascade Basin was removed from consist in August 1940. The introduction of the Challenger also marked the advent of registered-nurse-stewardess service in August 1935. $142.50. Engines & Locomotives Union Pacific Historical Society The train was discontinued in 1951 as UP continued make changes to its passenger train schedules. In May 1936 the train commenced operation between Chicago and Los Angeles, California, on its own schedule. The notices will be filed There were three Challenger trains: San Francisco Challenger, Los Angeles Challenger, Portland Rose Challenger. today announced it wants to Union Pacific's "The Utahn" passenger train was established on May 14, 1947, operating in conjunction with the UP's City of St. Louis (started on June 2, 1946), providing through service from St. Louis to Los Angeles with connections made at Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Challengers were named passenger trains on the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago and North Western Railway . On June 22, 1940 the service returned with a mainly lightweight consist which ran until September 16th. fleet would have looked like when UP operates its official business 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 "49er" (Train) - American-Rails.com The train was discontinued on June 2, 1946. The donation of UP Challenger 3985 greatly saddens me. Train24, the Gold Coast, which operated an hour ahead of No. The five UP articulated Dorm-Kitchen-Diners were assigned only to the LA Challenger. Those limitations prompted the introduction of the Big Boy in 1941, as well as a redesign of the last three orders from 1942 to 1944. In essence, the result is two engines under one boiler. The public timetables for January 1957 and January 1959 both show trains 27 and 28, Omaha to Oakland, but the name has been dropped. Rivarossi HR2884S Union Pacific Big Boy steam locomotive 4014 Heritage Many were pulled up in the 1970's and 1980's although others were removed long before that. The through limited train which will be put on by the Salt Lake-Union Pacific-Northwestern routes to Chicago, will be known as the "Los Angeles Limited," and the name will appear on every coach of the splendidly equipped train. Union Pacific's Butte Special - Passenger Train Journal Union Pacific Trims Steam Program, Retires 3895 (Read more about the first electric lights on passenger trains). Ending . 4-8-2 class locomotives hauling passenger trains on the Portland and Huntington divisions. 3930/31/32/34/37/38/43/44 converted to oil fuel in 1952 and renumbered 37003707. It was rebuilt in 1958 by the SoP for mid-train service on the Lark and was sold to EMD in 1965 where it became test car ET 800. Porter service was available throughout the train, and most stations had agents on duty to assist passengers. Union Pacific Railroad Best Match; Time: ending soonest; Time: newly listed; Price + Shipping: lowest first; Price + Shipping: highest first; Distance: nearest first That title has transitioned to Big Boy No. 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. ICC Finance Docket 24935, reported in 333 ICC 413; decided on June 20, 1968; decision was that the train's operation should be continued for the public good. during the off seasons. RIVAROSSI 1253 UNION PACIFIC 4-6-6-4- CHALLENGER LOCOMOTIVE 3975 BOXED HO GAUGE. The Challenger was arguably the most successful simple articulated of all time. Toggle menu. It is currently not operational. Railroad's Completion. Rare in the railroad industry, two coaches at the head of the train carried only women, one of these tailored for women with children. $44.98 $38.59. The old ad men and promoters who came up with them were geniuses. The service began out of Chicago on May 22, 1939, with the consist of the seasonal winter service of the "Orange Blossom Special" until September 25th. In the morning, the opposite trains would perform the same scenario. The mighty Union Pacific Challenger 4-6-6-4 is now available for Train Simulator, featuring four exciting and challenging scenarios specially created for the Sherman Hill route. Ill be celebrating the 4014 this spring, but I wont forget for a moment that the 3985 is parked over in the Cheyenne roundhouse, waiting for another chance to rule the Overland Route. Originally, the track actually ended right at the park boundary. Changed from San Francisco Challenger sometime between 1946 and 1949. Two Union Pacific Challengers survive. June 24, 1968 the Union Pacific Railroad designed the 4-12-2 locomotive, 4-6-6-4 Challenger which influenced development of the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy, followed by the 6,600-horsepower . Wooden benches were the standard seating accommodations and wood stoves furnished heat. Train 107 departed Chicago at 9:00a.m. CST and arrived Los Angeles at 10:30p.m. PST the next day; train 108 left L.A. at 2:00p.m. PST and arrived Chicago 7:45 CST on the morning of the second day. Union Pacific Challenger Union Pacific 3985 running through Sloat, California on September 2, 2005 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. The George M. Pullman after running on several other limited trains was sold to the Chicago Great Western in 1952 and was scrapped in 1964. Trains 11 and 12 were shown in the June 2, 1946 public timetable as "The Portland Rose. Through New York sleeper replaced by lightweight 10-5 sleeper via New York Central, November 8, 9, 10, 1949 September 15, 1937 This guide highlights organizations in Michigan hosting train rides during the fall season. 3977 is on static display in North Platte, Nebraska. $25.00. 9 between Ogden and Sparks. None preserved. Trix 22940 Class 3900 Challenger Steam Locomotive Number 3969. It was reacquired by Union Pacific in 1989 and today operates as part of employee and other special trains. Union Pacific reacquired No. Trains 3 (westbound) and 4 (eastbound); between Cheyenne and Los Angeles. See also: "Union Pacific's Challenger, An Unusual Passenger Train, 1935-1971" by Patrick C. Dorin, TLC Publishing, 2001. HO Scale Trains . Model Search: TEST MODE Of all these slogans, the one that strikes me as most mythic is Overland Route. It conjures images of stagecoaches, John Gasts painting American Progress, track-laying gangs of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific, Cecil B. DeMilles epic film Union Pacific, and a dusty outpost where a golden spike was driven. I can't remember for sure, but it may have even been an NP switch crew who turned it. On the same May 14th date, UP began operating its City of Los Angeles on a new daily schedule. One of my regrets is that I never had the opportunity to ride that train." In February 1955 dome coaches were added to the Challenger, the first on any UP train. April 1, 1935 Another recently discovered photo, dated April 16, 1955, shows a 9000-series Dome Observation on the tail end of The Challenger train at DeKalb, Illinois. More info on these cars and The Challenger trains can be found in: Dick Harley wrote the following, in an email dated February 8, 2009: Lightweight equipment built for "The Challenger" trains in the 1930s and 1940s includes: July 11, 1935 HO Brass - Overland OMI 1592.1 Union Pacific Challenger 4-6-6-4 The equipment today is a remnant of those lightweight passenger trains that began operation in 1934 with Union Pacific's City of Salina. It was donated to the City of North Platte by the Union Pacific and installed at the park in October 1968. . This page was last updated on August 19, 2022. 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. 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. Atlas 10 003 674 HO U28C Locomotive Silver - Union Pacific #2803. [citation needed], The Challenger name has also been applied to the 4-6-6-4 type steam-driven locomotives, the first of which were designed by the UP and built by the American Locomotive Company between 1936 and 1943. January 2, 1963 SP adopted the name the Overland Limited for its portion of the Trains 1 and 2, which UP had called its portion of the two trains beginning in November 1895.. 1906 HO 1:87 Vehicles; Ho Animated Signs; HO Auto Carrier; Ho Auto Racks; HO Box Cars; HO Buildings; HO Cabooses; Ho Covered Hopper Cars; HO Diesel Locomotives; It is difficult to truly articulate just how much material can be found at this website. 27 between Ogden and Sparks. E9B passenger locomotive shell. All scrapped between 1957 and 1959. In early June 1935 the Union Pacific transferred the heavyweight coaches and tourist sleeping cars of its Los Angeles Limited to a second section, the Challenger. To put you right to work, the Challenger includes a selection of period . . Most of its Pullmans began operation on the RI-SoP Arizona Limited. Milwaukee Road was approached and began handling Union Pacific's trains Trains 23 and 24, Chicago to Oakland. UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD Lounge Car Challenger Sleeping Car Passengers From left, Challenger No. July 21, 1936 Indian budget carrier IndiGo is in talks with both Boeing and its current supplier Airbus to order more than 500 passenger jets, potentially smashing an industry record set by domestic rival . [1], A sleeping car in day mode; the berths are folded above the seats, The dressing room in a women's sleeping car, Diesel-powered, streamlined version of the Union Pacific, Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 16:41, "Railroading Heritage of Midwest America - official website", "Railroading Heritage of Midwest America, Union Pacific agree to donation of Challenger, other locomotives, cars", Passenger trains operating on the eve of Amtrak, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Challenger_(train)&oldid=1141931454, 2,225 miles (3,581km) (Chicago-Los Angeles, 1954), December 8, 1953: The CNW / UP announces that the, February 1955: a dome coach is added to the, November 1955: The Milwaukee Road assumes operation of the, 1970: Dome diners are removed from all UP passenger trains, including the, Coach (44 seats) UP #5484 (taken off at Omaha), This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 16:41. Rivarossi Union Pacific Railroad HO Model . (Trainorders.com, January 27, 2019), Typical power was usually a three-unit set of 900-class E8 or E9s. Bachmann HO Scale Electric Train Union Pacific 42' Steel Gondola Car # 70200 Ad vertisement by MissBargainHuntress. Get great snapshots of railroading history in Art Petersons newest book. Lionel Lionel Standard Gauge C-6 Very Good Model Railroad Passenger Cars, C-6 Very Good HO Steam . Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Union Pacific / C&NW / SP Advertising Brochure - The Challenger Passenger Train at the best online prices at eBay! A photo taken on December 26, 1965 show a train leaving Cheyenne westbound, with SDP35s 1407 and 1400 as motive power. railroad has become not only one of the most highly respected Increased traffic during World War II led the UP to add the Furloughee Challenger to its roster on December 31, 1944; the train's name was changed to Military Challenger on December 23, 1945, and then to Advance Challenger on April 14, 1946. The Challenger began service with coaches and tourist sleepers, replacing the Advance section of San Francisco Overland. Above and left, another UP E9 B unit, #966, is coupled behind #401. As part of Union Pacific's fourth order in 1943, ALCO built thirty-one locomotives for Union Pacific using the same specifications. (Sources include online newspapers, UP public timetables, and Thornton Waite's book, Yellowstone Branch of the Union Pacific).