In mid-century America, streamliners were luxury train cars that were supposed to herald in the future of transportation, so what happened to them?
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1 of 30Streamliner trains made an appearance at the New York World’s Fair on May 27, 1939. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
2 of 30The red and silver Chicago to L.A. streamliner was named Golden State and had a red and silver color scheme from 1948 until 1950. Streamliner Memories
3 of 30The Baltimore & Ohio line lounge car was decked out in art deco from the late 1940s to the early ’50s. Streamliner Memories 4 of 30This colorized photo of GM’s “Train of Tomorrow” was originally taken in 1947. Imbued with Hues/Facebook 5 of 30Union Pacific streamliner postcard, 1950s. Streamliner Memories 6 of 30A photo of the Milwaukee Road streamliner named the Olympian Hiawatha as it began its inaugural run.Imbued with Hues/Facebook
7 of 30The Santa Fe Chief featured full-length dome cars instead of the Super Chief’s smaller Pleasure Dome Lounge Car, which ran first on El Capitan and the newest of the Santa Fe streamliners. This photo ran in a 1960 brochure. Streamliner Memories
8 of 30The historic California Zephyr dome coach, the “Silver Lariat,” is captured here en route to Oakland. The Budd Company built #4718 “Silver Lariat” in 1948-1949 for the CB&Q as part of the original California Zephyr. Jcesare/Wikimedia Commons 9 of 30The “Cable Car Buffet Lounge” was popular aboard the California Zephyr. Streamliner Memories 10 of 30A menu cover from the Cable Car Room aboard the California Zephyr.Streamliner Memories 11 of 30A peek inside the Cable Car Room menu.Streamliner Memories 12 of 30The East L.A. station, last stop before L.A. Union Station.Streamliner Memories 13 of 30Interior of the Union Pacific’s City of Los Angeles Rosewood Lounge car.Streamliner Memories 14 of 30The Cincinnatian was inaugurated in 1947 as an all-day train from Baltimore and Washington to Cincinnati, but failed to attract enough passengers. On June 25, 1950, it was re-inaugurated on the Cincinnati-Detroit run. Streamliner Memories 15 of 30This colorized photo of the New York Central System Mercury Train in Chicago was taken in 1936. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
16 of 30The Santa Fe Super Chief was seen here in 1939. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
17 of 30An undated nighttime meeting of the eastbound and westbound Zephyrs in the Nevada desert.
Streamliner Memories 18 of 30Union Pacific’s Astra-Dome car ad. Streamliner Memories 19 of 30The Green Diamond at the Milwaukee Station in 1936.Imbued with Hues/Facebook
20 of 30This Rock Island photo shows the “Fiesta” coffee shop on a Golden State Route train running from Chicago to Los Angeles. Streamliner Memories 21 of 30A postcard from a packet sold onboard El Capitan and other Santa Fe trains by the newsagents in the 1950s. Streamliner Memories 22 of 30Other countries also had their own streamliners, like this London Midland and Scottish Railway’s (LMS) Princess Coronation Class 6229 “Duchess of Hamilton” at the National Railway Museum. Built in 1938, it was exported to the United States for a 3,000-mile tour and visited the 1939 New York World’s Fair. cooldudeandy01/Wikimedia Commons
23 of 30A February 1938 advertisement for electric trains by General Electric depicted the Flying Yankee. This was found inside the front cover of Scientific American’s February 1938 issue.Wikimedia Commons 24 of 30The Texas Special was streamlined in the late 40s and competed with Missouri Pacific’s Texas Eagle. The Texas Special carried an observation lounge three out of four nights, with a lounge car running instead on the last night. This photo was taken in 1947. Streamliner Memories
25 of 30A special luggage compartment with an outside door and elevator to lift bags into the car was a feature of the new Southern Pacific Daylight streamliner. The streamliner made its first run to San Francisco on June 5, 1940. Here, a train porter can be seen operating the elevator from the station platform. Tessa/Los Angeles Public Library 26 of 30Three women sit around the phone in one of the coaches of the Union Pacific’s fashionable new streamliner, “City of Los Angeles.” This photo is dated Dec. 31, 1937. Tessa/Los Angeles Public Library
27 of 30A peek into the Milwaukee Road from a brochure for the Olympian Hiawatha in the early 1950s. Streamliner Memories
28 of 30Norfolk & Western J. Class 603. This was a class of 14 streamlined steam locomotives built by the railway’s own Roanoke Shops in Virginia from 1941 to 1950. This photo is circa the 1940s.Imbued with Hues/Facebook 29 of 30There was even a feature film made in 1934 during the height of the mania surrounding the Zephyr’s popularity — The Silver Streak. Wikimedia Commons 30 of 30Like this gallery?Share it:
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29 Vintage Photos Of The Unparalleled Glamour Of Streamliner Trains View Gallery
From the ashes of the stock market crash of 1929 rose America’s next obsession: streamlined, industrial design.
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1 of 30Streamliner trains made an appearance at the New York World’s Fair on May 27, 1939. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
2 of 30The red and silver Chicago to L.A. streamliner was named Golden State and had a red and silver color scheme from 1948 until 1950. Streamliner Memories
3 of 30The Baltimore & Ohio line lounge car was decked out in art deco from the late 1940s to the early ’50s. Streamliner Memories 4 of 30This colorized photo of GM’s “Train of Tomorrow” was originally taken in 1947. Imbued with Hues/Facebook 5 of 30Union Pacific streamliner postcard, 1950s. Streamliner Memories 6 of 30A photo of the Milwaukee Road streamliner named the Olympian Hiawatha as it began its inaugural run.Imbued with Hues/Facebook
7 of 30The Santa Fe Chief featured full-length dome cars instead of the Super Chief’s smaller Pleasure Dome Lounge Car, which ran first on El Capitan and the newest of the Santa Fe streamliners. This photo ran in a 1960 brochure. Streamliner Memories
8 of 30The historic California Zephyr dome coach, the “Silver Lariat,” is captured here en route to Oakland. The Budd Company built #4718 “Silver Lariat” in 1948-1949 for the CB&Q as part of the original California Zephyr. Jcesare/Wikimedia Commons 9 of 30The “Cable Car Buffet Lounge” was popular aboard the California Zephyr. Streamliner Memories 10 of 30A menu cover from the Cable Car Room aboard the California Zephyr.Streamliner Memories 11 of 30A peek inside the Cable Car Room menu.Streamliner Memories 12 of 30The East L.A. station, last stop before L.A. Union Station.Streamliner Memories 13 of 30Interior of the Union Pacific’s City of Los Angeles Rosewood Lounge car.Streamliner Memories 14 of 30The Cincinnatian was inaugurated in 1947 as an all-day train from Baltimore and Washington to Cincinnati, but failed to attract enough passengers. On June 25, 1950, it was re-inaugurated on the Cincinnati-Detroit run. Streamliner Memories 15 of 30This colorized photo of the New York Central System Mercury Train in Chicago was taken in 1936. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
16 of 30The Santa Fe Super Chief was seen here in 1939. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
17 of 30An undated nighttime meeting of the eastbound and westbound Zephyrs in the Nevada desert.
Streamliner Memories 18 of 30Union Pacific’s Astra-Dome car ad. Streamliner Memories 19 of 30The Green Diamond at the Milwaukee Station in 1936.Imbued with Hues/Facebook
20 of 30This Rock Island photo shows the “Fiesta” coffee shop on a Golden State Route train running from Chicago to Los Angeles. Streamliner Memories 21 of 30A postcard from a packet sold onboard El Capitan and other Santa Fe trains by the newsagents in the 1950s. Streamliner Memories 22 of 30Other countries also had their own streamliners, like this London Midland and Scottish Railway’s (LMS) Princess Coronation Class 6229 “Duchess of Hamilton” at the National Railway Museum. Built in 1938, it was exported to the United States for a 3,000-mile tour and visited the 1939 New York World’s Fair. cooldudeandy01/Wikimedia Commons
23 of 30A February 1938 advertisement for electric trains by General Electric depicted the Flying Yankee. This was found inside the front cover of Scientific American’s February 1938 issue.Wikimedia Commons 24 of 30The Texas Special was streamlined in the late 40s and competed with Missouri Pacific’s Texas Eagle. The Texas Special carried an observation lounge three out of four nights, with a lounge car running instead on the last night. This photo was taken in 1947. Streamliner Memories
25 of 30A special luggage compartment with an outside door and elevator to lift bags into the car was a feature of the new Southern Pacific Daylight streamliner. The streamliner made its first run to San Francisco on June 5, 1940. Here, a train porter can be seen operating the elevator from the station platform. Tessa/Los Angeles Public Library 26 of 30Three women sit around the phone in one of the coaches of the Union Pacific’s fashionable new streamliner, “City of Los Angeles.” This photo is dated Dec. 31, 1937. Tessa/Los Angeles Public Library
27 of 30A peek into the Milwaukee Road from a brochure for the Olympian Hiawatha in the early 1950s. Streamliner Memories
28 of 30Norfolk & Western J. Class 603. This was a class of 14 streamlined steam locomotives built by the railway’s own Roanoke Shops in Virginia from 1941 to 1950. This photo is circa the 1940s.Imbued with Hues/Facebook 29 of 30There was even a feature film made in 1934 during the height of the mania surrounding the Zephyr’s popularity — The Silver Streak. Wikimedia Commons 30 of 30Like this gallery?Share it:
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Glamour, Gangsters, And Racism: 30 Photos Inside Harlem’s Infamous Cotton Club
Vintage Photos From The Golden Age Of Air Travel
Take A Road Trip Back In Time With These Vintage Photos Of American Roadside Attractions
1 of 30Streamliner trains made an appearance at the New York World’s Fair on May 27, 1939. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
2 of 30The red and silver Chicago to L.A. streamliner was named Golden State and had a red and silver color scheme from 1948 until 1950. Streamliner Memories
3 of 30The Baltimore & Ohio line lounge car was decked out in art deco from the late 1940s to the early ’50s. Streamliner Memories 4 of 30This colorized photo of GM’s “Train of Tomorrow” was originally taken in 1947. Imbued with Hues/Facebook 5 of 30Union Pacific streamliner postcard, 1950s. Streamliner Memories 6 of 30A photo of the Milwaukee Road streamliner named the Olympian Hiawatha as it began its inaugural run.Imbued with Hues/Facebook
7 of 30The Santa Fe Chief featured full-length dome cars instead of the Super Chief’s smaller Pleasure Dome Lounge Car, which ran first on El Capitan and the newest of the Santa Fe streamliners. This photo ran in a 1960 brochure. Streamliner Memories
8 of 30The historic California Zephyr dome coach, the “Silver Lariat,” is captured here en route to Oakland. The Budd Company built #4718 “Silver Lariat” in 1948-1949 for the CB&Q as part of the original California Zephyr. Jcesare/Wikimedia Commons 9 of 30The “Cable Car Buffet Lounge” was popular aboard the California Zephyr. Streamliner Memories 10 of 30A menu cover from the Cable Car Room aboard the California Zephyr.Streamliner Memories 11 of 30A peek inside the Cable Car Room menu.Streamliner Memories 12 of 30The East L.A. station, last stop before L.A. Union Station.Streamliner Memories 13 of 30Interior of the Union Pacific’s City of Los Angeles Rosewood Lounge car.Streamliner Memories 14 of 30The Cincinnatian was inaugurated in 1947 as an all-day train from Baltimore and Washington to Cincinnati, but failed to attract enough passengers. On June 25, 1950, it was re-inaugurated on the Cincinnati-Detroit run. Streamliner Memories 15 of 30This colorized photo of the New York Central System Mercury Train in Chicago was taken in 1936. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
16 of 30The Santa Fe Super Chief was seen here in 1939. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
17 of 30An undated nighttime meeting of the eastbound and westbound Zephyrs in the Nevada desert.
Streamliner Memories 18 of 30Union Pacific’s Astra-Dome car ad. Streamliner Memories 19 of 30The Green Diamond at the Milwaukee Station in 1936.Imbued with Hues/Facebook
20 of 30This Rock Island photo shows the “Fiesta” coffee shop on a Golden State Route train running from Chicago to Los Angeles. Streamliner Memories 21 of 30A postcard from a packet sold onboard El Capitan and other Santa Fe trains by the newsagents in the 1950s. Streamliner Memories 22 of 30Other countries also had their own streamliners, like this London Midland and Scottish Railway’s (LMS) Princess Coronation Class 6229 “Duchess of Hamilton” at the National Railway Museum. Built in 1938, it was exported to the United States for a 3,000-mile tour and visited the 1939 New York World’s Fair. cooldudeandy01/Wikimedia Commons
23 of 30A February 1938 advertisement for electric trains by General Electric depicted the Flying Yankee. This was found inside the front cover of Scientific American’s February 1938 issue.Wikimedia Commons 24 of 30The Texas Special was streamlined in the late 40s and competed with Missouri Pacific’s Texas Eagle. The Texas Special carried an observation lounge three out of four nights, with a lounge car running instead on the last night. This photo was taken in 1947. Streamliner Memories
25 of 30A special luggage compartment with an outside door and elevator to lift bags into the car was a feature of the new Southern Pacific Daylight streamliner. The streamliner made its first run to San Francisco on June 5, 1940. Here, a train porter can be seen operating the elevator from the station platform. Tessa/Los Angeles Public Library 26 of 30Three women sit around the phone in one of the coaches of the Union Pacific’s fashionable new streamliner, “City of Los Angeles.” This photo is dated Dec. 31, 1937. Tessa/Los Angeles Public Library
27 of 30A peek into the Milwaukee Road from a brochure for the Olympian Hiawatha in the early 1950s. Streamliner Memories
28 of 30Norfolk & Western J. Class 603. This was a class of 14 streamlined steam locomotives built by the railway’s own Roanoke Shops in Virginia from 1941 to 1950. This photo is circa the 1940s.Imbued with Hues/Facebook 29 of 30There was even a feature film made in 1934 during the height of the mania surrounding the Zephyr’s popularity — The Silver Streak. Wikimedia Commons 30 of 30Like this gallery?Share it:
Share
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Glamour, Gangsters, And Racism: 30 Photos Inside Harlem’s Infamous Cotton Club
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Take A Road Trip Back In Time With These Vintage Photos Of American Roadside Attractions
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1 of 30Streamliner trains made an appearance at the New York World’s Fair on May 27, 1939. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
2 of 30The red and silver Chicago to L.A. streamliner was named Golden State and had a red and silver color scheme from 1948 until 1950. Streamliner Memories
3 of 30The Baltimore & Ohio line lounge car was decked out in art deco from the late 1940s to the early ’50s. Streamliner Memories 4 of 30This colorized photo of GM’s “Train of Tomorrow” was originally taken in 1947. Imbued with Hues/Facebook 5 of 30Union Pacific streamliner postcard, 1950s. Streamliner Memories 6 of 30A photo of the Milwaukee Road streamliner named the Olympian Hiawatha as it began its inaugural run.Imbued with Hues/Facebook
7 of 30The Santa Fe Chief featured full-length dome cars instead of the Super Chief’s smaller Pleasure Dome Lounge Car, which ran first on El Capitan and the newest of the Santa Fe streamliners. This photo ran in a 1960 brochure. Streamliner Memories
8 of 30The historic California Zephyr dome coach, the “Silver Lariat,” is captured here en route to Oakland. The Budd Company built #4718 “Silver Lariat” in 1948-1949 for the CB&Q as part of the original California Zephyr. Jcesare/Wikimedia Commons 9 of 30The “Cable Car Buffet Lounge” was popular aboard the California Zephyr. Streamliner Memories 10 of 30A menu cover from the Cable Car Room aboard the California Zephyr.Streamliner Memories 11 of 30A peek inside the Cable Car Room menu.Streamliner Memories 12 of 30The East L.A. station, last stop before L.A. Union Station.Streamliner Memories 13 of 30Interior of the Union Pacific’s City of Los Angeles Rosewood Lounge car.Streamliner Memories 14 of 30The Cincinnatian was inaugurated in 1947 as an all-day train from Baltimore and Washington to Cincinnati, but failed to attract enough passengers. On June 25, 1950, it was re-inaugurated on the Cincinnati-Detroit run. Streamliner Memories 15 of 30This colorized photo of the New York Central System Mercury Train in Chicago was taken in 1936. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
16 of 30The Santa Fe Super Chief was seen here in 1939. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
17 of 30An undated nighttime meeting of the eastbound and westbound Zephyrs in the Nevada desert.
Streamliner Memories 18 of 30Union Pacific’s Astra-Dome car ad. Streamliner Memories 19 of 30The Green Diamond at the Milwaukee Station in 1936.Imbued with Hues/Facebook
20 of 30This Rock Island photo shows the “Fiesta” coffee shop on a Golden State Route train running from Chicago to Los Angeles. Streamliner Memories 21 of 30A postcard from a packet sold onboard El Capitan and other Santa Fe trains by the newsagents in the 1950s. Streamliner Memories 22 of 30Other countries also had their own streamliners, like this London Midland and Scottish Railway’s (LMS) Princess Coronation Class 6229 “Duchess of Hamilton” at the National Railway Museum. Built in 1938, it was exported to the United States for a 3,000-mile tour and visited the 1939 New York World’s Fair. cooldudeandy01/Wikimedia Commons
23 of 30A February 1938 advertisement for electric trains by General Electric depicted the Flying Yankee. This was found inside the front cover of Scientific American’s February 1938 issue.Wikimedia Commons 24 of 30The Texas Special was streamlined in the late 40s and competed with Missouri Pacific’s Texas Eagle. The Texas Special carried an observation lounge three out of four nights, with a lounge car running instead on the last night. This photo was taken in 1947. Streamliner Memories
25 of 30A special luggage compartment with an outside door and elevator to lift bags into the car was a feature of the new Southern Pacific Daylight streamliner. The streamliner made its first run to San Francisco on June 5, 1940. Here, a train porter can be seen operating the elevator from the station platform. Tessa/Los Angeles Public Library 26 of 30Three women sit around the phone in one of the coaches of the Union Pacific’s fashionable new streamliner, “City of Los Angeles.” This photo is dated Dec. 31, 1937. Tessa/Los Angeles Public Library
27 of 30A peek into the Milwaukee Road from a brochure for the Olympian Hiawatha in the early 1950s. Streamliner Memories
28 of 30Norfolk & Western J. Class 603. This was a class of 14 streamlined steam locomotives built by the railway’s own Roanoke Shops in Virginia from 1941 to 1950. This photo is circa the 1940s.Imbued with Hues/Facebook 29 of 30There was even a feature film made in 1934 during the height of the mania surrounding the Zephyr’s popularity — The Silver Streak. Wikimedia Commons 30 of 30Like this gallery?Share it:
Share
1 of 30Streamliner trains made an appearance at the New York World’s Fair on May 27, 1939. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
2 of 30The red and silver Chicago to L.A. streamliner was named Golden State and had a red and silver color scheme from 1948 until 1950. Streamliner Memories
3 of 30The Baltimore & Ohio line lounge car was decked out in art deco from the late 1940s to the early ’50s. Streamliner Memories
4 of 30This colorized photo of GM’s “Train of Tomorrow” was originally taken in 1947. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
5 of 30Union Pacific streamliner postcard, 1950s. Streamliner Memories
6 of 30A photo of the Milwaukee Road streamliner named the Olympian Hiawatha as it began its inaugural run.Imbued with Hues/Facebook
7 of 30The Santa Fe Chief featured full-length dome cars instead of the Super Chief’s smaller Pleasure Dome Lounge Car, which ran first on El Capitan and the newest of the Santa Fe streamliners. This photo ran in a 1960 brochure. Streamliner Memories
8 of 30The historic California Zephyr dome coach, the “Silver Lariat,” is captured here en route to Oakland. The Budd Company built #4718 “Silver Lariat” in 1948-1949 for the CB&Q as part of the original California Zephyr. Jcesare/Wikimedia Commons
9 of 30The “Cable Car Buffet Lounge” was popular aboard the California Zephyr. Streamliner Memories
10 of 30A menu cover from the Cable Car Room aboard the California Zephyr.Streamliner Memories
11 of 30A peek inside the Cable Car Room menu.Streamliner Memories
12 of 30The East L.A. station, last stop before L.A. Union Station.Streamliner Memories
13 of 30Interior of the Union Pacific’s City of Los Angeles Rosewood Lounge car.Streamliner Memories
14 of 30The Cincinnatian was inaugurated in 1947 as an all-day train from Baltimore and Washington to Cincinnati, but failed to attract enough passengers. On June 25, 1950, it was re-inaugurated on the Cincinnati-Detroit run. Streamliner Memories
15 of 30This colorized photo of the New York Central System Mercury Train in Chicago was taken in 1936. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
16 of 30The Santa Fe Super Chief was seen here in 1939. Imbued with Hues/Facebook
17 of 30An undated nighttime meeting of the eastbound and westbound Zephyrs in the Nevada desert.
Streamliner Memories
18 of 30Union Pacific’s Astra-Dome car ad. Streamliner Memories
19 of 30The Green Diamond at the Milwaukee Station in 1936.Imbued with Hues/Facebook
20 of 30This Rock Island photo shows the “Fiesta” coffee shop on a Golden State Route train running from Chicago to Los Angeles. Streamliner Memories
21 of 30A postcard from a packet sold onboard El Capitan and other Santa Fe trains by the newsagents in the 1950s. Streamliner Memories
22 of 30Other countries also had their own streamliners, like this London Midland and Scottish Railway’s (LMS) Princess Coronation Class 6229 “Duchess of Hamilton” at the National Railway Museum. Built in 1938, it was exported to the United States for a 3,000-mile tour and visited the 1939 New York World’s Fair. cooldudeandy01/Wikimedia Commons
23 of 30A February 1938 advertisement for electric trains by General Electric depicted the Flying Yankee. This was found inside the front cover of Scientific American’s February 1938 issue.Wikimedia Commons
24 of 30The Texas Special was streamlined in the late 40s and competed with Missouri Pacific’s Texas Eagle. The Texas Special carried an observation lounge three out of four nights, with a lounge car running instead on the last night. This photo was taken in 1947. Streamliner Memories
25 of 30A special luggage compartment with an outside door and elevator to lift bags into the car was a feature of the new Southern Pacific Daylight streamliner. The streamliner made its first run to San Francisco on June 5, 1940. Here, a train porter can be seen operating the elevator from the station platform. Tessa/Los Angeles Public Library
26 of 30Three women sit around the phone in one of the coaches of the Union Pacific’s fashionable new streamliner, “City of Los Angeles.” This photo is dated Dec. 31, 1937. Tessa/Los Angeles Public Library
27 of 30A peek into the Milwaukee Road from a brochure for the Olympian Hiawatha in the early 1950s. Streamliner Memories
28 of 30Norfolk & Western J. Class 603. This was a class of 14 streamlined steam locomotives built by the railway’s own Roanoke Shops in Virginia from 1941 to 1950. This photo is circa the 1940s.Imbued with Hues/Facebook
29 of 30There was even a feature film made in 1934 during the height of the mania surrounding the Zephyr’s popularity — The Silver Streak. Wikimedia Commons
30 of 30Like this gallery?Share it:
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29 Vintage Photos Of The Unparalleled Glamour Of Streamliner Trains View Gallery
29 Vintage Photos Of The Unparalleled Glamour Of Streamliner Trains View Gallery
29 Vintage Photos Of The Unparalleled Glamour Of Streamliner Trains View Gallery
29 Vintage Photos Of The Unparalleled Glamour Of Streamliner Trains View Gallery
29 Vintage Photos Of The Unparalleled Glamour Of Streamliner Trains
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Companies that made it through the financial crisis had to make their mark against the competition in order to stay afloat and often did so by beautifying everyday objects. Railroad companies were no exception, and they entered this aesthetically stunning era with sleek, futuristic streamliner trains.
Streamliners were a class of luxury trains that were built throughout the 1940s and 1950s and designed for long-distance travel. Touted as the new standard for comfort in North American transportation, streamliners were likened to cruise ships on wheels.
The streamliner was supposed to revolutionize the railroad industry, which had been struggling even before the Great Depression with the rise of the automobile. But despite its modern design, the streamliner failed to travel much further into the future past mid-century.
The Streamliner Represented The Next Generation In Train Travel
Imbued with Hues/Facebook The Burlington Zephyr, pictured alongside a 1941 Pontiac.
The Great Depression severely stalled the transfer of goods and freight trains became less of a necessity. In a bid to stay in business, the railroad switched gears from cargo shipping to passenger service.
But train travel had not progressed much in the last century, so the railroad companies were pressed to find a faster, more comfortable mode of transport that would catch on, and one solution they hit on was to “streamline” their cars.
Streamlining objects meant replacing boxy shapes with curves and tapers, offering less air resistance and speedier travel. While the same aesthetic choices were made on everything from furnishings to toasters, streamlining trains significantly increased their speed and efficiency.
This choice, as one historian put it, “Stimulated public faith in a future fueled by technological innovation.”
Then, in 1932, a pair of Budds (no relation) changed the railroad industry. Ralph Budd was the president of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad line. Edward Budd was a car manufacturer in Philadelphia. The pair met in 1932 and hatched a plan to reinvent train travel, with Ralph improving speed and efficiency, and Ed the marketing and design.
Two years later, the duo unveiled the Burlington Zephyr diesel train. Named for Zephyrus, the ancient Greek god of the west wind, this beauty featured a corrugated stainless-steel exterior and was debuted on May 26, 1934, to awed audiences.
The Zephyr zipped from Denver to Chicago on its first dawn-to-dusk run, shattering the record for nonstop train travel and speed by arriving 13 hours and 5 minutes later. Until that day, the record time from Denver to Chicago clocked in at over 25 hours.
Interestingly enough, the Union Pacific railroad company had released an original streamliner of its own, the M-10000, just a few months before Zephyr. In fact, the company had released a streamliner back in 1905, but the only person who took the design seriously at the time was none other than Ed Budd.
A Class Of Trains Designed With Unprecedented Luxury
Streamliner MemoriesA Union Pacific Domeliner model, from a city of Portland brochure.
After the release of the sleek new streamliner, Zephyr-mania swept the country. Other products rushed to cash in on the success of the name, including even a broom manufacturer. School sports teams even adopted the moniker and the American musician Hank Williams Sr. even wrote a song about a Zephyr train.
Most notably, other railroad companies scurried to create their own streamliners. Pennsylvania Railroad, Great Northern, New York Central, and countless others produced their own classes of the modern vehicle.
When the Pennsylvania railroad debuted their class of cars in the late 1930s, they coined the phrase “The Fleet of Modernism,” and the term encapsulated the overall impact that streamliners had on mid-century travel.
And while stunning on the outside, the inside of the streamliners took luxury to an unprecedented level.
Every train featured cocktail lounges, restaurants, astrodomes, and reclining seats to view the passing countryside. General Motors released a class of streamliners called “Train of Tomorrow,” which featured an electric kitchen, telephone services, and a glass penthouse.
Watch the ‘Train of Tomorrow’ as it was advertised in 1948.
With the addition of fashion-forward colors, textures, and luxurious fabrics for the seats and curtains, streamliners became the epitome of mid-century glamour — and ticket prices reflected this to be true.
Watch the ‘Train of Tomorrow’ as it was advertised in 1948.
A pre-tax, first-class, round-trip ticket on the Sante Fe streamliner from Los Angeles to Chicago cost $115 in 1953. That equals over $1,200 a ticket in today’s economy.
How ‘The Fleet Of Modernism’ Failed
As with all good things, the era of the streamliner had to end.
The once vital part of American passenger travel suffered greatly with the growth of both the airline industry and the more widespread use of cars. From 1946 to 1965, passenger volume on trains dropped from 790 million to 298 million.
But wistful riders will not forget the impact of the train that was meant to herald in the future.
“Nineteen-sixty-five, my first train ride with my parents,” one passenger recalled to PBS. “I was five years old… We children were able to roam the train without fear or reprimand from our parents. We were safe. The dining car with the heavy silver and white table cloth and napkins. Wonderful food.”
Another passenger remembered how iconic the design was, “By God, it was something to see: as I recall, a great gleaming emerald line of sleek cars, all those dark shining windows and the golden lettering along the sides of the train to let you know that this was something very special, with a name to match.”
After exploring the brief but glorious era of the streamliner train, see how mid-century visionaries thought the future would look. Then, peruse these color photos of the Great Depression.
