1949
Pullman Diner |
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By
Michael K. Dowell
This Southern Pacific diner number 10202 is a 1949
Pullman Standard Company diner and was one of four diners
ordered in June of 1946. One additional dining car was added
to the order in September of 1947. The Southern Pacific
anticipated delivery of the cars in 1947. However, the demand
for consumer goods, combined with material shortages, and
rail car manufactures giving precedence to freight car orders,
delayed delivery of passenger cars for three years. Diner
10202 was the first of five diners included in lot 6806 built
by the Pullman Standard Company to plan 7579A. This car order
was actually part of the larger order of lot numbers 6805,
6815 and 6816. Between 1946 and 1954, the Southern Pacific
purchased 261 new passenger cars at a cost of $48 million
dollars. In 1949 and 1950 the Southern Pacific placed more
new streamlined cars into service than any other two year
period in the company's history. In 1950 alone 119 new cars
were placed in service.
Southern Pacific diner 10202 is a 48-seat dining car, which
was delivered to the Southern Pacific Railroad September of
1949. The diner was 85 feet long, 10 feet wide and delivered
in a two-tone gray paint scheme. Murals are featured to the
left and right of each doorway at each end of the dining room
portion of the car. The murals featuring scenic locations
such as Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Valley. The murals were part
of the Southern Pacific's promotion of tourist travel in Southern
Pacific country. During this period the company spent one
million dollars annually on advertising primarily on billboard
ads reading "Next Time Take The Train."
Diners 10202 to 10205 were originally assigned to the "Overland
Route." The fifth diner number 10209 was assigned to the "City
of San Francisco" which also traveled the Overland Route.
The Overland Route was the path of the historic transcontinental
railroad. The transcontinental railroad was a joint project
by predecessor Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroads.
This route was completed joining east and west with the historic
driving of the golden spike at Promontory Utah on May 10,
1869. This route covered 1,780 miles from Chicago to San Francisco. |
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The San Francisco
Overland was a joint train operated by the Southern Pacific
from San Francisco to Ogden Utah. The train was carried
by the Union Pacific Railroad from Ogden to Omaha. The Chicago
and Northwestern Railroad handled the final leg of service
from Omaha to Chicago. By September of 1950 the timetable
shows train number 27 the west bound San Francisco Overland
leaving Chicago at 8:00 PM daily, and arriving in San Francisco
48 hours and 55 minutes later at 6:55 PM.
The final
35-minute leg of the journey from Oakland Pier to San Francisco
was by the Southern Pacific Ferry. After a sixteen
hour, layover the counter part, train number 28 would depart
San Francisco at 11:00 AM and arrive in Chicago at 1: PM
two days later. A section of the San Francisco Overland
would continue from Ogden to Denver, Kansas City and St.
Louis. Another section would complete the trip from Ogden
to Salt Lake City. |
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American
railroads developed diner menus that featured a local food
flavor for the route the train traveled. One may expect
gumbo on trains to New Orleans, or a country ham breakfast
on a L&N train in Kentucky, but on the Overland Route
passengers came to expect the Southern Pacific salad bowl.
A large portion of the Southern Pacific's freight that traveled
on the Overland route was fresh fruit and vegetables from
California and Arizona to Chicago.
Until the 1950's refrigeration had not developed adequately
to provide fresh fruit and vegetables year round to all
parts of the county. The Overland Diners became famous for
their fresh salads. The Southern Pacific even developed
its own special salad dressing. The fresh salad bowl became
so popular and there were so many requests for the recipe
that the Southern Pacific published the recipe in its travel
brochures to promote the lines deluxe passenger trains.
Southern
Pacific Diner # 10202
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