Russian Hill Streamliner Car Comments

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This page was last updated on November 4, 2024.

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Overview

Russian Hill was built in July 1941 as part of the 10th Train (City of San Francisco; COSF); sold to C&NW on December 31, 1945 and leased back to Pullman for operation. After 1945 the car remained in City of San Francisco service until December 1946.

"Russian Hill" was changed to "Hoover Dam" on January 29, 1951 at the written request of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. (Hoover Dam name information from Classic Trains Forum, June 25, 2006)

The lease of Hoover Dam to Pullman ended and and the car was returned to C&NW operation on March 26, 1956. The car was retired by C&NW in 1958, and sold for scrap to M. S. Kaplan, Chicago.

Build date for Russian Hill (July 1941) is taken from date on Pullman photos. UP folio diagram sheet shows date as "1941." Randall's Streamliner Cars, Volume 1, Pullman-Standard, and The Official Pullman-Standard Library, Volume 14, both show November 1940, although the photos in the latter source show July 1941.

Russian Hill was one of 85 lightweight cars that were part of the original Streamliner trainsets on Union Pacific, known as the 1st through 10th Trains.

Of these 85 cars, 19 cars were built in June and July 1941, including Russian Hill.

(Read more about the Named 1941-Built Streamliner Sleeper Cars)

Cars used in City of San Francisco (COSF) service were jointly owned by UP, SP and C&NW.

Cars used in City of Los Angeles (COLA), City of Portland (COP) and City of Denver (COD) service were jointly owned by UP and C&NW.

Jeffrey Reed Comments

Comments from Jeffery Reed, to Jeffrey Cauthen, email dated September 17, 2016:

The transitional lettering on Baldy Mountain lasted until fall of 1949, not long after COSF cars Nob Hill and Russian Hill were permanently assigned to the COLA (8/1/49 and 8/4/49 respectively). According to a UP correspondence letter dated 9/20/49, all four observation cars then operating on the four COLA consists (regulars Sun Valley and Baldy Mountain, as well as the two ex-COSF cars) were to have City of Los Angeles train name lettering applied.

Sleeper-observation cars Baldy Mountain and Russian Hill were lettered as follows: COLA train name, with 5-inch PULLMAN sublettering at the vestibule end (both sides) and 5-inch "C.& N.W." sublettering at the observation end (both sides).

Due to new car deliveries and other re-shuffling of car assignments, the only remaining 9th Train regulars were Baldy Mountain, Rose Bowl, Los Feliz and Hollywood. By this time, the 9th Train had acquired the 7th Train's 11-Double Bedroom/12-Section articulated sleeping car set to replace nearly identical 9th Train cars San Domingues and Wilsire (which were destroyed by fire on 7/7/49), plus the 7th Train's articulated coach set (recently renumbered to C&NW 3408-3409). These coaches would be subsequently replaced with new 5400-class leg-rest coaches delivered from Pullman-Standard beginning in June 1950. An early-1950s 9th Train would feature "road name" lettering on all non-sleeping cars, wide-spaced PULLMAN lettering on the sleeping cars with road name sublettering (4-inch UNION PACIFIC or 5-inch CHICAGO AND NORTH WESTERN), and COLA train name lettering on Baldy Mountain as previously described.

A final lettering change for C&NW-owned cars Baldy Mountain and Hoover Dam (ex-Russian Hill) was to have taken place in 1954, but may not have been implemented due to operational circumstances. According to a note dated 5/24/54 on Pullman's Painting, Striping & Lettering drawing No. D4857, the COLA train name lettering on these two cars was being changed to 8-inch PULLMAN with 5-inch "C.& N.W." sublettering on both ends of the letterboard. Hoover Dam and Baldy Mountain were withdrawn from COLA assignment for shopping on 5/17/54 and 7/26/54 respectively, with Pennsylvania Railroad cars Metropolitan View and Federal View substituting in their place. This was most likely the end of revenue service for Baldy Mountain and Hoover Dam as both cars were "stored" at Pullman's Calumet shops effective 11/10/54. Meanwhile, the PRR cars continued to operate in COLA service until the delivery of new UP dome-obs-lounge cars in February 1955. Ultimately, the C&NW would soon be out of Overland Route operations completely (displaced by Milwaukee Road on October 30, 1955), and since the railroad had no use for sleeper-observation cars on any of their own overnight trains, Baldy Mountain and Hoover Dam were consequently withdrawn from Pullman lease in February-March 1956. The cars were retired in 1958 and sold to M.S. Kaplan Company for their scrap value.

(Read more about PRR-owned Metropolitan View)

Jeff Koeller Comments

Comments by Jeff Koeller, to Jeffrey Cauthen, email dated June 12, 2017:

Black Roofs on Pullman Sleeper Cars -- In the book, SP Passenger Cars, Volume 5, on page 254 are photos (previously published) of sleeper-obs car Russian Hill with black roof and trucks. The car as depicted was in substitute service on the LARK, but it turns out that circa 1943 all passenger cars and locomotives assigned to the City of San Francisco got black roofs, apparently for West Coast service during the war. The black roofs can be seen in the various photos of the era and lasted on some cars into mid-1947.

Obviously, the black-painted roofs were intended to reduce the train’s visibility from the air, and this was also done on other West Coast train equipment such as AT&SF lightweight cars, and also on some of the CB&Q LW cars running in the Exposition Flyer to Oakland. One exception was apparently the City of Los Angeles - I cannot find photographic evidence that any COLA equipment ever got black roofs (perhaps because the train did not actually operate along coastal waters?).

I’ve tried to determine if black-painted roofs on the COSF was done in conjunction with the various ‘black-out’ requirements issued by the the Western Defense Command, but so far nothing has turned up.

Russian Hill Service After 1947 -- The car was assigned to the COSF 19th Train, which began daily service on September 2, 1947, leaving Oakland. Russian Hill was withdrawn from COSF service by SP on 10/25/46 for use in the LARK during shopping of regular cars. The car also ran on a SP-CRI&P football special leaving LA on Tuesday 11/26 for Chicago for the USC-Notre Dame football game in South Bend on 11/30/46. Russian Hill was back in substitute service on the LARK by at least 12/9/46, operating until late February or early March 1947. C&NW then used Russian Hill on their Twin Cities 400 trains during shopping of their regular parlor-observation cars. The last trip for Russian Hill on C&NW was Saturday June 7, 1947. After this, Russian Hill and obs-lounge car Nob Hill (stored since 10/42) were assigned to the City of Los Angeles 16th and 17th Trains for the summer of 1947. Both cars were withdrawn from the COLA just prior to inauguration of daily COSF service on 9/1/47, to be used as lounge cars in the COSF 18th and 19th Trains. (Jeff Koeller, to Jeffrey Cauthen, email dated June 12, 2017)

Don Munger Comments

Comments by Don Munger, to Don Strack, email dated July 5, 2017:

One of the reasons Russian Hill was removed from COSF service was the need of additional sleeping car space and it was replaced with a 4-4-2 sleeper. UP, SP and C&NW wanted to increase the money to be made from increased liquor sales. Pullman was operating the Russian Hill as a lounge-buffet, with less financial return than would come from selling liquor. The rear end Pullman lounges on the City trains were never a complete success in that Pullman was getting the money and passengers were not completely happy having the lounge at the rear and the dining car mid train. Similar to going out to eat at a restaurant where the bar is two blocks away. To correct this the railroads ordered mid-train lounge cars in the postwar new car orders.

UP again discovered that the rear end lounge was not popular when its new City dome lounge observation cars were delivered in 1955. UP was not satisfied with its rear end dome lounge cars in that passengers were not using the cars as had been anticipated. SP's success with its new mid train dome lounge car SP 3600 inspired UP to move the rear end dome lounge cars up to mid train directly behind the diners. It was all about money.

I'm guessing that once they got the Russian Hill out of the train and it was replaced by a mid train lounge they really didn't care if it came back. As long as a railroad replacement mid train lounge was available the Russian Hill remained extra, with only occasional use as a rear-end lounge car. As new cars began arriving during 1949-1950, Pullman as a lounge car operator was history.

Concerning the Russian Hill on the Lark. The car was owned by C&NW, but leased to Pullman. Pullman was responsible for the car operation, meaning Pullman could use the car as it saw fit, including as a replacement car when another Pullman-leased car was not available due to being in the shop. When SP's Lark buffet observation was removed from service for shopping, it was shopped by Pullman becaue the SP Lark car was also leased to Pullman. Pullman was responsible for providing a suitable replacement car, and since the Russian Hill was not assigned to any specific train, but still a Pullman leased car, it ended up in SP's Lark service. SP had little say in what car was used. It was all up to Pullman. The relief car only needed to have a buffet kitchen same as the SP Lark car that was out of service. SP was insistent that the replacement car be painted Pullman two tone gray matching the Lark. Pullman usually used its Geoge M. Pullman car (already painted in two-tone gray) as a replacement car, but it must not have been available and Russian Hill was used instead.

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