Union Pacific Streamliner 7th Train
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This page was last updated on May 23, 2023.
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(Portions of this Streamliner timeline are included as part of the larger UP Passenger Service Timeline)
7th Train (LA-1, LA-2, LA-3 Locomotives)
7th Train (1937 to 1941)
December 1937
A new City of Los Angeles, with locomotives LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3, was on public display at the following locations:
- December 15, 1937 -- Chicago
- December 18, 1937 -- New York City
- December 21, 1937 -- Sun Valley, Idaho (for opening of the resort's second season)
- December 21-22, 1937 -- Ogden, Utah
- December 22, 1937 -- Salt Lake City, Utah (visited by 12,000 people)
- December 24-25, 1937 -- Los Angeles (Friday-Saturday)
December 18, 1937
The new City of Los Angeles completed a seven-mile test run between Cold Spring and Beacon, New York, in just five minutes. "The triple-engined, 17-car yellow-colored train at times hit more than 110 miles per hour..." (San Bernardino County Sun, December 18, 1937, "today") (The route mentioned was westbound on the New York Central along the east bank of the Hudson River, 60 miles north of New York City.)
December 24-25, 1937
The new City of Los Angeles was on public display in western Los Angeles, on Friday and Saturday December 24th and 25th, 1937, on Exhibition Boulevard between 36th Place and 37th Place. (San Bernardino County Sun, December 23, 1937) (The site was on the Pacific Electric's Santa Monica Air Line, and today is on Metro's Expo E-Line between downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica.)
December 27, 1937
A new 14-car City of Los Angeles train, powered by the three-unit set of EMD E2 locomotives LA-1-2-3, replaced the 3rd Train (M-10002) in City of Los Angeles service.
December 1937
A total of 15 sleeper cars were delivered by Pullman for new City of Los Angeles and City of San Francisco service.
Jeff Koeller described the changes to the City of Los Angeles in February 1938 at the start of service every third day.
The COLA M-10002 and the 3rd Train made its last WB trip leaving Chicago on 12-23-37 (one day early to accommodate those patrons who wished to spend Christmas in Los Angeles) and arriving at Central Station in LA on the 25th. It was then taken out of service for rehabilitation at Omaha. During this interval, the 3rd Train substituted for M-10001 on the City of Portland run from 1-28-38 to 2-15-38, probably with M-10004 (off the now idle COSF 4th Train) as motive power.
On February 21st, 1938, the 3rd Train was restored to COLA operation establishing "Every Third Day" service. UP ads, on the rear cover of the timetable of the same date, plus in local newspapers verify this date, with an illustration of M-10004 along with the new E2 LA-1. I also have a photo of the 3rd COLA powered by M-10004 at SP's Watsonville Junction in early March 1938, detouring via Ogden-Oakland-LA over the SP due to the March 1938 Southern California floods. By May 1938, M-10004 was photographed substituting on the City of Denver, so M-10002 had been restored to the 3rd train by that time. M-10004 was subsequently renumbered to LA-4 and assigned to the new "revised" 4th Train which replaced the 3rd Train in COLA service on 8-18-38.
On 3-28-39, the 3rd Train with M-10002 replaced M-10001 on the City of Portland run. This lasted until August 1941, when the revised 4th Train bumped the 3rd Train from COP service, itself having been superseded by the new COLA 9th Train on 8-3-41. (Jeff Koeller, email dated May 15, 2023)
Motive Power
| LA-1 | 1800 HP motor E2 A | to 921A 8-46, to 994J 3-48, to CNW 50003A 12-48 |
| LA-2 | 1800 HP motor E2 B | to 922B 8-46, to 984BJ 3-48, to 984B 12-48, to EMD as trade-in for E8B 924B 2-53 |
| LA-3 | 1800 HP motor E2 B | to 923B 8-46, to 984CJ 3-48, to 984C 12-48, to EMD as trade-in for E8B 925B 2-53 |
Cars
| LA-101 | Auxiliary Power, Baggage, Dormitory | |
| Las Vegas (LA-401) (with Salt Lake, LA-402) |
52 seat coach | |
| Salt Lake (LA-402) (with Las Vegas, LA-401) |
52 seat coach | |
| Biltmore (1st) (LA-601) (with LA-602) |
Kitchen Diner | to SF-605 Presidio (2nd) 1939, to CNW 6960 in 1947 |
| Ambassador (1st) (LA-602) (with LA-601) |
Diner | to SF-606 Mission Dolores (2nd) 1939, to CNW 6961 in 1947 |
| Little Nugget (LA-701) | club, lounge | |
| Santa Monica (with Wilshire) |
4 compartment, 3 drawing room | |
| Wilshire (2nd) (with Santa Monica) |
12 section | Reassigned from 10th Train (City of San Francisco) renamed from Union Square (1st) in 1938 |
| San Dominguez (1st) (with San Fernando) |
4 compartment, 3 drawing room | Changed to Seal Rocks (2nd) (8th train) in 1938 |
| San Fernando (with San Dominguez) |
13 roomette, 1 section | |
| Arroyo Seco (with Beverly Hills) |
11 bedroom | |
| Beverly Hills (with Arroyo Seco) |
12 sections | |
| Rose Bowl (1st) | 12 single room, 5 bedroom | to Telegraph Hill (2nd) (COSF) in 1941; to CNW in 1947 |
| Sun Valley (LA-901) | observation, lounge |
Rose Bowl (1st), assigned to COLA, exchanged names and assignments in 1941 with Telegraph Hill (1st), assigned to COSF, becoming Telegraph Hill (2nd) and Rose Bowl (2nd) respectively. In 1947, Rose Bowl (2nd) became a C&NW car, and Telegraph Hill (2nd) became an SP car.
A derailment near Harney, Nevada, on August 12, 1939, destroyed five cars of the City of San Francisco (8th Train).
COSF/COLA cars traded but retained names
Revised 7th Train (1941-1947)
- City of Los Angeles, July 1941 to start of daily service in May 1947
Motive Power
| LA-1 | 1800 HP motor E2 A |
| LA-2 | 1800 HP motor E2 B |
| LA-3 | 1800 HP motor E2 B |
Cars
| LA-101 | auxiliary power, baggage, dormitory | to CNW 9303 in 1947 |
| Las Vegas (LA-401) (with Salt Lake, LA-402) |
52 seat coach | to CNW 3408 in 1947 |
| Salt Lake (LA-402) (with Las Vegas, LA-401) |
52 seat coach | to CNW 3409 in 1947 |
| LA-611 Mission Inn | cafe-lounge (new car added in 1941) | |
| LA-607 Biltmore (2nd) | Diner (new car added in 1941) | |
| LA-701 Little Nugget | club, lounge | renumbered to 6106; retired and donated in 1956 to Travel Town, Los Angeles, California. |
| Arroyo Seco (with Beverly Hills) |
11 bedroom | |
| Beverly Hills (with Arroyo Seco) |
12 section | |
| Santa Monica | 4 compartment, 3 drawing room | |
| San Fernando | 13 roomette, 1 section | |
| Cabrillo | 4 bedroom, 4 compartment, 2 drawing room (new car) | |
| Figueroa | 4 bedroom, 4 compartment, 2 drawing room (new car) | |
| Arcadia | 4 bedroom, 4 compartment, 2 drawing room (new car) | |
| LA-901 Sun Valley | observation, lounge |
Extra cars built in 1941
| LA-611 Mission Hill | Cafe Lounge | to 5007 |
| LA-607 Biltmore | Diner | to 4817 |
| Cabrillo | 4 bedroom, 4 compartment, 2 drawing room | |
| Figueroa | 4 bedroom, 4 compartment, 2 drawing room | |
| Arcadia | 4 bedroom, 4 compartment, 2 drawing room | to CNW in 1947 |
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