1934 - M-10000 at the Boulder Dam
The nation's first streamlined passenger train was built by the Pullman Company for Union Pacific. It was delivered to Chicago on February 25, 1934, to begin a year-long tour of the United States.
The “M” stood for “motor,” and designated locomotives that were powered by internal combustion. This first streamliner, made of aluminum alloy, was a three-car day train; sleeping cars were added in subsequent models.
Fully loaded with 116 passengers, crew and baggage, M-10000 weighed far less than a conventional steam train and used less horsepower.
The trainset was sent on a publicity tour across the US, during which about a million people toured it and its stops became local media sensations.
During its 13,000-mile exhibition tour across the US as The Streamliner, it visited Washington DC for inspection by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The popular train was put on display at the 1934 World's Fair ("A Century of Progress") in Chicago from May 26 to October 31, 1934.
It was somewhat overshadowed by the other lightweight streamliner, the diesel-powered Burlington Zephyr, which entered the fair after a record-setting "Dawn to Dusk Dash" speed run from Denver to Chicago, in time to arrive at the "Wings of a Century" transportation pageant.
During its testing, demonstration, and display periods, the M-10000 trainset included the sleeper car Overland Trail, which was removed from the consist prior to revenue service and added to Union Pacific's next streamliner, M-10001.
M-10000 was placed in revenue service between Kansas City, Missouri and Salina, Kansas as The Streamliner on January 31, 1935. It was subsequently named City of Salina as Union Pacific adopted the "City of..." convention for its new streamliners
It operated until December 1941, by which time its engine, after powering the train for approximately 995,000 miles, required replacement that was deemed prohibitively expensive.
The trainset was scrapped the following year, with its aluminum recycled for use in the wartime aircraft industry.
Love seeing this and your mention of the Burlington Zephyr. That train pioneered Diesel power. It is the work of Alexander Winton, a Scottish immigrant, who made top grade automobiles. In 1904 he was the largest producer of automobiles in The United States, having made 802 Wintons at his Cleveland factory. By 1913 Mr. Winton's interest in automobile manufacture waned although they were produced through, I think, the 1923 model year. Why? He took an interest in Diesel power. 1913 was the pivotal year for the Diesel in America because Rudolph Diesel came to America to promote his type of engine. Clessie Cummins investigated and produced four-cycle Diesels while Alexander Winton concentrated on two-cycle design. Mr. Winton established Winton Diesel. After his death in 1932, the company name was changed to Cleveland Diesel. It is Winton's Diesel with a Cleveland Diesel valve cover that made the historic run from Denver to Chicago using a mere $13.65 in fuel! This heralded the demise of steam locomotion. A few years later, Winton's company became DETROIT DIESEL. We have a great debt to Alexander Winton.
ReplyDeleteI've posted about Wintons before, http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/search/label/Winton but never heard how he switched to diesels, and that the Winton company became Detroit Diesel! Thanks!
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