Looking through the CB&Q records at the Newberry Library in Chicago, I found
notes about a special train which, perhaps, summarises the different world of
the late 19th Century.
Mr M N de Young, editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, was in Boston in May
1881 when he received a telegram advising that his mother was ill. Once he
reached Chicago, a special train was put at his disposal (including the General
Manager's own private car) to get him to Omaha in time to connect with the UP's
train to San Francisco.
His special train left Chicago at 2.25 am on 13 May 1881 behind loco #134 and
reached Omaha just before 5 pm, having travelled 491 miles in 12 hours 24
minutes running time. This was nearly 1 hour faster than the previous record
set two years earlier, and represents a speed of 33 mph for the whole journey,
or an actual average speed of 39 mph excluding stoppages.
No charge was made for the use of the train!
There was also a report about another "special" used by J Mayham on 15 February
1887 to get from Chicago to Denver. The train left Chicago at 10 am, reaching
Burlington at 1.48 pm, Red Oak at 6.20 pm, Mc Cook at 12.15 am and Denver at
3.53 am. The travelling time was 17 hours 49 minutes (excluding 64 minutes for
stoppages), at an average speed of 57.63 mph - a new long distance running
record.
The Library has dozens of boxes of fascinating CB&Q records spanning the whole
life of the railroad including subsidiary and predecessor roads. There is, for
example, a whole box on Silver Dome complete with adverts, flyers, letters and
comments about the "new" car, as well as the considerations for the second dome
Silver Castle. It is apparent from these reports that the shortcomings of the
car - such as the sideways facing seats under the dome - were recognised
straight away, as were the great advantages particularly from a public
relations viewpoint. To a passenger car fanatic, these records are a goldmine.
Rupert
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