During
the streamliner era the
Sun Belt was not the economic
powerhouse we think of today. To be honest, it was a bit of a
backwater. Even so, the region supported a respectable amount of
railroad activity and was home to a number of memorable long distance
trains.
The Trains:
The Golden State
The Sunbelt's transcontinental service
operated by the Rock Island and Southern Pacific between Chicago and
Los Angeles via Tucumcari, El Paso, and Phoenix. Golden
State - December, 1948
The Imperial
Secondary
service on the Golden State Route between Chicago and Los Angeles which
also served San Diego via the San Diego & Arizona Eastern
Railway. The
Imperial - August, 1950
The quintessential Sun Belt train,
the Southern Pacific's Sunset Limited traversed the
entire breadth of Texas - all 927 miles of it - on its way from New
Orleans to Los Angeles via Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, and Phoenix. Sunset
Limited - August, 1950 Sunset Limited -
May 1957
The Texas
Eagle
was not just a train--it was a franchise. Under the umbrella of this
name, the Missouri Pacific operated a veritable spiderweb of trains
linking St. Louis and Memphis with Houston, San Antonio, Dallas/Fort
Worth, and El Paso. Texas
Eagle - December, 1952 Texas Eagle - June
1967
The
Texas Special
This
streamliner, jointly operated by the Frisco and the Katy through 1959,
connected St.
Louis with San Antonio, Dallas and Fort Worth with connecting service
to Wichita Falls. (After 1959, service was all-Katy originating in
Kansas City.) Texas Special
- December, 1948
The Texas Zephyr
Streamliner service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver, operated by the Burlington's Colorado and Texas affiliates. Texas Zephyr - June, 1941
