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 Argonaut
Southern Pacific's heavyweight secondary
service on the Sunset Route between New Orleans and Los Angeles via
Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, and Tucson. The Argonaut
- April, 1955
The Arizona Limited
First
all-private-room train in the west, this train aimed at
the winter
vacationers traffic would operate between Chicago and Phoenix over the
Golden State Route for only two seasons. Arizona Limited
- December, 1940
The California Special
This Santa Fe train fed
passengers from New Orleans (via Missouri Pacific), Houston, and
Dallas/Fort Worth to the company's transcontinental trains on the Belen
Cutoff route at Clovis, New Mexico. Operated via Brownwood, Sweetwater,
and Lubbock. California
Special - July, 1954
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 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, 1948 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 Texas Special/The Bluebonnet - May, 1957
The Texas Zephyr
Streamliner service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver, operated by
the Burlington's Colorado and Texas affiliates. Texas Zephyr
- June,
1941
