Half a century ilepoSls of passenger serVlce Volume XII, No.1 AUGUST, 1960 * Milepost No. 133 IFTY years ago this month worded article about a new era in the Department of Public Relations (if one of the most immense transportation industry. WE STERN PACIFIC RAILROAD throngs ever to welcome a His opening paragraph for the Au­ SACRAME NTO NORTHERN RY. passenger train congregated in Oak­ gust 23 edition of his paper began: TlOEWATER SOUTHERN RY . land. The date was August 22, 1910. "At long range there does not seem 526 Mission Street to be reason or excuse for emotion in San Francisco 5. California The occasion was the on-time arrival the arrival of a dusty passenger train Lee "Flash" Sherwood. Editor at 4: 15 p. m. of Western Pacific's first A. L. Lloyd . Associate Editor through passenger train, a press spe­ in a community already touched by cial. The welcome which greeted this two big transcontinental lines, but I, train is likel y to never again b e who have seen a few things to stir the equalled. heart and moisten the eyes, do not One eye witness, Ernest S. Simpson, expect soon to witness another such a staff member of the San Francisco thrilling outrush of sentiment as I saw, Call, captured the excitement and im­ heard, and felt yesterday all the 200 * Milepost No. 133: mensity of the occasion in a carefully miles from Oroville to Oakland while Approaching outskirts of Sacramento near Florin Road crossing. The Oakland Cham­ ber of Commerce FEATURES built an impressive Page arch over its main line tracks at Third and A photographer sets his lens for picture of "press special" on Broadway in Oakland Chandler Creek bridge (Milepost 288.76) heading east to as a triumphal monu­ Salt Lake City, August 17, 1910, to become first westbound ment for the arrival of the new transcon .. passenger train over the railroad (see story- Page 3) 00 __ Front Cover tinental railroad's Half a Century of Passenger Service _________ _ 3 first passe nger train. Profitable Passenger Trains Have a Future __ 15 Behind the frock­ coated foreman and Personnel Changes _ 16 his gang is W P's Dear Editor: ______________________ 00 17 Oakland station. The station looks much Mileposts in Gold _____ _ 18 th e same today WP Will Remember. ___ _ 19 except for the eight immense concrete Forest Fire! ---------- _____________________ 20 eagles which adorned Caboosing __ _ 23 the cornice. They were --- _______________________ 31 removed in 1940 as a Coming Events _ safety measure. Railroad Lines Back Cover 2 MILEPOSTS AUGUST, 1960 3 the Western Pacific dream was coming should have paraded before 1h grand­ true- not until our own war eagles stand for the edification of the visitors, are loosed again and our own kith and nosed itself gingerly against the heav­ kin bring back their battle-stained in g, howling throng, wavered irreso­ colors in honor and the pride of lu tely and came to a dead halt. The victory." police lines snapped like threads and A few paragraphs later Simpson the thousands threw themselves to the wr ote: "With an acclaim, riotous, un­ spot unde r th e tr iumphal arch to pat restrained and unrestrainable, Oak­ the it'on Ganks of the panting engines. land gave welcome yesterday to the They deck d its glistening, shining first Western Pacific passenger train front with garlands. They pitched roses to enter within its gates. Thousands on its hot boilers. They clambered to banked upon thousands of men, and the coal bunkers, and fathers brought women, and children, filling the streets, their little ones to its side so that the crowding the enclosed places, dotting baby fingers might toueh the fore­ the roofs, screamed and yelled in wild runner of the new road." frenzy of delight. From factory and A reader of S impson's article will workshop there burst a shrill ch orus visualize that speakers of that day, of raucous whistling. Bands blared, August 22, 1910, were, in one respect, bells pealed, gongs clanged. And across no different than they are today. They the tracks there wedged and squirmed were determined to make the speeches and stamped and shouted a pack of they had prepared- in defiance to the humanity which, regardless of the hot uproar! When the din had somewhat Probably no other eve nt in railroad history, be~ sun or the clouds of dust flying into subsided, Western Pacific's First Vice fore or since, rece iv ed as tumultuous an acclama­ their faces, waited with waving arms President C. H. Schlacks was, however, tion as did the arrival of the first Western Pacific as the slowly moving engine bore heard to say: "Our trip from east to passe nger train to reach Oakland. down upon them, coming to a halt west has been a continuous celebration. In comparison, a much more dignifi ed crowd within a few feet of the front rank." gathered on a rainy March 20, 1949, to witness All along the route, even at points the christening by Hollywood'. Eleanor Parker of There is no record in the archives w here we could not stop, were gathered W P'S fi rst California Zephyr at San Francisco. of the exact number of people who hundreds who cheered and gave wel­ witnessed this gala occasion. Pictures come until the sounds of their voices taken that day give proof of a tremen­ died in the distance. (Editor's note: at dous crowd, and Simpson did wr ite one point near San Leandro one jubi­ that "we underguessed crowds by lant woman removed her skirt and ex­ thousands and the spirit and temper citedly waved it in the air!) These of these crowds was by volumes." celebrations- culminating in this mag­ Simpson went on to record that nificent demonstration in Oakland­ "parade and pageantry there were, have touched all of us. Your reception and pomp there ought to have been; has been supreme, so far as Western but program arranged by human mind Pacific Railway is concerned... I could not stand against the heaving, promise you that it will contribute its pushing and r ecklessly joyous crowd. full share toward the upbuilding and The refore, the pomp vanished. development of California." Speeches were lost in the din, elo­ Today, we can realize how true was quence in uproar. The par ade which that promise made by Mr. Schlacks, 4 MILE POS TS and during a period of only 50 years. Yet, a half century of railroading is considered little today. John Stevens, called in the United States "the father of the railroads," and his associates received from the State of New J ersey the first American railroad charter. That was on February 6, 1816! The Baltimore and Ohio, the first railroad built in the United States for general transportation of passengers and freight, was chartered by the State of Maryland on February 28, 1827. Construction commenced on July 4, 1828. On D ecember 25, 1830, the "Best Friend of Charleston," built in New York, pulled on the railroad's first six­ mile stretch of completed track the first train of cars ever drawn by a steam engin e upon a track on the American continent. Consider, too, that in 1830 the total On August 21 , 1910, No . 94 pulled the seven-car length of railway lines in the United press special over Clio Viaduct under full steam. States was less than 40 miles. By 1835, The silver dome-car California Zephyr crosses th e mileage had increased to 1,089, slightly same viaduct today with a 3-unit diesel. Photographers were busy j,n 191 0 . At Intake, the passengers posed for a group photo, and at Sac­ ramento, Engineer Mike Boyle and Fireman C. E. Putnam posed on the footboard of No. 92. The old and the new in similar poses. Above, forms nobly when the occasion demands. In con­ No. 94, which pulled the first passenger trai,n trast, powerful diesel locomotives, such as the through the Feather River Canyon, is preserved three-unit passenger engine shown below, haul for historical purposes and occasionally still per- our trains today better than ever before. The " Panama-Pacific Express," as i.t swept around a Feather River Canyon curve at Belden sometime during 1914. Photo Vernon J. Sappers Collection . • Just below Belden a California Zephyr is shown sweeping around a similar AUGUST, 1960 8 MILEPOSTS ~ROGRESS has played an impor­ \...<Jj['-j' tant role in the history of the .> passenger train, even during the half century of Western Pacific's existence. There is little comparison, for example, in our California Zephyr and this railroad's first passenger train, the AtLantic Coast Mail. The latter was extensively advertised as being com­ pletely electrically lighted and fanned, and traversing the scenic beauties and wonders of the "Grand Canyon of the F eather." Compar ison ends, too, b e­ tween the California Zephyr and other Western Pacific "name" trains, such as the Panama-Pacific Express (named for the Panama P acific E xposition) , About the only si milarity betwee n We stern better prepared and served, comfortable seats, Pacific dining cars then and now is th e waite rs' modern lighting, air·conditioned cars, pleasant clean, white, starched uniforms. Today's Cafj ~ surroundings. Advance dinne r reservations make fo rnia Zephyr diner offers a se lection of meals it unne cessary for passengers to wait in line. There's a striki.ng difference, too, in Pullman ac­ commodations. The couple in the old car, above, is oblivious to the hard, straight-backe d, cane covered seats, but in a dim light a pretty face can make a man's thoughts wander.