MILW (nee UP E8A 941) westbound passenger 105 - 111, the combined Domeliners City of Portland and City of Denver east of Elgin, IL on November 21, 1962. Click to enlarge. (Photo by Roger Puta, railfan 44, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

CITY OF DENVER

The City of Denver was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Union Pacific Railroad between Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado. It operated between 1936 and 1971. From 1936–1955 the Chicago and North Western Railway handled the train east of Omaha, Nebraska; the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (the "Milwaukee Road") handled it thereafter. The train was the fastest long-distance train in the United States when it debuted in 1936, covering 1,048 miles (1,687 km) in 16 hours. For almost its entire career its principal competitor was the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad's Denver Zephyr. When Amtrak assumed operation of most intercity trains in the United States in 1971, it discontinued the City of Denver, preferring to use the Burlington's route between Chicago and Denver.

On its launch in 1936 the City of Denver used a pair of articulated trainsets built by Pullman-Standard. The streamliners would remain in service until 1953, when conventional locomotive-hauled rolling stock replaced them. The City of Denver always carried both sleeping cars and coaches. A notable feature of the 1936 version of the train was the "Frontier Shack" tavern, which had the feel of a Western saloon.

History

The articulated streamliners of the 1930s consisted of power cars and passenger cars semi-permanently coupled together, with the cars sharing trucks. By the end of 1935 the Union Pacific Railroad already operated four such equipment sets, each on a different route: the M-10000 (City of Salina), M-10001 (City of Portland), M-10002 (City of Los Angeles), and M-10004 (City of San Francisco). While the M-10000 made the round-trip between Kansas City, Missouri and Salina, Kansas in a single day, the other three sets required multiple days to run from Chicago to their respective namesakes. The infrequent departure schedule led Union Pacific to advertise a train's "sailings", as though it were an ocean liner.

In December the Union Pacific and Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) announced a new Chicago–Denver "high-speed" service, to be served by a pair of trainsets enabling daily service, the M-10005 and M-10006. The projected running time of 16 hours was a full nine hours faster than the best schedule at that time. The new trains had a maximum speed in excess of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) and averaged 65.5 miles per hour (105.4 km/h) over the 1,048-mile (1,687 km) trip. This made it the fastest scheduled long-distance train in the United States. The Union Pacific emphasized that the improved schedule would "save a business day."

At the same time the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, commonly known as the Burlington, had ordered two streamlined 10-car trainsets of its own: the Denver Zephyr, built by the Budd Company and modeled on the Pioneer Zephyr, the first articulated streamliner in the United States. While the City of Denver beat the Denver Zephyr into service, making its first run between Chicago and Denver on June 18, 1936, on May 31 the Burlington had deployed two of its existing trainsets, the original Zephyr and the Mark Twain Zephyr, on its own route between Chicago and Denver as the Advance Denver Zephyr. While as fast as the City of Denver, the three-car sets in no way compared to amenities aboard the 12-car Union Pacific streamliners, which included the "Frontier Shack" tavern, a dining-cocktail lounge, and a sleeper-lounge-observation car. The Burlington's new equipment would arrive in November. The two services operated on nearly-identical schedules. Fulfilling its early promise, the City of Denver traveled at an average speed of 66 miles per hour (106 km/h), the fastest of the Union Pacific's streamliners.

The competition between the two trains remained unchanged for nearly twenty years. Even as it upgraded and replaced its other streamliners, Union Pacific kept the original trainsets on the route until 1953, finally introducing new lightweight equipment in 1953–1954. The following year, on October 30, 1955, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (the "Milwaukee Road") began handling the Union Pacific's streamliners east of Omaha, replacing the C&NW. The Burlington replaced the Denver Zephyr's equipment in 1956. With both trains sporting new equipment competition intensified. The Burlington included "Vista-Dome" dome cars on the Zephyr; within a year the Milwaukee Road's Super Domes began making appearances on the City of Denver. The Burlington also began operating a slumbercoach, an innovative economy sleeping car. Having none of its own, the Union Pacific leased two all-roomette Pennsylvania Railroad sleeping cars and billed it as "Slumbercoach service." Nevertheless, in the words of railroad historian Joe Welsh the Denver Zephyr "made mincemeat of the UP's City of Denver."

Throughout the late 1950s and 1960s the Union Pacific gradually downgraded its passenger services and consolidated trains as losses mounted. The westbound City of Denver and City of Portland began joint operation in 1959. On September 7, 1969, the Union Pacific combined five of its Chicago–West Coast streamliners into a single massive train dubbed by critics the "City of Everywhere." This train included the City of Denver, City of Kansas City, City of Los Angeles, City of Portland, and City of San Francisco. Amtrak, which took over most intercity passenger trains in the United States on May 1, 1971, kept a Chicago–Denver train but preferred the Burlington's route. The City of Denver made its last run on April 30, 1971.

A 1908 map depicting the Union Pacific's "Overland Route." Click to enlarge.

(Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Overland_Route_1908_Map.jpg)

Route

Between 1936–1955 the City of Denver used the Chicago and North Western Railway between Chicago and Omaha. After 1955 it used the Milwaukee Road. The train's Union Pacific route west of Omaha remained unchanged for the duration. The train followed the Overland Route from Omaha to Julesburg, where it diverged southwest for Denver. In March 1950 it made the following stops west of Omaha: Columbus, Grand Island, Kearney, and North Platte in Nebraska and Julesburg in Colorado. On the C&NW it made the following stops west of Chicago, all in Iowa: Cedar Rapids, Ames, Boone, and Council Bluffs. The westbound train departed Chicago's Chicago and North Western Terminal at 5:00 PM and arrived at Denver's Union Station at 8:30 AM the following morning.

With the switch to the Milwaukee Road the train's Chicago terminus shifted to Union Station. In June 1960 the City of Denver stopped in Davis Junction (for Rockford) and Savanna in Illinois, Marion (for Cedar Rapids) and Perry in Iowa. West of Omaha the station stops were unchanged. The new routing forced new timing; the westbound City of Denver departed Chicago at 3:45 PM and arrived in Denver at 7:35 AM the following morning. Although the new route took 20 minutes longer, by an odd coincidence it was exactly the same length as the previous one, at 1,048 miles (1,687 km).

Equipment

Pullman-Standard and the Electro-Motive Corporation collaborated on the M-10005 and M-10006 streamlined trainsets which served as the City of Denver's original equipment. They were soon joined by the spare locomotive set M-10003 and the three (two plus backup) were used to provide daily service until they were replaced in 1953. The former M-10004 car set was also used while either of the two primary sets were down for refurbishing. Each set originally contained a two-car power set, with each unit developing 1,200 horsepower (890 kW). The power sets were upgraded with a second booster in mid-1939. Behind the power car was a baggage car with auxiliary power, a baggage-tavern car (containing the famed "Frontier Shack"), two 50-seat coaches, a dining-cocktail lounge, three sleeping cars in varying configurations, and a sleeper-lounge-observation car.

The 50-seat coaches featured 2x2 seating, with baggage racks in the vestibule end and separate men's and women's restrooms in the other. The dining-cocktail lounge had half its space devoted to a kitchen and bar area; two seating areas in the other end seated 12 and 24, respectively. Two of the sleeping cars contained 12 open sections, with daytime seating for 24; the third contained eight enclosed sections, two double bedrooms, and a compartment, giving the car a maximum occupancy of 22. The sleeper-lounge-observation car included a compartment, five more double bedrooms, and a rear observation area which seated 22. The cars were air-conditioned throughout.

The two trainsets remained in use until March 19, 1953, when the Union Pacific introduced conventional lightweight equipment powered by EMD locomotive sets. The Union Pacific finalized the consist on January 10, 1954. Each of the two new consists included the following: a baggage car, a coach-lounge (the "Pub", replacing the "Frontier Shack"), two 44-seat coaches, a twin-unit dining car, four sleeping cars, and a buffet-lounge. The cars were drawn from both the Union Pacific and the Chicago and North Western. The sleeping cars included two 10-roomette 6-double bedroom Pacific-series cars, a 12-section car, and a 4-compartment 4-double bedroom 1-compartment car. For a brief period in the late 1950s two leased Pennsylvania Railroad 21-roomette sleeping cars operated on the City of Denver to compete with the slumbercoaches on the Denver Zephyr. After the discontinuance of the Chicago–Pacific Northwest Olympian Hiawatha in 1961, the Milwaukee Road's Super Dome dome lounges could be found on the City of Denver as well.

Overview

Service type: Inter-city rail
Status: Discontinued
Locale: Western United States
First service: June 18, 1936
Last service: April 30, 1971
Former operators: Union Pacific Railroad, Chicago and North Western Railway, Milwaukee Road
Route Termini: Chicago, Illinois / Denver, Colorado
Stops: 13 (westbound) / 12 (eastbound)
Distance traveled: 560 mi (900 km)
Average journey time: 17 hours (Chicago - Denver) / 16 hours 15 minutes (Denver - Chicago)
Service frequency: Daily
Train numbers: 111 (westbound) / 112 (eastbound)
On-board services
Seating arrangements: Reclining seat coaches
Sleeping arrangements: Sections, roomettes and double bedrooms (1961)
Catering facilities: Dining car
Observation facilities: Dome lounge
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Operating speed: 61.6 (westbound) / 64.5 (eastbound)

Timetable

City of Denver
Chicago & North Western Ry.
Union Pacific Railroad
November 11, 1940
111 Train Number 112
Daily Miles (Chicago & North Western) Services Daily
6 20P Dp 0.0 Chicago, IL (North Western Sta.) (CT) C R Ar 8 33A
8.6 Oak Park, IL (Marion St.) F
8 04P 109.5 Sterling, IL (Rock Falls) T C 6 36A
8 32P 138.1 Clinton, IA C R 6 10A
9 46P 219.4 Cedar Rapids, IA C R 4 53A
10 50P 289.1 Marshalltown, IA T C 3 46A
11 22P 326.7 Ames, IA T C 3 13A
11 40P 340.2 Boone, IA T C 3 00A
1 46A 485.1 Council Bluffs, IA T C 12 55A
1 49A 486.5 Council Bluffs Transfer, IA T
2 01A Ar 487.9 Omaha, NE C R Dp 12 45A
(Union Pacific)
2 10A Dp 488 Omaha, NE C R Ar 12 35A
F 570 Columbus, NE T C 11 16P
4 10A 632 Grand Island, NE T C R 10 30P
4 46A 674 Kearney, NE T C 9 56P
6 02A Ar 769 North Platte, NE (CT) T C R Dp 8 45P
5 08A Dp North Platte, NE (MT) Ar 7 43P
6 17A 851 Julesburg, CO T C 6 40P
7 12A 908 Sterling, CO T C 5 54P
D 7 47A 949 Fort Morgan, CO T C
8 31A 1001 La Salle, CO T C 4 37P
9 20A Ar 1048 Denver, CO (MT) T C R Dp 3 55P

Equipment

(Chicago & North Western Notes)
EQUIPMENT

No. 111—DAILY.
Streamliner, City of Denver.
Registered Nurse—Stewardess Service: Radio.

Chicago to Denver.

12 Open Section Sleeping Cars.

8 Enclosed Section 3-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car.

6-Double Bedroom, Observation Sleeping Car.

1-Drawing-room, 3-Compartment, 4-Double Bedroom 4-Roomette Sleeping Car.

Diner-Lounge Car

Coaches. (Seats reserved.)

No. 112—DAILY.
Streamliner, City of Denver.
Registered Nurse—Stewardess Service; Radio.

Denver to Chicago

12 Open Section Sleeping Cars.

8 Enclosed Section 3-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car

6-Double Bedroom, Observation Sleeping Car.

1 Drawing-room, 3 Compartments, 4 Double Bedroom, 4 Roomette, Sleeping Car.

Diner Lounge Car.

Coaches. (Seats Reserved.)

Regularly Assigned Through Cars Air-Conditioned.

Note—Reservations for space, Pullman or coach, should be applied for as much in advance as possible. Coach seats on Streamliners reserved by number. The "City of Los Angeles," Nos. 103 and 104, and the "City of San Francisco," Nos. 101 and 102, are operated primarily for through passengers and will not carry local passengers between points east of Ogden, except that passengers originating Cheyenne, Wyo. and west thereof, and destined to Chicago, Ill., or east thereof, or the reverse, and holding regular rail transportation may be carried on Streamliner special service trains on purchase of special service charge tickets from or to Ogden, Utah. If there is vacant space (Pullman or coach) available 48 hours prior to departure from terminal, it may be sold from intermediate scheduled stops westbound to Ogden and points beyond, or eastbound from points between Los Angeles or San Francisco and Ogden to any scheduled stop. Tickets for or between intermediate stations for use on Nos. 111 and 112 will not be sold until day of departure from terminal, if and when space is available. Tickets for or between intermediate stations for use on Nos. 1 and 2 will not be sold until within 48 hours before departure of trains. This applies to both coach and Pullmans. Tickets sold at special fares for the classes indicated below and free transportation, WILL NOT be accepted for passage on the Streamliner trains, except City of Denver, Nos. 111 and 112, see exceptions. Free transportation, Caretakers or Attendants Tickets or Contracts, Charity Tickets, Blind and Attendant, Blind and Dog, Clergy, D. V. S. or V. A. H., Federal Emergency Relief Administration, C. C. C., Railroad employees', C. C. C. C., Banana Messengers, Drovers, Homeseekers Tickets sold at reduced fares, Show Scrip, or any other tickets endorsed "Not Good on Streamliner Trains." EXCEPTIONS—All classes of tickets will be honored on streamliner "City of Denver," Nos. 111 and 112, except week-end coach tickets to Chicago from eastern Iowa, bearing limit of five days and Passes.

(Union Pacific Notes)

UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD

EQUIPMENT—TRAINS NOT SHOWN CARRY NO SLEEPING CARS.

Westbound

No. 111—Daily. STREAMLINER, CITY OF DENVER.
Registered Nurse—Stewardess Service without charge. Radio.
Diner-Lounge....Meal Service.

Club Lounge Sleeping Car...Chicago to Denver—6 Double Bedrooms.

Standard Sleeping Cars...Chicago to Denver—12-Sections (2 cars).

Chicago to Denver—8-Sections, 3-Double Bedrooms.

Chicago to Denver—4 Roomettes, 3-Compartments, 1 Drawing-room, 4 Double Bedrooms.

Frontier Shack Car...Chicago to Denver.

Coaches...Chicago to Denver—(2 cars, 50 reclining seats each).

Eastbound

No. 112—Daily. STREAMLINER, CITY OF DENVER.
Registered Nurse—Stewardess Service without charge. Radio
Diner-Lounge....Meal Service.
Club Lounge Sleeping Car...Denver to Chicago—6-Double Bedrooms.
Standard Sleeping Cars...Denver to Chicago—12-Sections (2 cars).
Denver to Chicago—8-Sections, 3-Double Bedrooms.
Denver to Chicago—4 Roomettes, 3-Compartments, 1 Drawing-room, 4 Double Bedrooms.
Frontier Shack Car...Denver to Chicago.
Coaches...Denver to Chicago—(2 cars, 50 reclining seats each).

Regularly Assigned Through Cars Air-Conditioned.

(Timetable ©1940 by National Railway Publication Company. Not renewed. Public domain, W. Lenheim Collection)

(Equipment C&NW, Not renewed. Public domain via W. Lenheim Collection)

See Also:

Named Passenger Trains A-K

Named Passenger Trains A-Z