No. 10635 Electro-Motive E-8 AB Diesel Locomotive, heading up the "City of Portland"Streamlined Passenger Train

 Union Pacific Railroad

Early in 1933, the Union Pacific signed a contract with Pullman-Standard for North America's first streamliner. The three-car lightweight aluminum speedster stretched 204 feet and weighed but 85 tons, about the same as a standard all-steel Pullman car. Designated the M-10000,"The Streamliner" (see No. 10574), the train ran on four two-axle trucks with the lead set containing a 12-cylinder distillate engine producing 600 horsepower. Introduced in February, 1934, the M-10000 was clocked at speeds of 111 mph and made front page news everywhere it went on a 68-day 12,625-mile cross-country tour, which introduced America to UP's bright new "canary yellow" and "golden brown" paint scheme. This was the first application of what later became known as "Armour yellow" on Union Pacific equipment, a color which served UP throughout its life from 1934. Entering local service between Kansas City, Topeka and Salina, Kansas, in January, 1935, the train was formally renamed "City of Salina" in early 1936. Due to its limited 116 passenger seating, non-diesel power, and the inflexible nature of an articulated consist, the M-10000 had only a six-year life span (see No. 10349).

Confident long before the successful multi-city tour of the M-10000 had begun, UP ordered a longer, larger, similar train from Pullman-Standard, even before "The Streamliner"was completed. Finished in the fall of 1934, diesel oil replaced distillate fuel for power, and the articulated yellow and brown train stretched to 375 feet, or six cars, including the custom-built power unit and three sleepers, the consist called the M- 10001. The Electro-Motive Winton diesel engine produced 900 horsepower.

The M-10000 was America's first streamlined train, but only by two months. In April, 1934, Burlington's "Zephyr" (See No. 10239) was unveiled with a five-week Eastern city tour, followed by installation at the Chicago "Century of Progress" Exposition. It could travel at speeds approaching 112 mph, and generated much publicity for Burlington.

In October, 1934, when UP arranged a transcontinental speed run for its new M- 10001 streamliner, traveling from Los Angeles to New York (3284 miles) in record time (just under 57 hours), reaching speeds of up to 120 mph, UP was back in the headlines.

Finally, in June, 1935, the M-10001, now named the "City of Portland," settled down to a five-round-trips-per-month schedule between Chicago and Portland (No.10026). The train was now expanded to seven cars, with the power car's horsepower increased to 1200 hp. One hundred eighteen coach and Pullman passengers could ride in the Pullman-Standard lightweight aluminum cars, not including the diner/lounge, which seated 40. Travel time was reduced by 20 hours between the two cities, via Omaha, Cheyenne, and Salt Lake, the trip now taking less than 40 hours (2271 miles).

It was America's first transcontinental streamliner and the first to offer sleeper and full dining car service. The M-10001 trainset operated on the Chicago-Portland route until June, 1939, when it was replaced by the eleven-car M-10002 "City of Los Angeles" equipment (see No. 10352). The M-10001 trainset was then scrapped in 1941, followed by the M-10002 in 1942, with the arrival of new equipment (M-10004) (see No. 10265).

The introduction of new locomotives and rolling stock after World War II (including Astra Domes in the mid 1950s) changed the look of the train considerably (it had been lengthened to sixteen cars by the end of the war), but it remained one of UP's top two streamliners, along with the "City of Los Angeles" and "City of San Francisco." Even before the War had formally ceased in 1945, Union Pacific began planning postwar passenger strategies which included new cars, new streamliner trains, and daily transcontinental service. By the Spring of 1946 more than 200 new lightweight non-articulated cars were ordered from American Car & Foundry and Pullman-Standard, allowing UP to establish daily service for the entire "City" fleet in 1947 - "Cities" of Denver, Portland, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. By then the "City" fleet was sporting a new color scheme: Armour yellow and Harbor Mist gray. Trip time Chicago-Portland in 1947 was 42 hours with five 10-car trainsets that could be expanded on demand.

Then, in the mid-1950s, UP joined the ranks of transcontinental dome operators with the delivery of ten dome coaches, fifteen dome lounge-observation cars, and ten spectacular dome dining cars, built by ACF. These were called "Astra Domes" by UP, and the trains carrying them became known as "Domeliners." The "City of Portland" was one of the first UP trains to be equipped with these dome cars in 1955, powered by Electro-Motive E-8 diesel locomotives (2250 horsepower per unit). This was a truly beautiful train at its best in the UP's postwar yellow and gray paint scheme.

But times were changing with the arrival of the jet airliner and the completion of the interstate highway system, negatively affecting railroad passenger revenues. By 1969, the "Cities" of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Denver had been combined into one giant train into and out of Chicago, with split-up/combining done at various points along the way - a "City of Everywhere" arrangement, which was maintained until Amtrak's arrival in May, 1971. After this, the revived "City of San Francisco" became the sole survivor of the once proud fleet. It lasted until June, 1972, when it was renamed the "San Francisco Zephyr."

No. 10635 represents an accurate scale model of Union Pacific's Electro-Motive E-8 AB diesel locomotive, heading up the 6-car streamlined "City of Portland" as it would have been seen 1955-1960s on its run between Chicago and Portland. The locomotive is by K-Line and the cars by Weaver, custom painted in Armour yellow and Harbor Mist gray, all in "0"gauge. Included are three dome cars.

To refer to other trains in the "City" fleet, please see Nos. 10349 "City of Salina" (the first "City" train), 10029 "City of Denver," 10265 "City of San Francisco," and 10212 and 10352 "City of Los Angeles."