City of St. Louis (train)

The City of St. Louis was a passenger train in the United States that was inaugurated June 2, 1946 between St. Louis, Missouri and Cheyenne, Wyoming, where its cars were switched to other Union Pacific trains to continue west to the Pacific coast. In April 1951 it became a separate train from St. Louis to Los Angeles, California, skipping Cheyenne; it still carried some cars to switch to trains to other coast cities. In 1964 it was combined with the City of Los Angeles west of Ogden, Utah, and in 1968 with the City of San Francisco from Cheyenne to Ogden.

Between St. Louis and Kansas City, the train was operated by the Wabash Railroad, and later the Norfolk & Western, which leased the Wabash in 1964. This part of the run became a separate train on June 19, 1968, retaining the City of St Louis name until its discontinuance in April 1969; after June 1968 the Union Pacific train was the City of Kansas City, which lasted until Amtrak took over on May 1, 1971.

The practice of naming City trains started with the City of Salina, which began operating in 1934; the Union Pacific Railroad operated a fleet of passenger trains named for the end-point cities they served, including the City of Los Angeles, City of San Francisco and the City of Denver, among others.

Consists: (Lwt - lightweight, Hwt - heavyweight)

1946:

• Lwt Baggage-Mail 5808-10
• Lwt 48 Seat (three) 5331-65
• Hwt Diner UP 4627, 4629, Wabash 32
• Hwt Club Lounge UP 154x
• Hwt 10 section, 1 drawing 1 compartment (Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir, ...) to Portland
• Lwt 4 compartment, 2 drawing, 4 double
• Lwt 6 section, 6 roomette, 4 double (American series) to Los Angeles

1950:
Lwt Baggage-Mail 5808-10
Lwt 48 Seat (three) 5331-65
Lwt 48 Seat Wabash 1427-30
Hwt Diner UP 4627, 4629, Wabash 32
Hwt Club Lounge UP 154x
Lwt 12 roomette, 4 double bed room to Los Angeles
Lwt 6 section, 6 roomette, 4 double (American series) to Portland
Lwt 6 section, 6 roomette, 4 double (American series) to San Francisco

References

• Kratville, William W. and Ranks, Harold E., The Union Pacific Streamliners. Kratville Publications, 1974.
• Stout, Greg, Route of the Eagles: Missouri Pacific in the Streamlined Era. Kansas City, White River Productions, 1995.
• Thomas, Lawrence, "Going to California on the Overland Route", TRRA Historical Society magazine, Spring/Summer 1996.