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The '''''Overland Limited''''', known as the '''''Overland Flyer''''' from 1887–96, and often shortened to '''''Overland''''', was a ] ] that operated on its portion of the ] between ] and the ]. It ran as a "Limited" train from 1887 to 1947, and then as non-limited daily service until July, 1962. The ] handled service west of ] while east of ] it was operated by the ] as well as briefly the ]. The '''''Overland Limited''''', known as the '''''Overland Flyer''''' from 1887–96, and often shortened to '''''Overland''''', was a ] passenger train on the ] between ] and the ]. The ] handled the train west of ]; the ] handled it east of ] for most of its life.


== History == == History ==
{{see also|Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)}} {{see also|Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)}}
The Union Pacific introduced the '''''Overland Flyer''''' on the ] on November 13, 1887. It operated as the UP's portion of daily service between Chicago and San Francisco from ], the "point of commencement" (MP 0.0) of the UP established by President Lincoln in 1864 and the principal crossroads of rail traffic west of Lake Michigan at the time, and ].<ref> CPRR.org</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=26}}</ref> Service between Chicago and Council Bluffs/Omaha was provided by the ] with the exception of 1905 to 1907 when it operated east of Council Bluffs over the rails of the ]. At Ogden service interchanged with the ]'s portion of the Pacific Railroad grade, which was then operated under lease by the Southern Pacific,<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=28}}</ref> The ''Overland Flyer'' was one of the first ] passenger trains in the United States. The Union Pacific introduced the '''''Overland Flyer''''' on the ] on November 13, 1887. It operated daily between Chicago and San Francisco via ], the
"Point of Commencement" (MP 0.0) of the Union Pacific established by President Lincoln in 1864.<ref> CPRR.org</ref> Between Chicago and Council Bluffs/Omaha it ran on the ], except for 1905 to 1907 when it used the ]. West of ] it ran on the ], then operated under lease by the Southern Pacific.<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=28}}</ref> The ''Overland Flyer'' was one of the first ] passenger trains in the United States.


]The name had its roots in the West. In 1868, ], chronicler of the ], had founded a monthly literary magazine named the ''The Overland Monthly]'' published in San Francisco by A. Roman & Company, and various ] companies used "Overland" in their names<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=27}}</ref> ''The Overland'' was the subject of a documentary film short in 1901.<ref> and , however cf. John Huntley ''Railways in the cinema'' 1969 p.89 "THE SHORT FILM In addition to films like "Darlington Centenary" and "Night Mail" (see pages 47 and 52) the railways of the world have inspired countless documentary, instructional, factual, poetic, compilation and amateur films. ...Union Pacific Overland Limited (Edison, 1902)"</ref> ]The name had its roots in the West. In 1868 ], chronicler of the ], founded a monthly literary magazine named the '']'' published in San Francisco by A. Roman & Company, and various ] companies used "Overland" in their names.<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=27}}</ref> The Overland was the subject of a documentary film short in 1901.<ref> and , however cf. John Huntley ''Railways in the cinema'' 1969 p.89 "THE SHORT FILM In addition to films like "Darlington Centenary" and "Night Mail" (see pages 47 and 52) the railways of the world have inspired countless documentary, instructional, factual, poetic, compilation and amateur films. ...Union Pacific Overland Limited (Edison, 1902)"</ref>


Between 1905–1907 the ''The Overland'' used the Milwaukee Road between Chicago and Council Bluffs. ] wrote that the Union Pacific intended this as a temporary measure to coerce better performance from the Chicago and North Western, and a section of ''The Overland'' continued to use the C&NW during the period.<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=31}}</ref> Between 1905–1907 the ''Overland'' used the Milwaukee Road between Chicago and Council Bluffs. ] wrote that the Union Pacific intended this as a temporary measure to coerce better performance from the Chicago and North Western, and a section of the ''Overland'' continued to use the C&NW during the period.<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=31}}</ref>


The introduction of the originally thrice monthly 11-car diesel-electric streamliner '']'' in 1936 began to reduce the daily ''Overland'' to secondary status. This train was upgraded to 17 cars in January, 1938, and its frequency increased to ten times a month in 1941 and daily in 1947)<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=50}}</ref><ref>Heath, Erle ''Seventy-Five Years of Progress: Historical Sketch of the Southern Pacific'' (1945) San Francisco: Southern Pacific Railroad. p. 39</ref> In 1955 ''The Overland'' became an Omaha-Oakland train, with no named Chicago connection, and after the summer of 1956 it was coach-only east of Ogden/Green River—no sleepers, no diner, and no name other than being listed as TR#27 westbound and TR#28 eastbound. In 1960 even that remnant ceased running between Ogden and Laramie. After almost seven decades of continuous operation, ''The Overland'' officially came to an end as a daily train on July 16, 1962, when the Interstate Commerce Commission approved termination of the service with the ''City of San Francisco'' handling what through traffic remained. While the train continued to run until Labor Day (with some additional holiday runs from Christmas to the New Year), what had been ''The Overland'' (TR27/28) did not appear in the schedules of the UP or SP again after its last run on January 2, 1963.<ref>Cooper 2010, p. 45</ref><ref>Signor (1985) p. 213</ref><ref name="Beebe 1963 51">{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=51}}</ref><ref name="fb19640308" /> The SP declined to revive the train in 1964 amid some controversy.<ref name="dij19640722" /> The introduction of the five-trips-a-month streamlined '']'' in 1936 relegated the daily ''Overland'' to secondary status.<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=50}}</ref> In 1955 the Overland became an Omaha-Oakland train, with no Chicago connection, and after summer 1956 it was coach-only east of Ogden/Green River— no sleepers, no diner, and no name. In 1960 even that remnant ceased running between Ogden and Laramie. The ''Overland'' came to an end as a year-round train on July 16, 1962 when the Interstate Commerce Commission approved its termination, with the ''City of San Francisco'' handling what through traffic remained. It ran between Oakland and Ogden in summer 1962 and around Christmas, but after summer 1963 it was gone for good.<ref>Cooper 2010, p. 45</ref><ref>Signor (1985) p. 213</ref><ref name="Beebe 1963 51">{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=51}}</ref><ref name="fb19640308" /> The SP declined to revive the train in 1964 amid some controversy.<ref name="dij19640722" />


==Schedule== ==Schedule==
]In February, 1901 the ''Overland'' took 74 hours and 15 minutes from Chicago to San Francisco,{{fact|date=February 2015}} and by 1920 this was down to 72 hours each way, leaving San Francisco eastbound at 9AM and Chicago westbound at 7:10PM.{{fact|date=February 2015}} By the summer of 1922, travel time was down by another four hours to about 68 with a one-way fare of $103.47 including the ] charge for a lower berth.{{fact|date=February 2015}} In November, 1926 the ''Overland'' dropped to 63 hours each way charging $10 extra fare for the full trip.In June, 1929 the ''Overland'' run dropped to 58 hours each way leaving San Francisco daily at 9:40PM and Chicago at 11:50AM.{{fact|date=February 2015}} In 1931 the ''Overland'' was combined with a slower train and its schedule was around 60 hours with no extra fare until 1946.{{fact|date=February 2015}} That June it dropped to 49 hr 20 min westward leaving Chicago 3PM, and 48 hr 30 min eastward departing San Francisco at 11:30AM.{{fact|date=February 2015}} ]In February, 1901 the ''Overland'' took 74 hours 15 minutes from Chicago to San Francisco.{{fact|date=February 2015}} In 1920 the schedule was 72 hours each way, leaving San Francisco at 9AM and Chicago at 7:10PM.{{fact|date=February 2015}} The schedule was about 68 hours each way from November 1920 until November 1926, when it dropped to 63 hours each way with $10 extra fare for the full trip. (One-way fare on a 68-hour train in the 1920s was $103.47 including the ] charge for a lower berth.){{fact|date=February 2015}} In June, 1929 the ''Overland'' run dropped to 58 hours each way leaving San Francisco daily at 9:40PM and Chicago at 11:50AM.{{fact|date=February 2015}} In 1931 the ''Overland'' was combined with a slower train and its schedule was around 60 hours with no extra fare until 1946.{{fact|date=February 2015}} That June it dropped to 49 hr 20 min westward leaving Chicago 3PM, and 48 hr 30 min eastward departing San Francisco at 11:30AM.{{fact|date=February 2015}}


== Name == == Name ==


]The name “Overland” was not formally adopted for any part of the Council Bluffs/Omaha to Ogden portion of the original CPRR/UPRR built ] until almost two decades after it had opened in 1869 when the UP inaugurated service of its ''Overland Flyer'' on November 13, 1887 to Ogden where passengers and through cars interchanged with the Southern Pacific which had acquired the CPRR’s operations on that line to San Francisco in 1885 under a 99-year lease. For the first dozen years that the SP met the UP’s ''Overland'' trains, however, it dubbed its service ''The Ogden Gateway Route'' with its connecting westbound trains operating as ''The Pacific Express'' and eastbound trains as the ''The Atlantic Express'' before finally adopting the name ''Overland Limited'' on October 15, 1899 for its portion of the run as well. The UP changed its designation to the ''Overland Limited'' on November 17, 1895, and service continued as a daily train under one form or another of the "Overland" name for almost seven decades. Other names used for the service over time also included the ''San Francisco Overland Limited'', ''S.F. Overland Limited'', and the ''San Francisco Overland''. The UP and SP officially dropped "Limited" from the name in July, 1947 when enough dieselized streamline train sets had been built to provide that level of premium daily service on the Overland Route by ''The City of San Francisco''.<ref name="fb19640308" /><ref>Cooper 2010, p. 44</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Welsh|2008|p=31}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Solomon|2000|p=74}}</ref> ]The name “Overland” was not adopted for the Council Bluffs/Omaha to San Francisco route (the ]) until almost two decades after it opened in 1869 when the Union Pacific inaugurated its ''Overland Flyer'' on November 13, 1887 to Ogden, Utah Territory, where passengers and through cars interchanged with the Southern Pacific which had acquired the CPRR’s operations in 1885 under a 99-year lease. The UP changed the name to ''Overland Limited'' on November 17, 1895, and service continued under one form or another of the "Overland" name for almost seven decades. For the first dozen years that the SP met the UP’s “Overland” trains, it dubbed its service ''The Ogden Gateway Route'' with its westbound train operating as the ''Pacific Express'' and eastbound as the ''Atlantic Express'' before adopting ''Overland Limited'' on October 15, 1899. Other names included ''San Francisco Overland Limited'' and ''S.F. Overland Limited''; "Limited" was dropped from the name in July, 1947.<ref name="fb19640308" /><ref>Cooper 2010, p. 44</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Welsh|2008|p=31}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Solomon|2000|p=74}}</ref>


== Equipment == == Equipment ==
] ]
In 1941–42 the train was re-equipped with lightweight streamlined cars built by ].<ref>{{harvnb|Welsh|2008|p=85}}</ref> In March 1952, toward the end of its existence as a through train, the ''San Francisco Overland'' carried Chicago–San Francisco sleepers, a New York–San Francisco sleeper conveyed on alternating days by the ]'s '']'' and the ]'s '']'', and a summer-only sleeper for ] conveyed to the '']'' at ].<ref>{{harvnb|Maiken|1989|p=339}}</ref> In 1941–42 the train was partially re-equipped with streamlined sleepers built by ].<ref>{{harvnb|Welsh|2008|p=85}}</ref> In March 1952, toward the end of its existence as a through train, the ''San Francisco Overland'' carried Chicago–San Francisco sleepers, a New York–San Francisco sleeper carried on alternate days by the ]'s '']'' and the ]'s '']'', and a summer-only sleeper for ] conveyed to the ''Idahoan'' at ].<ref>{{harvnb|Maiken|1989|p=339}}</ref>


The Southern Pacific introduced a "Hamburger Grill" car between Oakland and Ogden on October 24, 1954. The SP was bullish, saying the burgers were among "the finest meat products of Southern Pacific territory."<ref name="nsj19541024" /> ] was unimpressed, noting the car, and the coffee-shop car which replaced it, as part of the decline of the train.<ref name="Beebe 1963 51"/> The Southern Pacific introduced a "Hamburger Grill" car between Oakland and Ogden on October 24, 1954. The SP was bullish, saying the burgers were among "the finest meat products of Southern Pacific territory."<ref name="nsj19541024" /> ] was unimpressed, noting the car, and the coffee-shop car which replaced it, as part of the decline of the train.<ref name="Beebe 1963 51"/>

Revision as of 23:05, 17 February 2015

  • Overland Limited
  • Overland Flyer
Overland Limited leaving 16th Street Station, Oakland, in 1906
Overview
First serviceNovember 13, 1887 (1887-11-13)
Last service1963 (1963)
Former operator(s)

The Overland Limited, known as the Overland Flyer from 1887–96, and often shortened to Overland, was a Union Pacific Railroad passenger train on the Overland Route between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area. The Southern Pacific Railroad handled the train west of Ogden, Utah; the Chicago and North Western Railway handled it east of Omaha, Nebraska for most of its life.

History

See also: Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)

The Union Pacific introduced the Overland Flyer on the Overland Route on November 13, 1887. It operated daily between Chicago and San Francisco via Council Bluffs, Iowa, the "Point of Commencement" (MP 0.0) of the Union Pacific established by President Lincoln in 1864. Between Chicago and Council Bluffs/Omaha it ran on the Chicago and North Western, except for 1905 to 1907 when it used the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. West of Ogden, Utah it ran on the Central Pacific Railroad, then operated under lease by the Southern Pacific. The Overland Flyer was one of the first named passenger trains in the United States.

The Overland Monthly 1869

The name had its roots in the West. In 1868 Bret Harte, chronicler of the California Gold Rush, founded a monthly literary magazine named the Overland Monthly published in San Francisco by A. Roman & Company, and various stagecoach companies used "Overland" in their names. The Overland was the subject of a documentary film short in 1901.

Between 1905–1907 the Overland used the Milwaukee Road between Chicago and Council Bluffs. Lucius Beebe wrote that the Union Pacific intended this as a temporary measure to coerce better performance from the Chicago and North Western, and a section of the Overland continued to use the C&NW during the period.

The introduction of the five-trips-a-month streamlined City of San Francisco in 1936 relegated the daily Overland to secondary status. In 1955 the Overland became an Omaha-Oakland train, with no Chicago connection, and after summer 1956 it was coach-only east of Ogden/Green River— no sleepers, no diner, and no name. In 1960 even that remnant ceased running between Ogden and Laramie. The Overland came to an end as a year-round train on July 16, 1962 when the Interstate Commerce Commission approved its termination, with the City of San Francisco handling what through traffic remained. It ran between Oakland and Ogden in summer 1962 and around Christmas, but after summer 1963 it was gone for good. The SP declined to revive the train in 1964 amid some controversy.

Schedule

S.F. Overland Limited Timetable, Dec., 1945

In February, 1901 the Overland took 74 hours 15 minutes from Chicago to San Francisco. In 1920 the schedule was 72 hours each way, leaving San Francisco at 9AM and Chicago at 7:10PM. The schedule was about 68 hours each way from November 1920 until November 1926, when it dropped to 63 hours each way with $10 extra fare for the full trip. (One-way fare on a 68-hour train in the 1920s was $103.47 including the Pullman charge for a lower berth.) In June, 1929 the Overland run dropped to 58 hours each way leaving San Francisco daily at 9:40PM and Chicago at 11:50AM. In 1931 the Overland was combined with a slower train and its schedule was around 60 hours with no extra fare until 1946. That June it dropped to 49 hr 20 min westward leaving Chicago 3PM, and 48 hr 30 min eastward departing San Francisco at 11:30AM.

Name

A Souvenir of The Overland Limited 1897

The name “Overland” was not adopted for the Council Bluffs/Omaha to San Francisco route (the "Pacific Railroad") until almost two decades after it opened in 1869 when the Union Pacific inaugurated its Overland Flyer on November 13, 1887 to Ogden, Utah Territory, where passengers and through cars interchanged with the Southern Pacific which had acquired the CPRR’s operations in 1885 under a 99-year lease. The UP changed the name to Overland Limited on November 17, 1895, and service continued under one form or another of the "Overland" name for almost seven decades. For the first dozen years that the SP met the UP’s “Overland” trains, it dubbed its service The Ogden Gateway Route with its westbound train operating as the Pacific Express and eastbound as the Atlantic Express before adopting Overland Limited on October 15, 1899. Other names included San Francisco Overland Limited and S.F. Overland Limited; "Limited" was dropped from the name in July, 1947.

Equipment

The buffet-library car circa 1913

In 1941–42 the train was partially re-equipped with streamlined sleepers built by Pullman-Standard. In March 1952, toward the end of its existence as a through train, the San Francisco Overland carried Chicago–San Francisco sleepers, a New York–San Francisco sleeper carried on alternate days by the New York Central Railroad's Wolverine and the Pennsylvania Railroad's Pennsylvania Limited, and a summer-only sleeper for Yellowstone Park conveyed to the Idahoan at Green River, Wyoming.

The Southern Pacific introduced a "Hamburger Grill" car between Oakland and Ogden on October 24, 1954. The SP was bullish, saying the burgers were among "the finest meat products of Southern Pacific territory." Lucius Beebe was unimpressed, noting the car, and the coffee-shop car which replaced it, as part of the decline of the train.

See also

"The Overland Route to the Road of a Thousand Wonders: The Route of the Union Pacific & Southern Pacific from Omaha to San Francisco - A Journey of Eighteen Hundred Miles Where Once the Bison & the Indian Reigned"
Union and Southern Pacific Railroad Passenger Departments, 1908.

Notes

  1. "Executive Order of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, Fixing the Point of Commencement of the Pacific Railroad at Council Bluffs, Iowa." March 7, 1864 CPRR.org
  2. Beebe 1963, p. 28
  3. Beebe 1963, p. 27
  4. IMDB has "1901" and another short 1901, however cf. John Huntley Railways in the cinema 1969 p.89 "THE SHORT FILM In addition to films like "Darlington Centenary" and "Night Mail" (see pages 47 and 52) the railways of the world have inspired countless documentary, instructional, factual, poetic, compilation and amateur films. ...Union Pacific Overland Limited (Edison, 1902)"
  5. Beebe 1963, p. 31
  6. Beebe 1963, p. 50
  7. Cooper 2010, p. 45
  8. Signor (1985) p. 213
  9. ^ Beebe 1963, p. 51
  10. ^ Beebe, Lucius Morris (March 8, 1964). "Highball On Overland Limited Is Memory". The Fresno Bee. p. 19. Retrieved August 30, 2014 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. "Railroad Dispute". Daily Independent Journal. July 22, 1964. p. 2. Retrieved August 30, 2014 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  12. Cooper 2010, p. 44
  13. Welsh 2008, p. 31
  14. Solomon 2000, p. 74
  15. Welsh 2008, p. 85
  16. Maiken 1989, p. 339
  17. "S.P. Glorifying Hamburger With New-Style Car". Nevada State Journal. October 24, 1954. p. 9. Retrieved August 30, 2014 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

References

Passenger trains of the Union Pacific Railroad
 
Metra (commuter rail)
Early articulated streamliners
City fleet
Others
Rolling stock
Amtrak
Midwest
California
See also
 
Passenger trains of the Southern Pacific
Named trains
Daylights
Overland Route
Named trains of the Chicago and North Western Railway
400s
Overland Route
Other Named Trains
  • Arrowhead Limited
  • Ashland Limited
  • Ashland Mail
  • Corn King Limited
  • Duluth-Superior Limited
  • Iron & Copper Country Express
  • Minnesota & Black Hills Express
  • North Western Limited
  • Northwoods Fisherman
  • Rochester-Minnesota Special
  • The Commuter
  • The Mondamin
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