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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 ] and the ] carried it to ]; it continued to Chicago on the ] for most of its life. The '''''Overland Limited''''', known as the '''''Overland Flyer''''' from 1887–96, and often shortened to '''''Overland''''', was a ] ] on the ] between ] and the ]. It ran from 1887 until 1963. The ] handled the train west of ]. East of ], both the ] (the "Milwaukee Road") and the ] ran the train at different points during its existence.


== History == == History ==
{{see also|Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)}} {{seealso|Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)}}
⚫ The Union Pacific introduced the '''''Overland Flyer''''' on the ] on November 13, 1887. It operated on a daily schedule between Chicago and San Francisco via ] (the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific). Between Chicago and Council Bluffs it used the Chicago and North Western. At ], it switched to the ] (leased 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; hitherto the practice was uncommon. The name itself had its roots in the West: ], chronicler of the ], had founded a monthly literary magazine named the '']'' in 1868. Previously various ] companies had incorporated "Overland" into their names.<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=27}}</ref> The Overland was the subject of an early train 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>
On November 13, 1887 the Union Pacific introduced the '''''Overland Flyer''''', a daily train on the ] via ], the
"point of commencement" of the Union Pacific chosen by President Lincoln in 1864. Between Chicago and Council Bluffs/Omaha it ran on the ], except for a few years after 1905 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> to Oakland where passengers boarded the ferry to San Francisco. The ''Overland Flyer'' was one of the first ] passenger trains in the United States.


⚫ Between 1905–1907 the ''Overland'' used the Milwaukee Road between Chicago and Council Bluffs. ] contends that the Union Pacific always intended this as a temporary measure to coerce better performance from the Chicago and North Western, and in fact a section of the ''Overland'' continued to use the C&NW during the period.<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=31}}</ref>
⚫ The name had its roots in the West. In 1868 ], chronicler of the ], founded a monthly literary magazine named '']'' 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 introduction of the streamlined '']'' in 1936 relegated the ''Overland'' to secondary status on the Overland Route.<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=50}}</ref> By January 1955 the train was a shell of its former self, carrying only two Chicago–Oakland through cars. The train was then called the ''San Francisco Overland'' in SP territory, the ''Overland'' on the UP, and unnamed on the C&NW. Daily operation ended on July 16, 1962, with the ''City of San Francisco'' handling what through traffic remained.<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=51}}</ref><ref name="fb19640308" /> The ''San Francisco Overland'' remained as a seasonal SP train between Oakland and Ogden through 1963. The SP declined to revive the train in 1964 amid some controversy.<ref name="dij19640722" />
⚫ For a few years starting in 1905 a section of the ''Overland'' used the Milwaukee Road between Chicago and Council Bluffs. ] speculated that perhaps the Union Pacific intended this as a temporary measure to coerce better performance from the Chicago and North Western (a section of the ''Overland'' continued to use the C&NW during the period).<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=31}}</ref>

The five-trips-a-month streamlined '']'' appeared in June 1936 and the five-trips-a-month steam-powered Forty-Niner was added in July 1937; they cast the ''Overland'' in the shade, but it remained the top daily train on the route until the City went daily in September 1947.<ref>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=50}}</ref> In 1955 the Overland became an Oakland-Omaha train, with no cars to Chicago, and after summer 1956 it was just the San Francisco section of the City of St Louis, running between Oakland and Ogden. (Trains 27/28 between Ogden/Green River and Omaha became no-name coach-only trains — no cars from west of Ogden, no sleepers and no diner. In 1960 even that remnant quit running between Ogden and Laramie; it ran Laramie-Omaha until 1967-68.) 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> The SP declined to revive the train in 1964 amid some controversy.

==Schedule==
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2015}}]In February, 1901 the ''Overland'' took 74 hours 15 minutes from Chicago to San Francisco. In 1920 the schedule was 72 hours each way for about 2260 miles, 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 ] 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 == == Name ==
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''. The UP changed the name to ''Overland Limited'' on November 17, 1895; the SP dubbed its service ''The Ogden Gateway Route'', its westbound train being the ''Pacific Express'' and eastbound the ''Atlantic Express'' before adopting ''Overland Limited'' on October 15, 1899. The name alternated between ''Overland Limited'' and ''San Francisco Overland Limited'' until July 1947 when "Limited" was dropped.<ref>Cooper 2010, p. 44</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Welsh|2008|p=31}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Solomon|2000|p=74}}</ref> The ''Overland Limited'''s name varied during its long career, and many people referred to it as the ''Overland'' regardless of whatever other nouns might be attached. The Union Pacific introduced the ''Overland Flyer'' in 1887. It renamed it the ''Overland Limited'' in 1896. The Southern Pacific continued to use the old name on its portion of the route until 1899. The Union Pacific officially dropped "Limited" from the name in 1947. Other names used included the ''San Francisco Overland'' and ''San Francisco Overland Limited''.<ref>{{harvnb|Welsh|2008|p=31}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Solomon|2000|p=74}}</ref>


== Equipment == == Equipment ==
]
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 ''Pennsylvania Limited'', and a summer-only sleeper for ] conveyed to the ''Idahoan'' at ].<ref>{{harvnb|Maiken|1989|p=339}}</ref> 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 an independent 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>


The Southern Pacific introduced a "Hamburger Grill" car between Oakland and Ogden on October 24, 1954. The SP said the burgers were among "the finest meat products of Southern Pacific territory", but ] called the car, and the coffee-shop car that replaced it, a sign of the decline of the train. 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>{{harvnb|Beebe|1963|p=51}}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
* '']'' of the ] * '']'' of the ]
* ] on the Union Pacific Railroad * ] on the Union Pacific Railroad

==Notes==
{{reflist|22em|refs=
<ref name="dij19640722">{{cite news|title=Railroad Dispute |url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/940578/1964_san_francisco_overland/|newspaper=Daily Independent Journal|date=July 22, 1964|page=2|via = ]|accessdate = August 30, 2014 }} {{Open access}}</ref>
<ref name="fb19640308">{{cite news|title=Highball On Overland Limited Is Memory |url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/940555/highball_overland_limited/|newspaper=]|first=Lucius Morris | last=Beebe | authorlink=Lucius Beebe|date=March 8, 1964 |page=19|via = ]|accessdate = August 30, 2014 }} {{Open access}}</ref>
<ref name="nsj19541024">{{cite news|title=S.P. Glorifying Hamburger With New-Style Car |url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/940524/overland_hamburger_grill/|newspaper=]|date=October 24, 1954|page=9|via = ]|accessdate = August 30, 2014 }} {{Open access}}</ref>
}}


==References== ==References==

Revision as of 23:07, 3 March 2015

  • Overland Limited
  • Overland Flyer
The 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. It ran from 1887 until 1963. The Southern Pacific Railroad handled the train west of Ogden, Utah. East of Omaha, Nebraska, both the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (the "Milwaukee Road") and the Chicago and North Western Railway ran the train at different points during its existence.

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 on a daily schedule between Chicago and San Francisco via Council Bluffs, Iowa (the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific). Between Chicago and Council Bluffs it used the Chicago and North Western. At Ogden, Utah, it switched to the Central Pacific Railroad (leased by the Southern Pacific). The Overland Flyer was one of the first named passenger trains in the United States; hitherto the practice was uncommon. The name itself had its roots in the West: Bret Harte, chronicler of the California Gold Rush, had founded a monthly literary magazine named the Overland Monthly in 1868. Previously various stagecoach companies had incorporated "Overland" into their names. The Overland was the subject of an early train documentary film short in 1901.

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

The introduction of the streamlined City of San Francisco in 1936 relegated the Overland to secondary status on the Overland Route. By January 1955 the train was a shell of its former self, carrying only two Chicago–Oakland through cars. The train was then called the San Francisco Overland in SP territory, the Overland on the UP, and unnamed on the C&NW. Daily operation ended on July 16, 1962, with the City of San Francisco handling what through traffic remained. The San Francisco Overland remained as a seasonal SP train between Oakland and Ogden through 1963. The SP declined to revive the train in 1964 amid some controversy.

Name

The Overland Limited's name varied during its long career, and many people referred to it as the Overland regardless of whatever other nouns might be attached. The Union Pacific introduced the Overland Flyer in 1887. It renamed it the Overland Limited in 1896. The Southern Pacific continued to use the old name on its portion of the route until 1899. The Union Pacific officially dropped "Limited" from the name in 1947. Other names used included the San Francisco Overland and San Francisco Overland Limited.

Equipment

The buffet-library car circa 1913

In 1941–42 the train was re-equipped with lightweight streamlined cars built by Pullman-Standard. In March 1952, toward the end of its existence as an independent through train, the San Francisco Overland carried Chicago–San Francisco sleepers, a New York–San Francisco sleeper conveyed on alternating 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

Notes

  1. Beebe 1963, p. 28
  2. Beebe 1963, p. 27
  3. 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)"
  4. Beebe 1963, p. 31
  5. Beebe 1963, p. 50
  6. Beebe 1963, p. 51
  7. 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
  8. "Railroad Dispute". Daily Independent Journal. July 22, 1964. p. 2. Retrieved August 30, 2014 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. Welsh 2008, p. 31
  10. Solomon 2000, p. 74
  11. Welsh 2008, p. 85
  12. Maiken 1989, p. 339
  13. "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
  14. Beebe 1963, p. 51

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
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