The ''Challengers'' were named passenger trains on the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

and the

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

(which was replaced in 1955 by

the Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced ...

). The economy service ran between

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and the West Coast of the United States. The trains had full Pullman service and coach seating and were an attempt to draw Depression-Era riders back to the rails. Food service was advertised as "''three meals for under a dollar a day''." (

PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...

) During the late 1930s the ''Challenger'' fleet was among the highest-patronized of American trains, and the best revenue producers of the UP passenger fleet. Discontinued in 1947, the ''Challenger'' name reappeared in 1954 on a streamliner. When

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

took over the nation's passenger service in 1971, it ended the ''Challenger'' once and for all.

History

In early June 1935 the Union Pacific transferred the heavyweight

coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

and tourist

sleeping car The sleeping car or sleeper (often ) is a railway passenger car (rail), passenger car that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. George Pullman was the American innovator of the sleeper car. ...

s of its '' Los Angeles Limited'' to a second

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sign ...

, the ''Challenger''. The new train met with such success that the UP ordered 68 cars rebuilt, including 47 coaches, 16 Pullman

s, and 5

dining car A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. It is distinct from other railroad food service cars that ...

s. The coaches had large reclining chairs and a new color scheme to make the interior more attractive, especially to women passengers. A lounge car was added in April of the following year. In May 1936 the train commenced operation between Chicago and

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California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, on its own schedule. 1937 saw the UP partnering with the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

to add a train from Chicago to

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, a line that would take the name ''San Francisco Challenger'' (the original then became the ''Los Angeles Challenger''). Lounge cars were designed for single, double, and table seating. Porter service was available throughout the train, and most stations had agents on duty to assist passengers. Rare in the railroad industry, two coaches at the head of the train carried only women, one of these tailored for women with children. A registered nurse-stewardess was carried, another first. The women received $125 per month plus expenses. Coach passengers had free pillows and tickets were pouched to avoid having to waken passengers during the night. Station calls were eliminated during sleeping hours, and short-haul passengers were wakened by train crews before their destinations. All bright lights were extinguished during the night (only blue lighting was used after 10:00 p.m.). Lounge rooms at the ends of the coaches were provided for those who wished to remain awake. Increased traffic during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

led the UP to add the ''Furloughee Challenger'' to its roster on December 31, 1944; the train's name was changed to ''Military Challenger'' on December 23, 1945, and then to ''Advance Challenger'' on April 14, 1946. The train was discontinued on June 2, 1946; the entire ''Challenger'' fleet would be taken out of service the next year after the establishment of daily service for the entire ''City'' fleet. On December 8, 1953, the C&NW and UP announced that a ''Challenger'' between Chicago and Los Angeles would return with all-streamlined equipment, and on January 10 the first lightweight trainset hit the rails. The westbound ''Challenger'' completed its run in 39 hours 30 minutes, while eastbound ran 39 hours 45 minutes. Train 107 departed Chicago at 9:00 a.m. CST and arrived Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. PST the next day; train 108 left L.A. at 2:00 p.m. PST and arrived Chicago 7:45 CST on the morning of the second day. In February 1955 dome coaches were added to the ''Challenger'', the first on any UP train. Disagreement with CNW over divisions of passenger revenues led UP to switch to the

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States fr ...

(MILW) for service to Chicago's

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

(the trains had terminated at

North Western Station The Richard B. Ogilvie Transportation Center (; formerly Chicago and North Western Terminal) is a commuter rail train station, terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It is the terminus for the three commuter rail lines of Metra's Union Pacific Ra ...

) beginning November 1955. The Milwaukee Road embarked upon a repainting program and all its passenger rolling stock received Union Pacific's ''Armour Yellow'' and ''Harbor Mist Gray'' colors (the MILW retained its traditional orange-and-black livery for freight units). The Milwaukee Road received that portion of the operating revenue generated between Omaha and Chicago, and furnished 25% of the equipment used on the line. The ''Challenger'' was combined between Chicago and Omaha with the Milwaukee Road's ''

Midwest Hiawatha The ''Midwest Hiawatha'' was a passenger train on the Milwaukee Road, one of many Milwaukee Road trains with a ''Hiawatha'' name. The service began December 11, 1940 between Chicago's Union Station and Omaha, Nebraska, Sioux Falls, South Dakota ...

'' and appeared in timetables as the ''Challenger-Midwest Hiawatha''; the departure from Los Angeles switched to 10 PM to allow a day trip east of Omaha. This ended in Spring 1956 when, in a cost-cutting measure, the ''Challenger'' and the ''City of Los Angeles'' were combined on the ''City of Los Angeles'' schedule. The ''Challenger'' reappeared as a separate train (with its morning departure from Chicago and 2 PM departure from Los Angeles)) in the summer and holiday seasons of 1957 and 1958, but after summer 1960 it ran on the ''City of Los Angeles'' schedule year-round. Further consolidations occurred in the 1960s and by 1970 the ''Challenger'', ''

City of Denver Denver () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States#State capital, capital, and List of municipalities in Colorado#, most populous city of th ...

'', ''City of Los Angeles'', '' City of Portland'', and ''

City of San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

'' were combined into one giant train across Wyoming, called by some the "City of Everywhere". The dome diners were removed from the ''City of Portland'' in 1968 and the ''City of Los Angeles'' by 1970, the dome coaches and dome lounge cars remained until the coming of Amtrak. Amtrak discontinued all UP trains, save for a modified ''City of San Francisco'' (via BN to Denver, thence via UP's Overland Route to Ogden and SP to Oakland/San Francisco), when it assumed long-distance passenger rail service throughout the United States on May 1, 1971.

Timeline

* May 1936: The ''Challenger'' makes its first run between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California. * 1937: A second train, the ''

San Francisco Challenger The ''San Francisco Challenger'' was a train operated by Southern Pacific Railroad, Union Pacific Railroad and Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. Starting in 1936, it ran from Oakland, California to Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Wi ...

'', with service between Chicago and

is added to the lineup in cooperation with the Southern Pacific Railroad; the original train is now designated as the ''Los Angeles Challenger''. * November 8, 1944: The westward ''San Francisco Challenger'' jumps the tracks on a curve at 5:15 a.m. and piles into a ditch three miles west of

Colfax, California Colfax (formerly Alden Grove, Alder Grove, Illinoistown, and Upper Corral) is a city in Placer County, California, at the crossroads of Interstate 80 and State Route 174. The population was 1,963 at the 2010 census. The town is named in hono ...

. Nine people are killed and 93 injured. * 1947: The ''Challenger'' fleet is withdrawn from service. * October 19, 1947: ''San Francisco Challenger'' is discontinued when renamed ''Gold Coast'' * December 8, 1953: The CNW / UP announces that the ''Challenger'' service between Chicago and Los Angeles will resume, and will employ all streamlined equipment. * January 10, 1954: The first lightweight ''Challenger'' enters service. * February 1955: a dome coach is added to the ''Challenger''; a dome lounge and dome diner were added to the ''City of Los Angeles'' and ''City of Portland''. * November 1955: The Milwaukee Road assumes operation of the ''Challenger'' between

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

and Chicago, operating out of Union Station. * 1956: The ''Challenger'' and ''City of Los Angeles'' are combined during the off-season. * 1970: Dome diners are removed from all UP passenger trains, including the ''Challenger''. The ''Challenger'' is combined with the entire ''City'' fleet into one train. * May 1, 1971: UP ends the ''Challenger'' train service as

takes over long-distance passenger operations in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Equipment

The consist of the last train No. 107 to travel over the CNW (westbound) on October 29, 1955 included: *

EMD E8 The E8 is a , A1A-A1A passenger-train locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of La Grange, Illinois. A total of 450 cab versions, or E8As, were built from August 1949 to January 1954, 447 for the U.S. and 3 for Cana ...

A Locomotive CNW #5029B *

Baggage Baggage or luggage consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transit. A modern traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions, trip ...

UP #5648 * Sleeper UP ''Alpine View'' (14 sections) * Pacific-series sleeper UP ''Pacific Beauty'' (10 roomettes, 6 double bedrooms) *

Diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

(48 seats) CNW #6956 *

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

(48 seats) CNW #3418 * Coach (44 seats) UP #5486 *

Dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

-Coach UP #7000 * Coach (44 seats) UP #5470 The last train No. 108 over the CNW (eastbound) consisted of: Union Pacific Railroad Challenger club lounge

* 2-

EMD E-unit EMD E-units were a line of passenger train streamliner diesel locomotives built by the General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) and its predecessor the Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC). Final assembly for all E-units was in La Grange, Illino ...

Locomotives (UP pair replaced with CNW units at Omaha) *

UP #5640 * Sleeper UP ''Alpine Camp'' (14 sections) * Pacific-series sleeper UP ''Pacific Mist'' (10 roomettes, 6 double bedrooms) * 2-unit (articulated) Dormitory-Kitchen-

(48 seats) UP #5101 (taken off at Omaha) *

Lounge car A lounge car (sometimes referred to as a buffet lounge, buffet car, club car or grill car) is a type of passenger car on a train, in which riders can purchase food and drinks. The car may feature large windows and comfortable seating to create a re ...

UP #1517 (taken off at Omaha) * Coach (44 seats) UP #5484 (taken off at Omaha) *

(48 seats) CNW #6956 (taken on at Omaha) *

-Coach UP #7002 * Coach (44 seats) UP #5478

Dining aboard the ''Challenger''

Union Pacific Railroad Challenger dining car

The meals served in the ''Challenger''s dining cars, while basic (definitely not the first-class fare found aboard the UP's streamliners, where a single meal might cost as much as $1.25) were ample, served on distinctive china and in portions large enough to satisfy even the heartiest traveler's appetite. Even as late as 1954 the meal selections were priced with the budget-conscious traveler in mind: breakfast cost 65¢, lunch was 85¢, and dinner could be had for $1.00.

Other railroad uses of the name ''Challenger''

The ''Challenger'' name has also been applied to the 4-6-6-4 type steam-driven

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

s, the first of which were designed by the UP and built by the

American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

between 1936 and 1943. Best known among these is

Union Pacific 3985 Union Pacific 3985, also known as the "Challenger", is a four-cylinder simple articulated 4-6-6-4 "Challenger"-type steam locomotive built in July 1943 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York, for the Union Pacific Ra ...

, one of 105 ''Challengers'' built for the railroad. Originally a part of the Union Pacific Heritage Fleet, it was taken out of service in 2010 and subsequently retired in 2020. In 2022, it was donated to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America, with plans to restore it to operational condition. The

dome car A dome car is a type of railway passenger car that has a glass dome on the top of the car where passengers can ride and see in all directions around the train. It also can include features of a coach, lounge car, dining car, sleeping car or obse ...

now called ''Challenger'' was built in 1958 by

Pullman-Standard The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century ...

as UP dome coach #7015, the last such car built. It was reacquired by Union Pacific in 1989 and today operates as part of employee and other special trains.

Challenger photos, 1930s

File:Union Pacific Railroad Challenger sleeping car.JPG, A sleeping car in day mode; the berths are folded above the seats File:Union Pacific Railroad Challenger women's dressing room sleeping car.JPG, The dressing room in a women's sleeping car File:Union Pacific Railroad Challenger nurse stewardess.JPG, A nurse/stewardess for the train File:Union Pacific Challenger lounge car.JPG, One of the train's lounge cars File:Union Pacific North Western Challenger diner pre 1955.JPG, Another view of the train's diner

References

* * *

External links

The ''Challenger''
at th
Union Pacific Railroad's
official website
Passenger trains operating on the eve of Amtrak
{{SP named trains Passenger trains of the Union Pacific Railroad Passenger trains of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company Passenger trains of the Chicago and North Western Railway Passenger trains of the Milwaukee Road Named passenger trains of the United States Railway services introduced in 1936 Night trains of the United States Railway services discontinued in 1971 id:Union Pacific 3985 ja:チャレンジャー (旅客列車)