American Outline N Scale Model Railroads

In America the phrase for the very top class passenger trains was "The Varnish" 

The term originating from the heavily embellished and highly varnished Pullman State Cars of the late 19th Century

On each Line there was a strict pecking order which ensured that the Premier Trains got priority in a situation of two or more trains competing for a single track section or access to a crowded  Station.

On the ES&LRR one train had ultimate Priority, this was the jointly operated "Western Senator" The only true Coast To Coast Transcontinental train in America.  Though many companies ran through cars only the mighty Pennsylvania Rail Road  in conjunction with the ES&LRR  ran a whole train from New York direct to Los Angelese .

Timed to depart in concert with the arrivals of the great Transatlantic Liners the trains left New York and went non stop to Washington DC, their next major stop was Chicago where the train passed into ES&LRR control, Las Rocas was the next servicing stop and then El Segundo Terminus in LA.  There were special sets of joint stock cars but  in times of heavy demand PRR  cars were often to be seen on the trains.  To power these prestigious trains powerful "J Class" steam locomotives were specially purchased for the Western leg of the route. 

A "J Class" at speed with The Western Senator.

A J Class making Light Work of the steep grade up Boyle Canyon

 The "J Class"were the most powerful locomotives on the system prior to the introduction of the Southern Pacific's  GS4's

 Here a West Bound  Western Senator behind a J Class is leaving Angel Bridge across Boyle Canyon just as an East Bound Western Senator equipped with the special joint stock cars  is led onto the bridge  by a Canyon Class .

 This West Bound Western Senator is composed of all PRR standard cars, it must be the Holidays season.

Two Sections of Western Senator are about to depart Las Rocas Union Station here

The high plumes of smoke are testament to the energy the mighty J Class is putting into getting her train moving

 Job Done!  The Massive locomotive soon has her luxurious train flying!

In the ES&LRR own Line train stable  the top train is "The Agnes Robinson Limited" designed as the train to attract the "old Money" of the Eastern States who normally traveled on "The Broadway Limited" that more dignified and sedate  competitor to the more Brash NYC 20th Century Limited".

The ES&LRR were keen to suggest that those who liked the "The Century" may be happy with the "The Super-Chief" but those with more refinement would appreciate the "Agnes Robinson Limited"!  The eperp "Luxury in a world of Beauty" was often used in publicity materials to sum up the all Pullman All Private Room and Extra fare Train.

She was timed to depart just three hours after "The Broadway Limited" was scheduled to arrive in Chicago and boasted that she never departed without her Pennsylvanian Customers.  Fares were pitched so that it was slightly cheaper to travel on the two separate trains rather than straight though on the Western Senator also the two trains combined times worked out at some six and one half hours slower than thedirect straight through train.

 The Limited as she is knows for short under a set of E8's is seen here on Rodgers Grade an ara of line not now modeled.

An ES&LRR "J Class" at the head of "the Limited" pulling out of 

Albuquerque ES&LRR Depot {Not now modeled}

"the Limited" always carries a large number of head end cars as the Tight schedule of "The Western Senator" will not permit a great deal of switching en route.

"The Limited's" colors are a conservative  Gray and Blue , The Box cars on the grade to the right are on the Santa Few Raton Pass line.

The Limited always carries not just a Dome Lounge car but also a luxurious Del Rey Dome car with a private dining room in the dome for  that extra special occasion.

The Del Rey Cars were introduced to compee with Santa Fe's "Pleasure-Dome" Cars.

 The Dome and tail observation cars of "the Limited" as she thunders eastwards.

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Acutely aware of the fact that "The Limited's" promice of always runing in concert with "The Broadway Limited"  forced the lines flagship train to run a poor second to the  speeded up 1953 Santa Fe's Super-Chief in terms of time taken en-route The ES&LRR soon introduced a headline stealing Flyer called "The Coranardo Limited"  Scheduled at a stagering hour and a half faster than the Super-Chief this light weight flyer carried no heavy dome cars, no head end express cars or  even a traveling Post Office.

For a few brief years of glory she out ran every competitor the four car luriously apointed but light weight train was pulled by her own stable of swift streamlined Hudson Class locomotives.  However by 1955 the high price of her tickets made Air Travel cheaper and quicker and she was the first casualty when her distinctive deep red and dark gray cars were seen augmenting  Angmes western and Western Senator services.

The Coronado Limited with a borrowed car from the Agnes Robinson's fleet

 The Rear Observation car of the Coronado Limited  was mostly  taken up with Suites and only offered a small observation lounge.

In her distinctive streamliner casing a Coronado Hudson is departing from Las Rocas after her fleeting visit .

The Gibbings Canyon Flyer is one of the rare trains in America that can trace it's liniage back to the Dim and Distant and far less than honest past of the Railroads !

The Shoe-String operation of the Essex Torrance & Rosarito Railroad had discovered , more by luck than judgement a relitively low and easy pass through the continental divide, in fact it had been the far sighted members of the Native American peoples of Clearwater Canyon that had firs appreciated what a gift their peoples had been given in their homelands location.  For many years they reaped a rich reward for guideing settlers to California through their secret trails. 

The ET&RR switly swallowed their primitive Clear Water and Arizona-Pacific Railroad but lacked the capital to build the lines West. Then the ever growing Santa Fe got wind of the formerly secret trail. 

A brief  attempt by Santa Fe to take the trail by force failed and when the impoverished ET&RR offered the running rights to Santa Fe on just two conditions;  greed and avarice blinded the larger company who agreed to any terns what  so ever and was even foolish enoughh to put its name to such an open ended agreement!

No doubt they thought the first clause was  meaningless for this shoe-string mino of a company asked that they be permitted to  run for 1cent per ten miles fixed fee a Train called "The Gibbings Canyon Flyer" and any other connecting trains that  they should wish to run.

The discovery of rich coal reserves in the area of the ET&RR secured the formerly shaky companies future and it continued with a weekly train to Chicago bearing the name "The Gibbings Canyon Flyer"  The antiquated  operation was an inconvenience but nothing more to the Mighty Santa Fe

However when in 1922 one Jeff Schriver  a Californian Oil magnate looked into the idea of building a line through the old trail once used by the native peoples he discovered the dust laden agreement with the ET&RR.  The ES&LRR was born and a separate Mountain Division was created to take over running of the former ET&RR.  The new tracks were only needed from Boyle Canyon Westwards to LA  as East of that point the lines of the mighty Santa-Fe were open to the company at the peppercorn rent of 1 cent per ten miles!

Consequently in 1934  an immaculate bright yellow and blue streamlined train glided into Chicago Union Station .Santa-Fe' used Dearborn Station of course but it was already overcrowded and the ES&LRR was more than happy to share in Union Station along with the powerfull PRR who it saw as a protective big brother.

From the start the Flyer was never intended to be a true luxury train.  It was mostly and laterly all second class,  it was pitched to the early vacation market and the business market where time was not so important.

From the start she was run with diesel electric E6 units in an  A-B-A formation.

 As soon as Dome cars were available the Flyer had them, she may be an economy train but she was never able to called Basic!  {This is an old section of the track no longer modeled}

 In 1955 the original cars of the ET&RR were restored and ran as a special to Chicago and back

Special Flyer Post Cards were available for 2 cents in the Observation lounge 

 As the E6 units were nearing the end of their lives the mighty Canyon Class took over head end duties for the Flyer

The train was cut back from daily Chicago-To LA to Weekly Chicago to Las Rocas in 1969

but the writing was on the wall and

sadly as with the Agnes Robinson Limited air travel eventually took its toll on even such a pragmatic operation as the Flyer and after a special court case and joint approval of a new contract  between the ES&LRR and Santa Fe at last  In 1978  exactly one hundred years to the day the last Gibbings Canyon Flyer departed from Las Rocas to Chicago

The Western Senator alone of the ES&LRR  Varnish survived into Amtrak Super-Liner days But that's another story!

As the Civil War had demonstrated the value of the Railways for general transportation in the USA so the Second War had demonstrated the value of  the Airways for noth International but also National Transportation.   As the roariung 40's closed it was clear  that the Railroads had to find another income area other than just taking folks from A to B ,   BUT WHAT? 

   Well as bask as the 1930's  the Railroad had invested in an articulated  Diesel-Electric rail-motor train-set built by Budd and following the Pioneer Zephyr design.

   Customer response had been good but an early criticism had been the "one out-all out" difficulty of the articulation and it had been used on local services in the summer time and "Rested"during hostilities.  

At the same time Union Pacific were suggesting re-starting their "Boyle Canyon Flyer", a prewar Tourist service through the heart of the Rocky s from Denver to Las Rocas, Southern Pacific Lines  in conjunction with ES&LRR's own Western Division were suggesting yet another new service using the "Daylight" brand name to run a vacation train from El Segundo to Las Rocas.

 With both the SP and the UP "feeding " tourists into Las Rocas it was clear that the Silver Shadow the Mountain Streamliner would be more than fully utilized so ES&LRR chose to approach GM for one of their not so popular Aero-trains!

Ideal for short day trips at slow speed with large windows to enjoy the scenery

Silver Cloud {right} and Silver Shadow sit side by side in Las Rocas

 The Cloud on the Brenner Pass line at the rear and the larger Shadow on the line up from Boyle Canyon taken from a hot air baloon..  Strangely because of the way seating is arranged both trains carry roughly the same number of passengers.  The Silver shadow having a seperate dining section while food service is taken to passengers seats on the Silver Cloud.

The face of the 1930's and 1950's art deco the larger "locomotive" car echoes the concept of the Zephyr design  being planed with an eye for longer distance service as this was also a baggage and Mail car.

The ES&LRR is the only line where these two cousins are run together.

Although these ruins are not visible from the train track there are numerous other cliff dwelling visible on the opposite side of Boyle Canyon ,

 Ascending Brenner Pass the Silver Cloud is the perfect companion service to the ever popular Silver Shadow

Although Services no longer stop at Joshua Creek the Interurban line offers a regular shuttle service to Dannville which is short walk from the Tourist town.

A speeding silver shadow

 Almost Home.  The Tail car of the Silver Shadow passing through the less than presentable side of town.

And The Silver Cloud dwarfed by the Down Town development of Las Rocas as she nears home.

Next we will look at the feeders to these services, namely The Mountain Daylight run by the SP and the Boyle Canyon Flyer run by the UP