The Imperial Streamliner - named after the Imperial Valley. A short history (excerpt) The Imperial ran as train 39-40, was inaugurated in 1932 as a local train operating in Southern California with a consist of several coaches and Standard Pullmans between Los Angeles and Yuma. Eastbound #40 from Los Angeles would route off the Sunset main line at Niland traveling at night thru the fertile Imperial Valley. Traveling 102 miles thru Brawley, El Centro and Calexico, the Imperial skirted the inside border of Mexico before rejoining the Sunset Routes main line at Araz Junction in California, a few miles west of Yuma. At the beginning of WWII (1942) the Imperial was discontinued as non-essential war time traffic, however by 1946 it was reinstated as a secondary passenger train to Chicago operating on the Golden State Route with the Rock Island Railroad. By 1953 the Imperial cut 2 1/2 hours off its running time of 58 1/2 hours to Chicago by rerouting back onto the Sunset main line between Niland and Yuma. A local passenger was then used to met the Imperial at Niland to maintain passenger service to Calexico with several coaches and an 8 sect-5 DBR Pullman. - two photos have descriptions and links to archives below the photos for those interested in reading more. - A 1950 schedule one year before the service was discontinued- streamlinerschedules/concourse/track9/imperial195008.html https://flickr/photos/91981316@N06/14638230480/in/set-72157643798962873 https://flickr/photos/91981316@N06/14844807293/in/set-72157643798962873/ https://farm4.staticflickr/3856/14638230480_74bce1feab_o.jpg
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 00:15:40 +0000
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