Nostalgia & History > City of KC

Valmont shot this train on 4-9-71, train #9 arriving Cheyenne, later that evening the equipment go to den and Kansas as #10 minus a thru coach and 10/6 arriving KC the morning of the 10th.  Then on the evening on the 10th my family boarded it for our last train trip together.  In the dining car was the notice effective may 1, 1971 there would be no more UP passenger service, train wasn't that busy,  spring break and all, and the onboard staff  seemed melancholy.  Here are some of our ticket coupons, and a previous one in 66 when it was still CofSt L, were we were seated in the front section of the dome that was still on it.  Not sure which trip i saw some flagged draped coffins, one with a widow returning to Ft Riley.  Aside from quick trip on tr 370? wamego-KC these 2 round trips den-KC would be my only pre-amtrak  standard gauge trips, with additional trip on the ski train were kids were like 3 deep in the seats of  the dome car.  Looks like these were the reserved seat fees receipts.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/24 01:10 by dan.

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Wish I still had the full page letter letter from the Sidney station agent to my grandma , written and selling a COLA trip from sidney NE to LA !   She was going to go sleeper , we just went coach, wish UP's passenger  network would have been subsidized, perhaps the city of KC could have joined the the City of Everywhere in North Platte?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/24 01:02 by dan.

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Image one is a truly well-crafted scene.
Bob

Having married a gal from Cheyenne, I really love photos like the first one. Fortunately my late father-in-law took me to such areas in 1979 and the early 1980's.

B&O Bill

Thanks for the photos.  I rode the City of St. Louis several times between Greeley and Salina.  A great train that is only a memory of a long time ago.  

Great stuff.  The ticket stub from Denver was on Denver Union Terminal stock, which required the agent to specify which railroad the ticket was on.  I always regret not getting to ride the City of Kansas City east from Denver.   BSB 

So many great stations still exist along these old passenger lines, and I wish we had a better National Passenger Rail agency to re-establish these lines, and re-open the stations and use them.  The rest of the world has extensive rail service, but not U.S.

And, I just love those green UP signals at Cheyenne--really cool signal infrastructure there!

Very interesting thread! Nicely written & well done. And personal memories from pre-Amtrak days are always cool. I have a (very) few of my own such memories from riding the Portland Rose between  Manhattan & Abilene... :^)

Lance