Bullet Train in Union Station, 1934
Bullet Train in Union Station, 1934
from $20.00
Print features a Blade Archive original Toledo News-Bee photo of the bullet train's arrival in Toledo's Union Station — includes digitized authentic authentic Blade nameplate from the original date, detail of Toledo News-Bee newspaper page, and caption text contextualizing the event. (Customization available.)
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CAPTION TEXT ON PRINT:
Bullet Train in Union Station, 1934
Hundreds of Toledoans turned out to catch a glimpse of the Union Pacific’s “bullet” train as it paused momentarily in Toledo’s Union Station.
The canary and brown aluminum alloy train arrived at the station at 8:16 p.m. and was there less than three minutes, allowing just enough time for a fresh pilot to climb aboard, relieving the foreman who had piloted the train for the Chicago-to-Toledo portion of its journey.
The bullet-nosed, fin-tailed, streamlined flyer went from Los Angeles to Grand Central Station in New York was in two days, eight hours and 55 minutes, eclipsing the previous record transcontinental by more than 15 hours.
Built by the Pullman Company, the train boasted a 900-horsepower, 12-cylinder diesel engine, the first ever used for high speed rail passenger service. It had top speeds of 110 miles per hour and a cruising speed of 90.
Made up of six cars in addition to the locomotive, the train carried 52 passengers, most on board by special invitation. Included on the ride was a corps of experts who compiled statistics on each mile of the run.
BLADE ARCHIVE PHOTO/TOLEDO NEWS-BEE