A survivor of the "Glory Days of Steam" - the author: Burt C. Blanton - momentarily delays departure of the Clinchfield Railroad's special excursion train wich is standing at the Marion, North Carolina Depot; scheduled to leave at 9:00 am on Sunday morning, June 10, 1979. The train is headed by the Clinchfield's passenger locomotives, No. 200, type FP-7A, and No. 800, type F-7A. The consist was eight cars. The train's route was in a northerly direction from Marion to Erwin, Tennessee - a rail distance of 82.3 miles. The Clinchfield Railroad is a typical mountain line (standard gauge) - 275 miles in length - completed on February 9, 1915, at an average cost of $201,000 per mile. It's rails traverse a portion of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the railroad crosses the Eastern Transcontinental Divide in the Blue Ridge Tunnel which has a length of 1,865 feet. There are 55 tunnels on the route, ranging from 154 to 7,865 feet. This excellent short line railroad extends from the southern terminus, Spartanburg, South Carolina, via Marion, North Carolina to Erwin, Tennessee; and thence to the northern terminus at Elkhorn City, Kentucky.

St. Louis and San Francisco Railway's oldest name train "The Meteor" operating between Chicago, St. Louis, Springfield, Sapulpa, Denison, Sherman, Fort Worth and Dallas - a rail distance of 976 miles. This famous train made its first run on March 17, 1902. Even in this early era "The Meteor" was one of the nation's de Lux long-distance passenger trains. Its dining car service was comparable to that on the Santa Fe, being under the supervision of Fred Harvey.

One of the early "California Limiteds" entering the suburbs of Los Angeles, possibly dating from the late 1870's. The ten-wheeler, type 4-6-0, heading the train bears an original Santa Fe engine No. 54, indicative of ancient age. At the turn of the century the Santa Fe owned a large fleet of these locomotives: 478 ten-wheelers; these were versatile engines, known as "Jack of all Trades." However, no steam locomotives of this type were built to Santa Fe blueprints later than 1901. Observe the consist: the old weather-worn wooden railway post office car in the lead and the other open-platform wooden cars - all heated by potbellied iron stoves which burned wood or coal, and illuminated by kerosene. In this era, travel by rail had potential hazards but its popularity never waned.

Photograph of one of the Union Pacific Railroad's most famous passenger trains - the "Los Angeles Limited" headed by an Pacific type 4-6-2 locomotive, Engine No. 116 as it passes through Cheyenne, Wyoming. The train consisted of seven handcrafted wooden cars - heated by potbellied iron stoves and illuminated by kerosene lamps.

Southern Pacific's ferry barge, the "Mastodon" with passenger train aboard, is taken in tow by tugboats for the crossing of the Mississippi River at New Orleans.

Southern Pacific's No. 1 locomotive - the C.P. Huntington - type 4-2-4T, built in the shops of Danforth, Cooke and Company of Paterson, New Jersey, in 1863. This diminutive steam engine was the first to cross the Huey P. Long Bridge spanning the Mississippi River during opening ceremonies on December 16, 1935.

Photograph of the Northern Pacific's de Luxe "North Coast Limited" westbound, headed by engine No. 2671 -- a Northern type 4-8-4 locomotive -- departing from the St. Paul Union Station. City buildings are visible behind the train.

Northern Pacific Railway's "North Coast Limited" headed by Engine No. 2608, class A, Northern, type 4-8-4 locomotive, makes a station stop at Livingston, Montana. This was a Northern Pacific train from Seattle to St. Paul and a Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy train from St. Paul to Chicago.

This photograph portrays an unusual rail consist: Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad's Engine No. 202, a 2-6-2 type heading the "pay-car" in Chicago. In this era the railroad's tracks were being elevated throughout the metropolitan area.

Dearborn Station, completed and opened to service in 1885, was owned by the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad Company, together with its five owner companies. The station's main floor and mezzanine waiting rooms were completely modernized in 1947. This modernization program included the Fred Harvey operated restaurant and cocktail lounge.

This photograph depicts one of the nations finest railroad passenger stations - Chicago and North Western Railway's Chicago passenger station. Sign above the station says" Streamliners, North Western, Union Pacific"

The Chicago and North Western Railway - spanning a period of many years - always operated the largest fleer of commuter trains into and out of the "Windy City". This scene portrays seven suburban-bound trains which have departed from the Chicago Station. The city of Chicago is in the background.

The Chicago and North Western Railway's E-4 type streamliners, which headed the "Overland Limited" and "Challenger" trains between Chicago and the West Coast, stand in the Chicago Passenger Station.

St. Louis Southwestern Railway's Engine No. 679, a mountain type 4-8-2 locomotive, on the turntable at Cadiz Street Roundhouse in Dallas.

Observe this masterpiece of streamlined steam motive power - bearing the name "Sunbeam", Southern Pacific's Engine No. 652, a Pacific type 4-6-2 locomotive, on the turntable at the Cadiz Street Roundhouse in Dallas, Texas.

One Southern Belle - Louisville and Nashville Railroad's "New Orleans Limited" train No.1, southbound, rolls through southern Alabama enroute to New Orleans from Montgomery in the spring of 1915. This de luxe steam powered train with a consist of ten cars of standard heavyweight equipment is headed by Engine No. 197, a K-3 class Pacific, type 4-6-2 locomotive. This engine was built in the year 1912 at the Louisville and Nashville's South Louisville Shops.

One of the Illinois Central's de luxe passenger trains; the "Daylight Special" train No. 19 southbound, stands in the Central Station in Chicago - as passengers entrain - prior to the departure hour : 10:02 AM. This train (and its companion, No. 20 northbound) operated between Chicago, Springfield, and St. Louis. The rail distance was 294.17 miles; and the schedule was 7 hours and 44 minutes: equivalent to a running time of about 40 miles per hour. This photograph was taken in the summer of 1911. This was a modern train in that era - cited in the Official Guide of the Railways (June 1916) as: All steel and electric-lighted. The consist included: chair cars and coaches, cafe-club car and Observation Parlor car.

The Florida East coast Railway takes to the water with its Key West extension. No. 85 southbound, "The Havana Special" goes out to sea about four years after the right of way's completion in 1912. To the right of the viaduct is the Atlantic, while the Gulf of Mexico is to the left. This railroad, badly wrecked by a hurricane in 1936, was abandoned and a motor road was laid over it.

A proud name in Great Northern Railway passenger train service and history is the "Oriental Limited" a de luxe train seen here crossing the historic Stone Arch Bridge over the Mississippi River linking St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1912. This double-tracked bridge, which has 23 arches in its 1200-foot span, is the only structure upon which James J. Jill, the Empire Builder, permitted his name to be inscribed.

Heading out of the old Exchange Place Station in Jersey City, a spindly Atlantic type 4-4-2 locomotive and four de luxe coaches begin the maiden run of the "Pennsylvania Special" in June of 1902. Twenty hours and 912 miles later she will enter Chicago having given birth to a new era in passenger travel. On that same day in June the New York Central Railroad's "Twentieth Century Limited" also went into service. By 1929 all of the Pennsy's Atlantics had given way to the famed K4s Pacifics on first-class passenger runs.

Southern Pacific's "The Sunbeam" Engine No. 650 - type 4-6-2 and Burlington's "Sam Houston Zephyr" at Dallas Union Terminal in 1950.

Southern Pacific Railroad's "The Sunbeam" engine No. 650, a type 4-6-2 locomotive, at Dallas Union Terminal in 1950. Streamlined steam locomotive No.650 has been serviced and coupled to its train. When the number 13 is placed into its train indicator atop the boiler it will be ready to depart "On the Advertised" at 5:00PM as The Sunbeam.

Missouri - Kansas - Texas Railroad's "The Texas Special" train No. 1 - Engine No. 390 - type 4-6-2 locomotive arriving in Dallas just prior to dieselization in 1948.

Burlington-Rock Island's "Twin Star Rocket" races southward out of Dallas in 1951 powered by 1500HP FP7A No.677 and a 1500HP "B"unit in an effort to beat the Southern Pacific's Hustler into Houston.