It's a typical summer day in Texas and the year is 1950. The Katy's "The Bluebonnet" train No. 7 southbound, headed by a beautiful Pacific type 4-6-2 locomotive, with a consist of eight standard heavyweight passenger cars - departs from Dallas on its lengthy run to San Antonio.

Interior view of the Parlor Lounge Car in the consist of the Katy's "The Bluebonnet" train No. 7 southbound enroute from Dallas to San Antonio, Texas. This beautiful parlor lounge was a standard heavyweight car.

This photograph portrays the dawn of a new era in railroading - advent of the streamliners in the late 1930s and early 1940s, plus modernization of the " Age of Steam" streamlining steam motive power. The splendor of Southern Pacific's "The Sunbeam" is shown. This train went into service between Dallas and Houston on September 15, 1937 - traversing the rail distance: 265 miles in 265 minutes. The consist of eight lightweight cars is headed by Engine No. 652, a Pacific type 4-6-2 streamlined steam locomotive with disc drivers, air horn and equipped with a Vanderbuilt tender (an oil burner).

In an era of rapid transit in Texas the Southern Pacific's advertisements cited the "Sunbeam" trains - modern streamliners - as the apex in luxury and speed between Dallas and Houston - an elapsed time of four hours and twenty-five minutes. This view portrays the "Sunbeam" train No. 14 southbound headed by Engine No. 651 - a streamlined Pacific type 4-6-2 locomotive - rolling out of Dallas Union Station, enroute to Houston on the afternoon of October 5, 1952.

This scene depicts Southern Pacific's Grand Central Station in Houston as it appeared in the last days , the "end of the age of steam". The Southern Pacific's "Sunbeam" train No. 13 northbound headed by Engine No. 650 - a streamlined Pacific type 4-6-2 locomotive - departs from the terminal on its run to Dallas at 4:45 PM on August 9, 1953.

Southern Pacific's the "Hustler" train No. 15 northbound, headed by Engine No.650, a streamlined type 4-6-2 locomotive, entering Dallas Union Station on its run from Houston. The train is passing under the electric street railway viaduct (destroyed in the late 1950s) which spanned the railroad tracks and crossed over the Trinity River. Electric street cars to and from Oak Cliff and Interurban cars of the Northern Texas Traction Company and Texas Electric Railway used this double track facility.

Missouri Pacific Railway's train No. 32 southbound, headed by Engine No. 1158, a Pacific type 4-6-2 locomotive, with a consist of seven standard heavyweight cars - rolls through the Texas' countryside, approaching the Lone Star State's capital city of Austin.

Missourri - Kansas - Texas (Katy) Railroad's oldest name train: the "Katy Flyer" train No. 6 northbound, headed by Engine No. 395, a Pacific type 4-6-2 locomotive with a consist of eight standard heavyweight cars, departing from Denison, Texas enroute to St. Louis.

One of the nation's finest railroad terminals: Dallas Union Station which is served by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, known as Amtrak, and soon to be served by commuter trains, operating between Dallas - Fort Worth and other North Texas points. The station is owned by the City of Dallas and represents an investment and modernization aggregating fifteen million dollars.

Main rail lines approaching the Dallas Union Station from the south.

Fort Worth and Denver (Burlington) Railway's "Texas Zephyr" train No. 2 northbound, headed by Engine No. 551, a Pacific type 4-6-2 locomotive, departing from Dallas enroute on its legendary journey via Fort Worth to Wichita Falls, Amarillo, Trinidad, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and Denver. Spanning a period of more than sixty years, dating from the "Gay Nineties", this was the most popular rail route connecting Colorado and Texas points.

Observe this scene of activity in the Dallas Union Station's yards - the "Sam Houston Zephyr" has just entered the terminal, closely followed by the "Hustler" while the "Texas Zephyr" waits for its scheduled departure.

Breathing just a wisp of smoke, the Texas and Pacific's "The Texan" train No. 15 westbound, headed by Engine No. 715, a type 4-6-2 locomotive, pulls into the Dallas Union Terminal Station in 1948.

Observe this unusual scene: One of the Texas and Pacific Railway's westbound passenger trains entering Dallas Union Terminal Station - double-headed by steam locomotives with Engine No. 715, a Pacific type 4-6-2, on the point. the time was 5:00 PM in the year 1949. This unusual photograph appears to depict a three-locomotive movement from the Cadiz St roundhouse to the station tracks at Union Terminal Co. The first engine is a T&P 4-6-2 No.715, the second most likely also a T&P locomotive, and the third is one of the Southern Pacific's streamlined 4-6-2 P-14s in Sunbeam service. The notes accompanying the photograph list the time as 5:00PM which is the exact time The Sunbeam is supposed to depart for Houston. It will certainly have to do some high stepping to beat the Sam Houston Zephyr into Houston this 1949 day.

One of the Texas and Pacific Railway's finest long-distance passenger consists, " The Southerner" train No. 8 eastbound, headed by Engine No. 908, a 900 class Mountain, type 4-8-2 locomotive, crossing the Trinity River Bridge, enroute from Fort Worth into 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.

Observe this rare specimen of steam motive power: Southern Pacific's Engine 741, a Mikado, type 2-8-2 locomotive, Train No. 155, heading a passenger train of two cars passing through Belt Junction in Dallas on June 22, 1952. Train 155 was a mixed freight and passenger train from Beaumont, Texas, which having dropped off its freight cars at Fox siding, out of sight just behind the coach, will continue to Union Terminal to deliver its passengers and express. The freight cars left at Fox would then be picked up by the Miller Yard switch engine and sorted for delivery in the yard. Engine 741 was one of fifty-seven of the Mk-5 class engines normally assigned to the train when it ran heavy.

Engine No. 306, an American type 4-4-0 locomotive, heads the Missouri - Kansas - Texas (KATY) Railroad's train No. 31 westbound, which is standing at Gainesville, Texas' depot enroute from Denison to Wichita Falls on June 23, 1940.

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

On the ready tracks at The Cadiz St. roundhouse in Dallas are SP-T&NO 4-6-2 No. 652, Cotton Belt 4-8-2 No.679, and FW&D No. 51 on a partly cloudy day in 1949.

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.

Southern Pacific, Engine No. 650, a type 4-6-2 locomotive, heading Train No. 16 departing from Dallas in 1948.