The ''Blue Bird'' was a

streamlined Streamlines, streaklines and pathlines are field lines in a fluid flow. They differ only when the flow changes with time, that is, when the flow is not steady. Considering a velocity vector field in three-dimensional space in the framework of ...

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self p ...

operated by the

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary c ...

and its successor the

Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisi ...

between

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

, and

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, whic ...

. It operated from 1938 to 1971. Beginning in 1950 it was one of the few Wabash passenger trains to carry a

dome car A dome car is a type of railway passenger car that has a glass dome on the top of the car where passengers can ride and see in all directions around the train. It also can include features of a coach, lounge car, dining car, sleeping car or ...

and the first dome train in regular operation between the two cities. The train was cut back to

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in ...

, in 1968 and renamed ''City of Decatur''.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

did not retain the ''City of Decatur'', and it made its last run on April 30, 1971.

History

The Wabash introduced a heavyweight ''Blue Bird'' on the Chicago–St. Louis run in 1938. The train was painted blue-gold, previously reserved for the Wabash's ''Banner Blue''. The Wabash relaunched the ''Blue Bird'' as a streamlined train on February 26, 1950, with all-new Budd Company "Vista-Dome"

s and E-unit

diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whe ...

s from

Electro-Motive Division Progress Rail Locomotives, doing business as Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), is an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. The company is owned by Caterpillar through its sub ...

. The new train carried Wabash's standard blue-gray-white livery. The Wabash referred to the ''Blue Bird'' as a "Domeliner" in contemporary advertising. Amenities on the new train included radio and "recorded musical programs"; coach passengers had access to the "Coffee Shop Club". The new equipment cost the Wabash ; it was the first dome train to operate between Chicago and St. Louis. The

leased the Wabash in 1964 but continued to operate the ''Blue Bird''. This changed in 1968 when the N&W truncated the ''Blue Bird'' to

, still departing from Chicago. This new service was named ''City of Decatur'' and operated until the formation of

in 1971.

Route

The ''Blue Bird'' used the Wabash's line between Chicago and St. Louis. In March 1950 northbound #24 departed St. Louis'

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

at 8:55 AM and arrived at Chicago's

Dearborn Station Dearborn Station (also referred to as Polk Street Depot) was, beginning in the late 1800s, one of six intercity train stations serving downtown Chicago, Illinois. It remained in operation until May 1, 1971. Built in 1883, it is located at ...

at 2:05 PM. The equipment set returned as southbound #21 the same day, departing Chicago at 4:45 PM and arriving in St. Louis at 10:10 PM. Intermediate stops included Englewood in Chicago,

Forrest Forrest may refer to: Places Australia *Forrest, Australian Capital Territory *Forrest, Victoria, a small rural township *Division of Forrest, a federal division of the Australian House of Representatives, in Western Australia *Electoral distric ...

, Decatur, Taylorville, Litchfield and Granite City in

, and the Wabash's

Delmar Boulevard Delmar Boulevard is a major east-west street in St. Louis, Missouri. Route description Delmar Boulevard starts at North 14th Street in Downtown St. Louis, as a westward extension of Convention Plaza. It passes through the neighborhoods of Do ...

station in St. Louis itself. At the time two other Wabash trains operated on the route: the ''Banner Blue'', which operated a reverse schedule, and the overnight ''Midnight''.

Equipment

The 1950 lightweight

consist In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often kno ...

included six cars: a baggage-lunch counter-lounge, three "Vista-Dome" dome coaches, a

dining car A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. It is distinct from other railroad food service cars that ...

, and a "Vista-Dome" dome parlor-observation car. The Budd Company manufactured all six cars, although the interior of the parlor-observation car was designed according to Pullman Plan #9525. Strong demand led the Wabash to add another dome parlor-lounge in 1952. Pullman-Standard delivered the car, which included the "Blue Bird Room", an eleven-seat private dining room.

References

External links

1950 timetable
{{NW named trains Named passenger trains of the United States Passenger trains of the Norfolk and Western Railway Passenger trains of the Wabash Railroad Passenger rail transportation in Illinois Passenger rail transportation in Missouri Railway services introduced in 1938 Railway services discontinued in 1971