In 1959 I went east from Pocatello, Idaho on what I believe was the Portland Rose. This train went through Montpelier, Idaho but turned south to Denver bypassing Cheyenne. This train resumed its eastbound journey after backing up to somewhere.
Can someone elaborate as to just when the Onion Specific may have first developed passenger operations that bypassed Cheyenne!
I don’t know if this site will help: http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/
I thought there might be something in there of interest.
“Onion Specific?”
Poking fun at “Union Pacific” as I read it.
Mr. Poteet,
Unless you went east to Kansas City you probably were not on the Portland Rose. If you were, the route from Idaho to Kansas City turned south west of Cheyenne since it was built. You just rode the normal route.
What it sounds like you were on was the combined City of Portland/City of Denver. When the UP developed its “Streamliners” they established two seperate trains to serve: 1) The Chicago-Omaha-Portland (with a through sleeper to/from Seattle) market and, 2) The Chicago-Omaha-Denver market. There were several trains per day on various railroads serving these two markets.
As rail passenger traffice declined the UP looked for a way to save some money and found it by combining the Portland and Denver trains. They still marketed their Chicago-Denver service as “The City of Denver” but it was really just the “City of Portland” routed through Denver with some cars set out and picked up in Denver. The route through Denver bypassed Cheyenne.
IIRC, the combination started around the time you rode.
Just never heard it put quite that way before.
Thanks for your info.
In 1959 I departed Pocatello about 2am; we did not go through Ogden instead going down the old Oregon Shortline to Kemmerer, Wyo and then across Southern Wyoming turning south short of Cheyenne to Denver. I thought the Rose went on to Chicago but it could well be that I was on the City of Portland. When we left Denver we backed for a considerable
Took me a few moments too. I’m guessing he’s not a UP fan.
RT, according to my 1959 OG, UP #106, The City of Portland, departs Pocatello 0335, arriving in Green River, off the cut off at 0735, uses the Borie cut off just outside Cheyenne en route to Denver. For compartison, UP #18, The Portland Rose, departs Pocatello at 1825 hours for the east, with connections to St Louis and Chicago. Don’t know when the Borie cut off was constructed, but would guess sometime during the Harriman administration. I’d think that, in 1907, Cheyenne would be an important stop along the way and NOT to be missed. Hope that helps. AA
Correct time frame for the construction of the Borie Cutoff. According to my references, it was completed in 1909, the same year E. H. Harriman died.
I googled “Borie Cutoff” and came up with a date of 1908. My question primarily dealt with operations but I could logically conclude that there may well have been circa 1908 some UP eastbound passenger train(s) which used the new cutoff to go directly to Denver. Even if the train did stop in Cheyenne it would have been a simple matter to back past the wye and proceed south which fits into the technicality of my novel.
I wish to thank everyone who responded to my querry for information!
Borie Cut-off, opened to traffic December 6, 1908