City of Los Angeles service began in May 1936 using the diesel-powered custom
streamliner M-10002. It was the second of Union Pacific's diesel streamliners to the west coast, following the
City of Portland that started service nearly a year earlier. Initial service consisted of five runs monthly. CNW / UP replaced that set with a fourteen unit full-sized train pulled by a three-unit set of
EMC E2 locomotives in December 1937. Service frequency was doubled in July 1938 with the former
City of San Francisco streamliner
M-10004. That set was replaced in March 1939 with a full-size train pulled by two-unit EMC E3 locomotive set. After World War II service was expanded with additional trains until daily service was achieved in 1947. The UP scored a public relations coup in the mid-1950s when the
City of Los Angeles was featured in two episodes of the popular
television series I Love Lucy. Starting in 1955 the
Milwaukee Road tracks were used in place of the Chicago and North Western between Chicago and Omaha. Actor
Ronald Reagan often traveled on this train and even did a full-page print ad for it that appeared in the National Geographic magazine. In a cost-cutting move, the
City of Los Angeles was combined with the
City of San Francisco in 1960.
City of Los Angeles service was terminated after Amtrak took over Union Pacific's passenger rail services on May 1, 1971. Amtrak operated several excursion services on the Los Angeles–Las Vegas segment from 1972 to 1976, ending with the short-lived
Las Vegas Limited. From 1979 to 1997, Amtrak operated the Salt Lake City–Los Angeles (Ogden–Los Angeles until 1983)
Desert Wind; it connected to the Oakland–Chicago
California Zephyr at its northern end, once again offering Chicago–Los Angeles through service.
Timeline • May 15, 1936:
City of Los Angeles makes its first run between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California. One trainset (the
M-10002) leaves each terminal five times a month. • December 1937: 14-car 791-ton train powered by three
EMC E2s replaces the older trainset, reassigned as
City of Portland. • July 1938: Former
City of San Francisco trainset
M-10004 joins service, allowing departures ten times a month. • March 1939: New train powered by two unit
EMC E3 set enters service, replacing M-10004; frequency remains ten departures per month. The
Hollywood, a lounge car built for the
City of Los Angeles, is the first passenger car with an interior built entirely of synthetic materials, including the newly invented
formica (plastic) and
naugahyde. • July 1941:
EMC E6 three unit set replaces E3 set; consist of train expanded to 14 cars. • 1947:
City of Los Angeles begins running daily. • 1955:
Astra Dome dome cars are added to the
City of Los Angeles.
The Milwaukee Road takes over operation of the
City of Los Angeles from the
Chicago and North Western Railway between Chicago and Omaha. • 1956:
Challenger and
City of Los Angeles are combined and operate on the
City of Los Angeles schedule. (The Challenger operated on its own schedule during a couple of summers thereafter.) • 1970: Dome dining cars retired and replaced with standard flat top cars. • 1971:
Amtrak took over intercity passenger operations in the
United States on May 1, 1971. The final
City of Los Angeles trips left their terminals on April 30 and arrived on May 2, ending UP passenger service.
Other railroad uses of the name City of Los Angeles The
City of Los Angeles name has also been applied to a 48-seat
diner built by the
St. Louis Car Company in 1949. The car was originally UP No. 4808 and is currently owned and operated by the Union Pacific as part of their excursion fleet. == Equipment ==