Guide

1933 Fair
Map of 1933 Fair
1934 Fair
Map of 1934 Fair
Greyhound Tour

Topics

Costs for Visitors
Colors and Lights
Downtown Shopping
Postcard Greetings NEW

Exhibits and Attractions

Skyride
Hall of Science
Science Exhibits
Firestone Tires
Prehistoric Animals
Wilson & Co. Meat
Kraft Mayonnaise
International Harvester
Automobiles
Railroads
Air Travel
Mail
Foreign Exhibits
Pantheon de la Guerre
Colonial Village
Foreign Villages
Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not

News Articles

Memories

Links

Links Page
Contacts Page

RAILROADS AND TRANSPORTATION

Burlington Route 1933 Exhibit

The Burlington Railroad exhibit was on a 600-foot track immediately south of the Travel & Transport Building. It was a deluxe passenger train consisting of a giant locomotive and six ultra modern units of equipment:

• Engine No. 3000--The most powerful 4-6-4 wheeled locomotive in the world.
• Railway Post Office Car--A standard 60-foot Railway Post Office Car, completely equipped and manned by government mail clerks explaining the methods of sorting, classifying and distributing government mail in a traveling post office. Visitors could write post cards at a desk in this car and see them postmarked.
• Chair Car--Demonstrating the latest style of chairs which were not only adjustable to different reclining positions, but also could be turned to face the windows.
• Dining Car--Instead of being arranged in straight rows, the tables were "staggered" resulting in more spaciousness, easier access, avoiding traffic congestion, and giving patrons a more diverse choice of seats.
• Pullman (salon-club type)--One half of the car was devoted to the highest class of overnight travel accommodations including individual bedrooms with real beds; drawing rooms and compartments all of which were available either separately or ensuite. The other half of this car was a club-like little lounging room.
• Pullman--14-section capacity, typical of the Pullman equipment carried on all the top Burlington trains.
• Lounge Car--Fine appointments rivaling those of the smartest town club...down-filled cushions, easy armchairs, foursome seats for card players, generous ash trays and electric cigar lighters, a separate and special room for the ladies; a radio; magazines and newspapers to read, a rear observation platform enclosed in glass, a well stocked buffet.

Alongside this composite train were two units of old-fashioned equipment having historic significance. Opposite the modern locomotive stood a little old "tea kettle" engine with elongated cow catcher and diamond smokestack--No. 35, the Pride of the Prairies in the early 1880's. Behind the little pioneer engine was a reproduction of the first car in which U.S. Mail was assorted in transit, and thus the actual starting point of the Railway Post Office service.

London, Midland & Scottish

Paralleling the Burlington train, and sharing the same platform and train shed, stood the Royal Scot--famous London-Glasgow-Edinburgh flyer of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway of Great Britain, and holder of world speed records. The British trains were built narrower and lower than American trains, because it was considered too expensive to enlarge their old bridges, tunnels, etc.

Eight cars composing this train included a third-class corridor type, a third-class vestibule coach, an electric kitchen car, a first-class corridor vestibule coach, a lounge car, a third-class sleeping car, a first-class sleeping car, and a first-class corridor car.

In October the Royal Scot left the fair for a post-exhibition tour. It was accompanied along the Burlington tracks from Chicago to Aurora by a Burlington train like the one on the fairgrounds. The Royal Scot was to continue west to California, up the Pacific coast to Vancouver, and east through Canada to Montreal from where it would be shipped back to England.

Other 1933 Outdoor Railroad Exhibits

Outdoors, next to the British train, was a train with air-conditioned cars of the Baltimore & Ohio Capitol Limited. Next to this were luxuriously furnished coaches of the Presidential train of Mexico. The Delaware and Hudson railroad displayed a large freight locomotive. Nearby were a U.S. Bureau of Mines rescue car and a new type of gondola car from General Steel Castings company.

Baltimore & Ohio

Indoors was a historic exhibit contrasting past and present railroad transportation. In part of the exhibit space there were animated dioramas of B&O history. Another part of the space was constructed to resemble the interior of passenger cars with fittings from several different eras. In another part was the original "Atlantic" locomotive of 1832.

Canadian Railroads

The Canadian National and Canadian Pacific, in conjunction with the Canadian government, had a joint exhibit with paintings, murals, and models. A large 30 ft. by 130 ft. map of Canada was the main background for the exhibit of products, mounted game, and locomotive and steamship models. The Canadian National had a 17 ft. high model of the "International Limited," its Montreal-Chicago passenger train.

Chicago & North Western

A full-size reproduction of its "Class H" (4-8-4) locomotive was contrasted with the "Pioneer," the first locomotive in the West. A large map of the railroad and connecting lies showed the territory served.

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific

The exhibit of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific consisted of an electric locomotive, two miniature trains drawn by electric locomotives, a large 20 ft. by 8 ft. animated wall map illustrating their service and routes, and a 60 ft. by 5 ft. relief map and model showing the scenery of their territory served between Harlowton, Montana and Seattle-Tacoma, Washington.

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific

The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific had a 100-ft. exhibit space which told their story using motion pictures, a 17-ft. "Map that Talks," and a large mural.

Chesapeake & Ohio

A joint space of the Chesapeake & Ohio Lines, the Erie, the New York, Chicago & St. Louis and Pere Marquette was devoted to a model railroad with three trains operating against a background of historical paintings.

Delaware & Hudson

A mural painting showed various points of interest along the lines. In front of the mural were four relief maps of various locations. There also were photographic transparencies of various points and glass cases of product specimens of the company's subsidiaries and region traversed.

Illinois Central

An illuminated section of the World globe was the chief feature of the Illinois Central exhibit. There also were nine mural paintings illustrating the role of transportation in civilization and a miniature railroad that ran around the walls.

Missouri-Kansas-Texas

Dioramas and distributed literature told the story of the progress of the Southwest and its sources of wealth—cotton, wheat, livestock, and oil.

New York Central

The route of the New York Central between Chicago and New York was featured in the exhibit with a 60-ft. bas-relief map, a mechanical panorama of the Twentieth Century Limited, and dioramas. Adjacent to the exhibit was a lounge with a miniature railway historical museum.

Norfolk & Western

The exhibit was in the shape of huge block of coal, approximately 22 ft. square and 10 ft. high. Inside was a miniature modern mining community with miniature trains operating around the sides of the model. A back entrance led into a mine tunnel with a diorama showing mine operations.

Pennsylvania

A full-size steel cab from one of Pennsylvania's largest locomotives was featured in their exhibit. Another feature was a modern 82-in. driving wheel that was contrasted with a driving wheel from a century-old locomotive. A miniature four-track roadbed with trains operated in the foreground of dioramas. Large velour murals showed the coordination of railroad service with other modes of transportation. The original "John Bull" locomotive of 1831 was displayed in the dome of Travel and Transport building.

Railway Express Agency

A series of oil paintings illustrated the seven ages in the progress of express service. Also included in the exhibit were early relics and models of modern methods.

Pullman Company

Displays in the rotunda of the Travel and Transport building included an all-aluminum observation-room car, all-aluminum observation-coach, the first Pullman built, and a vestibule of an 1887 Pullman. The company also had a display of various types of Pullman accommodations and phases of operation in another part of the building.

Burlington Route 1934 Exhibit

The 1934 exhibits included the Burlington Zephyr in addition to old and new locomotives, old and new Railway Post Office cars, and a five-car exhibition train.

The Zephyr was built of stainless steel and had a streamlined design. On May 26, 1934, the Zephyr broke all long-distance, non-stop World's Records for railroad trains when it ran 1015 miles from Denver, Colorado to Chicago in thirteen hours and five minutes to signal the reopening of A Century of Progress Exposition. This was twelve hours and forty minutes faster than the regular running time of the Aristocrat, the road's crack regular train. Its average speed on the spectacular dawn-to-dusk run was 77.6 miles an hour... its top speed 112.5 miles an hour.

Half an hour after it had reached Chicago's Halsted Street Station, the Zephyr appeared on the stage of the "Wings of a Century" pageant at the World's Fair grounds. It was cheered by a crowd of about 100,000, who placed pennies on the track to be smashed as souvenirs

The pioneer Zephyr can currently be seen at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Baltimore and Ohio 1934

Baltimore and Ohio Locomotive "President Cleveland"

Wings of a Century Pageant

Famous War Engine "General"
"Wings of a Century" Pageant of Transportation

Scene from "Wings of a Century" Pageant

The "Wings of a Century" was an elaborate outdoor pageant telling the double story of the century's progress in transportation running side by side with "America's hundred-year march from a small pioneer nation to a leader in world affairs." The pageant was enacted on a huge triple stage, 175 feet long and 170 feet deep. The front part of the stage was a level road with sunken railroad tracks on which trains and vehicles could cross. The main part of the stage rose behind the road and was used for scenes involving people, animals, and smaller vehicles. The rear part of the stage was a boat runway where boats moved on trucks against the backdrop of the lake. There were 150 performers, 10 trains, early automobiles, boats, and a model of the Wright brothers' plane. The final scene was a "trip to Mars."

Sources

The Burlington... and A Century of Progress. Souvenir of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and Associated Lines.

Official World's Fair Weekly :
Vol. 1 No. 5, "Progress on Wheels and Keels." The Wings of a Century pageant.
Vol. 1 No. 8, "Speed and Power on Rails."
Vol. 1 No. 25, "Farewell to Friends." British and Mexican trains leave.

"Railroads an Important Feature at World's Fair," Railway Age, Vol. 94, No. 21, May 27, 1933, p. 754-760.

Website: Pioneer Zephyr—Museum of Science and Industry

Home      Top