Challenger (train)

Challenger (train)

The Challenger was a named passenger train fleet jointly operated by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago and North Western Railway (which was later replaced by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, better known as the "Milwaukee Road"). The economy service ran between Chicago, Illinois and several major cities located along the West Coast of the United States. Known as "Everybody's Limited," the trains offered full Pullman service and top-flight coach seating, and were introduced in an attempt to draw Depression-Era riders back to the rails. Food service was advertised as "three meals for under a dollar a day."

Throughout the late 1930s, the Challenger fleet was among the highest-patronized of American trains, and the best revenue producers of the UP passenger fleet. The train ultimately became Union Pacific's "Feature Train of the West." Discontinued in 1947, the Challenger reemerged in 1954 as a streamliner. When Amtrak took over operation of the nation's passenger service in 1971 it ended the run of the Challenger once and for all.