The Train of Tomorrow was a four-car American demonstrator train built as a collaboration between General Motors (GM) and Pullman-Standard between 1945 and 1947. It was the first new train to consist entirely of dome cars, or "Astra-Domes," as well as other features such as tri-level seating and sleeping accommodations. After being christened at a dedication ceremony in Chicago on May 28, 1947, the Train of Tomorrow embarked on a 28-month tour, visiting 181 cities and towns in the U. S. and Canada.
This image shows the Train of Tomorrow on the tracks at Union Station in Seattle, likely around the time it was put into service between Portland and Seattle by the Union Pacific Railroad on June 18, 1950. The cars were retired from service between 1961 and 1965, and all but one, now at the National Railway Historical Society, were scrapped.
Handwritten on verso: Train of Tomorrow, owned by Union Pacific at Union Station, Seattle, c. 1950
Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times, December 9, 1947, page 4
ID Number: 1981.7392.11.18
Date: 1950
Physical Description: 1 photographic print : b&w ; 3.25 x 5.5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
