Background:

The Exposition Flyer was inaugurated on June 10th, 1939, and was intended to be a temporary train to cater to tourists visiting the Golden Gate International Exposition; however, it lasted until the inauguration of the California Zephyr in 1949. The train ran between Chicago and Oakland, CA with ferry boat service into San Francisco. The WP used the Oakland Mole of the SP, a process that was implemented by the USRA and retained after WWI through the entire life of the Exposition Flyer.

The Exposition took place at the same time as the World's Fair in New York. Given the world events (September 1939 would officially begin World War II, and the end of the Great Depression) the nation was more than ready for a bi-coastal check of reality. The Golden Gate International Exposition, located on the man-made Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, drew enough passenger trade for the CB&Q-D&RGW-WP combined train that it became credible competition for the Union Pacific-Southern Pacific Overland Route. The Exposition Flyer was the first through train over the CB&Q-D&RGW-WP route using the new Dotsero cutoff, which saved 150-miles over a circuitous route through the Royal Gorge.

The Exposition was originally scheduled to last one year, but the outstanding success raised expectations and San Francisco was expected to host the event again in 1940. As a result the three railroads agreed to retain the train through the winter of 1939-1940 and when the fair reopened, the train was once again extremely busy. The success of the train, even when the Exhibition was not open caused the railroads to rethink the temporary nature of the train, and it was left on the schedules until 1941. As the train continued to see success, it stayed on the schedule until being replaced by the California Zephyr..

One operational aspect that first saw the light of day on this route on the Exhibition Flyer was the Transcontinental Sleeper. In April, 1946 service was inaugurated with the through Pullman operating east of Chicago on the New York Central's Commodore Vanderbilt and the Pennsylvania's General (on alternate days).

The California Zephyr Museum Page on The Exposition Flyer

Railway Classics Page on their possible HO Brass version of the Exposition Flyer

Equipment Notes:

Attempting to compose a basic consist of the Exposition Flyer is somewhat impossible. The reason for the impossibility is that the train is a study in contradictions. The train was put into service for a limited-time event and was supposed to last about 1 year. It lasted 10 years. It was supposed to be mainly a summer train, yet found a winter following. It was supposed to be a leisure train, yet found itself running multiple sections of urgent war traffic. It was unique in that the consortium that ran the train had to deal with every type of operating condition in the United States, yet had to run the train as a single entity. It started service in the hey day of heavyweight Pullmans during the Pullman Pool years and ended its life during the Pullman divestiture. It started as a heavyweight train, yet there were lightweight cars included almost from the start, and by the end, the train included some of the most modern cars in existence, soon to grace its replacement, the California Zephyr.

The Exhibition Flyer often ran in two sections due to traffic, one all Pullman, and one for the coach & tourist cars. Note that between April 1945 and the beginning of 1946, the Exhibition Flyer was "All Pullman" on the Rio Grande, with the Advanced Exhibition Flyer (trains 7 and 8) taking the coaches and tourist cars. This arrangement stopped when trains 7 & 8 were renamed and rescheduled as The Prospector (second iteration).

So if one chooses to model the Exposition Flyer, he must first choose the segment run (CB&Q, D&RGW, WP), the year, the season and in some cases, the day. The train that ran on December of 1948 was vastly different than the one that ran in June of 1939.

See J.W. Schultz & Hol Wagner's excellent treatment on the train and equipment in the Burlington Route Historical Society's Burlington Bulletin 42 Exposition Flyer.

In this photo, we see a more or less typical Exposition Flyer of around 1941. There is a CB&Q baggage, a D&RGW coach, a CB&Q Chair car, what appears to be one of the Coach-Sleeper cars, a 16 section tourist car, a WP diner, a 10-1-1 Pullman, an 8-1-2 Pullman and what appears to be a D&RGW MOUNT series diner-lounge-obs serving as a solarium obs.

GACX/REA

WP

GACX/REA

D&RGW

Walthers 932-4182

In N scale: Microtrains 118 00 000 50' Troop Kitchen Car Undecorated

NKP Car

Brass - Challenger + Oriental Limited + Shorham - Broadway Limited

In N scale: Kato

Brass - Aurora Shops - NKP Car

Brass - Aurora Shops - NKP Car

Not Harriman or Harriman copies. 301 - 306, 310 assigned Expo

Plan 7013 Lot 4716

Brass - Eagle Imports, Oriental Limited (#4700-4713, 4715 ), Hallmark

In N scale: in Kato sets 106-1605, 106-1606

1939 - 1949

Brass - Challenger + Oriental Limited + Shorham - Broadway Limited

In N scale: Kato

SILVER PHEASANT, INN, SPOON

Not Available

In N scale: Kato set 106-1503

1939 - 1949

NOT Harriman or Harriman copies

Plan 7014 Lot 4717

MT. ANTERO; JAMES PEAK; MT. HARVARD, MT. MASSIVE, MT. YALE; MT. PRINCETON; MT. TIMPANOGOS

2412-F

2412-T

2412-U

Converted from 12-1s - note these are 2410 not 3410 (i.e. Not Walthers or Branchline)

4036-B

4036-E

4036-F

Summer use only

2410

3410

2410 - Brass - TheCoach Yard, Oriental Limited, PSC

3410 - Brass - The Coach Yard #603 , PSC #15426 - Branchline 5399, Walthers 932-10001 - check A/C s/b Ice -

.

Brass - Challenger + Oriental Limited + Shorham - Broadway Limited

N scale Kato

Brass - Lambert 802 has a version that requires a lot of updates; Soho, The Coach Yard #0426, PSC

In N Scale: Pecos River Brass 1848

1939 - 6/1942

6/1947 - 1949

Plan 7149

Lot 6114

Brass - Oriental Limited

1939 - 6/1942

6/1947 - 1949

1939 - 6/1942

6/1947 - 1949

1939 - 6/1942

6/1947 - 1949

1939 - 1941

Mostly on 2nd section

Plan 3964 Lot 4965

1939 - 6/1942

6/1947 - 1949

Note: This page is still under construction and will likely be continually updated as models and more information come forward.

N Scale information from Michal Basta - Thanks!