The End. The Business Car "St. Louis" brings up the markers on UP's special "Great Race to Ogden" train. From what I can tell this car was built back in 1950 as a Pullman Standard 44 passenger coach, and then converted to a Business Car with observation platform in 1952. It's been remodeled a couple of times since, and gained the name "St. Louis" in 1989. It has a kitchen, a crew room that sleeps two, a dining room that seats 12 and an observation room that seats 12. It has one public restroom and one bedroom suite with private bathroom. I'm not going to ask what it costs to rent it, LOL!
Interestingly, the special drumhead on the back platform says "Great Race to Promontory" and depicts silhouettes of the two steamers that met on May 10th of 1869. Of course, this train went to Ogden, not Promontory. Sadly, that's because the rails no longer go to the latter destination. The tracks through Promontory were lifted back in 1942, during a WWII scrap drive. No one even gave any thought to saving the last hundred yards for historical purposes. The National Park Service would acquire the land in 1957, but it would still be a couple of decades before the rails would be rebuilt and replica steamers would arrive there. It is a bit sad that we Americans often do a poor job of saving historic artifacts. We could take some lessons from the Brits!
See beautiful diesel locomotives in UP's traditional armour yellow livery and special commemorative paint schemes pulling long trains of yellows cars reminiscent of the days when UP domeliners seemed to go Everywhere West.
