The Sunset Limited was operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad before Amtrak began operations in 1971. Originally named the Sunset Express, the Sunset Limited has operated on the Sunset Route since 1894 (although it was initially called the Sunset Limited). New Orleans was the southernmost gateway to the West Coast envisioned through the Pacific Railroad Acts (the Sunset Route). The other two left from Chicago and St. Louis.
As the Sunset Route was opened 20 years before the Panama Canal, it significantly reduced the time for passengers travelling from the Atlantic Ocean or the Caribbean Sea to reach the West Coast since New Orleans was already an established seaport for passengers travelling by Atlantic shipping lines to the interior of the United States. In a few days, passengers could travel to the West Coast on the Sunset Limited.
Photos from SMU Libraries Digital Collections show the luxury of the Southern Pacific Railroad’s Sunset Limited in 1950, taken by American photographer Robert Yarnall Richie.
