In his 1937 book The Locomotive (its esthetics), industrial designer Raymond Loewy writes that the opportunity to design a locomotive for the Pennsylvania Railroad was the greatest thrill of his career. He had spent a life as a railfan, “charmed by the glamour of the locomotive… Unable to control an irresistible craving to sketch and dream locomotives at the oddest moments, it was a constant source of trouble during my college days, and the despair of my professors. Later, as a young man, it led to my complete oblivion as a dancing partner, for I spent long, enchanting hours at the locomotive depot instead of taking scheduled dance lessons. I have no regrets.”
Loewy dedicated The Locomotive to his PRR engine: “To Engine 3768, my heartiest wishes for a fast and brilliant career.” It was a streamlined K4, put into service on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s flagship express train The Broadway Limited.
Aerodynamic, modern, and forward-looking, streamliner trains were introduced in the 1930s, catching the imagination of the public, bringing a modernist aesthetic to the railways, setting speed records, and attracting passengers at a time when autos and motor buses had emerged as competitors to the railways and the airlines loomed large on the near horizon. Streamliners were the primary focus of Loewy’s book, and are also the primary focus of a digitized album of streamliner passenger trains in the collections of Northwestern University’s Transportation Library that is highlighted in this blog post.
The Burlington Road’s Silver Streak Zephyr
The Burlington Route’s Pioneer Zephyr, recognized as “America’s First Diesel Streamline Train,” debuted in 1934. The Zephyr set a speed record, briefly reaching a speed of 112 mph between Chicago & Denver and earning the nickname “Silver Streak,” a feat that is celebrated in the promotional photograph shown above, from the digitized album Streamliner Passenger Trains in our collection. If you’ve visited Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry, you may also recognize the train from an installation at the museum’s entrance.
Union Pacific Streamliner Fleet
Also in 1934, the Union Pacific introduced its first streamliner, the M-10000. Significantly lighter than existing steam trains and running on diesel fuel, which was much less expensive than coal, the streamliner was a success. The railroad soon ordered ten additional streamlined trains, including the City of Portland, City of Los Angeles, City of San Francisco, and City of Denver. The trains operated daily between Chicago and the West Coast, reducing travel time and providing riders with comfortable dining, lounge, and sleeping accommodations.
New Haven Railroad Comet
The Comet, a streamliner train on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, was built by the Goodyear Zeppelin Company, a branch of Goodyear formed in 1917 to manufacture zeppelin aircraft.
Its styling and design borrowed from aircraft, and the Comet was referred to in the press as the “rail Zeppelin.” Only one three-car set was ever built, introduced by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1935 and in operation until 1951.
Pennsylvania Railroad Streamliners
Raymond Loewy was among the most significant and prolific industrial designers of his age and, in addition to the K4 discussed at the beginning of this post, would later be responsible for such designs as the TWA logo, Air Force One Livery, and Greyhound Scenicruiser bus. Before the 1930s were over, he would have the chance to design two additional locomotives for the Pennsylvania Railroad: the S1 and the GG1. 
The PRR launched its new streamlined Broadway Limited on June 15, 1938. The train was celebrated on the cover of PRR’s June 15, 1938 timetable, under the heading “A Fleet of Modernism.” The train’s art deco interiors included the bar lounge, an Observation Car, and private rooms. Trains completed the Chicago – New York journey in 16 hours and carried passengers in luxury, comfort, and high style with valet, barber, manicurist, maid, and train secretary.
New York Central Railroad Streamliners
The same day as the Broadway Limited’s launch, June 15, 1938, rival railroad New York Central debuted its streamlined 20th Century Limited, a luxurious express train designed by Henry Dreyfuss. Like Loewy, Dreyfuss was an extremely prolific industrial designer; he is also responsible for the NYC’s Mercury train (below), American Airlines branding of the 1960s, and radios, telephones, alarm clocks, vacuum cleaners, and countless everyday household objects of the mid-20th century.
Connecting Chicago and New York, the 20th Century Limited was the flagship train of the New York Central and was celebrated by the railroad on the covers of its brochures, timetables, and menus.
North Shore Line Electroliner
Streamlined design wasn’t limited to intercity passenger trains. Among the most well-known interurbans of its day was the North Shore Line Electroliner. The North Shore Line’s Electroliners connected Chicago and Milwaukee with ten trips daily beginning in 1941 and were promoted as “America’s First All-Electric Luxury Trains.”
Streamliners Abroad: Sir Nigel Gresley
Among the famous international examples of streamliners were the locomotives designed for the London & North Eastern Railway by Sir Nigel Gresley. Gresley lent his name to the locomotive shown below, the Sir Nigel Gresley, which was built in 1937.
A painting of Gresley’s locomotive Mallard was pictured on the cover of the 1993 album “Modern Life is Rubbish” by Britpop band Blur. The engine, designed in 1938, reached a top speed of 126 mph, which remains the world speed record for steam locomotives to this day.
Streamliner Legacy
And the legacy of the streamlined speed of the era can be seen in the high-speed “bullet trains” introduced in the 1960s: aerodynamic, streamlined trains that originated with Japan’s Shinkansen.
The U.S. passed the High Speed Ground Transportation Act in 1965, an attempt to encourage a high-speed rail system in the United States to compete with the Shinkansen The Budd Company’s Metroliner was put into service on Penn Central routes in 1969 and ;later adopted by Amtrak when it began operations on May 1, 1971.
While the Metroliner wasn’t a descendent of the streamliner era, another train built for Penn Central and adopted by Amtrak was: Turbo Train entered passenger service on April 8, 1969, covering Penn Central’s 229-mile New York-to-Boston route in 3 hours and 39 minutes on one dally round-trip. Designed by United Aircraft Corporation and built at the Pullman Works in Chicago, Turbo Train was powered by gas turbine engines similar to those found on jet aircraft. Coming online at the height of the jet age (Boeing’s 747 would enter service the following year), promotional materials and press coverage emphasized the Turbo’s similarities to jet aircraft. It was streamlined design for the jet age.
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