Printed timetables were, by definition, ephemeral. Airline and railroad schedules were regularly updated, and with the release of a new timetable, the previous edition was rendered obsolete. The primary purpose of a timetable was to provide passengers with schedules, route maps, and other information for planning their travels. Once they were no longer useful, most timetables were discarded.
However, timetables were also promotional materials. Freely available for travelers to collect at railroad stations, airports, and travel agencies around the world, they were widely-distributed canvases for companies to communicate a corporate identity, promote a new destination, or to introduce the launch of a new streamlined locomotive, a new aircraft – even the beginning of the jet age.
The Transportation Library is proud to debut a new exhibit: Timetable Firsts: Significant Moments in 20th Century Transportation History Illustrated Through 
Timetables in the Collections of the Transportation Library is now on display in our fifth floor lobby in University Library. Objects from our collection reveal impactful moments like the first non-stop coast-to-coast airline service, the beginnings of Amtrak, and the first service on the Skokie Swift, today’s CTA Yellow Line. Materials from five collections appear in the exhibit, preserved by collectors who saw the value of these ephemeral documents to transportation history: George M. Foster, William R. Hough, Lawrence M. Nagin, David L. Phillips, and John A. Swider.
image from American Airlines’ May 1, 1968 timetable
JUNE 15, 1938: THE DEBUT OF TWO LEGENDARY STREAMLINERS
The New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads had long been competitors, connecting the East Coast and the Midwest with routes that included flagship service on the NYC’s 20th Century Limited and the PRR’s Broadway Limited, with both named trains dating back to the early 20th century and catering to upper-class travelers. The railroads were so competitive, in fact, they both introduced new streamlined Art Deco train sets on the same day: June 15, 1938. Prolific industrial designers were behind both sets — Henry Dreyfuss for the 20th Century Limited, and Raymond Loewy with the Broadway Limited.
Pennsylvania Railroad Timetable
June 15, 1938
William R. Hough Timetable Collection
New York Central 20th Century Limited Schedules
June 15, 1938
William R. Hough Timetable Collection
FIRST NON-STOP COAST-TO-COAST COMMERCIAL AIRLINE SERVICE
The first transcontinental flights, operated by TWA predecessor Transcontinental Air Transport in 1929, would have stopped at some 13 cities on the 48-hour cross-country journey. TWA introduced non-stop coast-to-coast service, marketed as the first in airline history, in November 1953. The airline’s New York Ambassador Service connected New York and Los Angeles with non-stop 11-hour flights.
TWA Timetable
November 1, 1953
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
AIRLINE MERGERS
Delta Airlines and Chicago & Southern Airlines merged May 1, 1953, creating the fifth-largest domestic US airline with service in 61 cities across the US and the Caribbean, creating the first international routes for Delta. The first timetable following the airlines’ merger shows a view of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue from the riverfront; Chicago is noted here as the northern terminal of Delta-C&S Airlines. The airline would operate under this joint name until 1955, from which point it was simply known as Delta. It would later acquire Northeast, Western, and Northwest Airlines as well.
Delta – C&S Air Lines Timetable
May 1, 1953
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
1955 saw the merger of Pioneer Airlines, in operation since 1945, and Continental, founded in 1934. The new airline served 50 cities including 22 cities in Texas and New Mexico, part of Pioneer’s route network, under legendary president Robert Six and Vice President Harding Lawrence, who would later play a transformative role as President of Braniff International.
Continental Air Lines Timetable
April 1, 1955
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
FIRST NORTH AMERICAN SERVICE
Qantas Airlines, at the time known as Qantas Empire Airways, acquired British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines in 1954, taking over BCPA’s trans-Pacific routes and introducing the first Qantas service between Australia and North America. Flights originated in Sydney with stops at Nadi, Canton Island, Honolulu, and San Francisco, with the final destination of Vancouver.
Qantas Timetable
May 15, 1954
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
PANAIR DO BRASIL’S FIRST DC-7Cs
The Douglas DC-7 was introduced in November 1953 with American Airlines, operated only by US carriers until the introduction of the DC-7C in 1956 extended the aircraft’s range for long-haul operations. The following year, Brazilian carrier Panair do Brasil took delivery of its first DC-7Cs (known also as the DC-“Seven Seas”). This timetable is an example of the introduction of a new aircraft to an airline’s fleet, a feat celebrated even when that aircraft was already in use by a competitor.
Panair do Brasil Timetable
July 1, 1957
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
THE JET AGE BEGINS: FIRST 707 SERVICE
The beginning of the Jet Age can be pinpointed to October 26, 1958. On that date, Pan Am introduced its Jet Clipper service with a Boeing 707 flight from New York to Paris. The 707 was the world’s first successful commercial jet aircraft and the first of Boeing’s 7×7 series of aircraft, to be followed in 1970 by the 747. Both aircraft were transformative forces in aviation history, decreasing travel times, reshaping airport infrastructure, and revolutionizing the travel experience.
Pan Am Timetable
October 26, 1958
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
National Airlines was the first carrier to operate jet service in the U.S., with a Boeing 707 leased from Pan Am inaugurating service on December 10, 1958. This service was listed first in the airline’s October 26, 1958, timetable, which also included an illustration with the header “The Wonders of JET Travel!” This infographic illustrates the development of air travel since 1938, contrasting the distance a 2.25-hour flight would have traveled: 297 miles from New York to Norfolk; compared with jet travel 20 years later, and a distance of 1,100 miles covered in the same amount of time.
National Airlines Timetable
October 26, 1958
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
THE DC-8: A JET AGE COMPETITOR
The DC-8 was Douglas Aircraft Company’s answer to the jet age, under development with Douglas at the same time the 707 was being developed by Boeing. Pan Am was the first US airline to place an order for the jet aircraft, simultaneously ordering 25 DC-8s at the same time it placed an order for 20 707s. The DC-8 was introduced into commercial service the year following the 707, with flights on both Delta Airlines and Untied Airlines on September 18, 1959.
United Airlines Timetable
September 1, 1959
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
FIRST CTA YELLOW LINE TIMETABLE
Timetable no.1, dated April 13, 1964, introduced new CTA weekday commuter rapid transit connecting Skokie’s Dempster Street and Chicago’s Howard Street. The service runs on trackage previously operated by the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee interurban rail line, which was sold to the CTA in 1963 when the interurban ended service. The Skokie Swift became known as the CTA’s Yellow Line in 1993, when the agency introduced color-coded names for all its rail lines.
Chicago Transit Authority
Skokie Swift Timetable No.1
April 13, 1964
David L. Phillips Collection
NEW LOOKS
The New Haven Railroad’s April 24, 1955, is the first-known timetable featuring the railroad’s brand redesign influenced by Lucille McGinnis, wife of railroad president Patrick McGinnis. The McGinnis Era look we see on the cover was created by Swiss-born graphic designer Herbert Matter, part of a dream team of sorts that Lucille McGinnis helped assemble to completely overhaul the railroad’s image in the mid-1950s. This team included Matter as well as Florence Knoll, Minoru Yamasaki, Marcel Breuer, and Eero Saarinen.
New Haven Railroad Timetable
April 24, 1955
John A. Swider Timetable Collection
Under Mary Wells Lawrence, a team that included Alexander Girard and Emilio Pucci created a total brand redesign for Braniff International in the 1960s, incorporating the exuberant colors and patterns of the era to create a look that exemplified the golden age of air travel. Designer and architect Alexander Girard was responsible for the design of over 17,000 elements for Braniff including the creation of a new typeface, seen on the cover of the airline’s December 1, 1965, timetable, the first-known timetable with the new brand redesign. The typeface was employed across Braniff’s operations, on everything from airplane livery to timetables, matchbooks, and serving pieces.
Braniff International Timetable
December 1, 1965
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
A TIMETABLE FOR A NEW AIRLINE
Air California Timetable
January 1967
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
A January 1967 timetable lists the first-ever service on Air California. The local service airline operated five daily round trip flights on its Lockheed L-188 Electra Jets between San Francisco and Orange County Airport. In the following decades, service expanded throughout the state, the region, then nationally and into Canada following airline deregulation. The airline was purchased by American Airlines in 1986.
FIRST 747 SERVICE
Pan Am launched the 747 on January 22, 1970. With increased capacity and lowered costs, the 747 transformed commercial aviation, making the air travel experience accessible to middle-class travelers. The jumbo jet came to occupy a permanent place in the popular imagination around the world and remains, decades later, a symbol that represents the glamour of air travel in a bygone age.
Pan Am Timetable
February, 1970
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
Following Pan Am’s February 1970 timetable, other airlines that operated 747 splashed the jumbo jet across the covers of their first 747 timetables as well. The 747 was eventually ordered by nearly 100 different customers. Early clients included TWA, which began service February 25, 1970; American Airlines on March 2, 1970; National Airlines on April 2, 1970, and Japan Air Lines the following year, on July 1, 1971.
TWA System Timetable
February 1, 1970
Lawrence M. Nagin Collection
American Airlines Timetable
March 2, 1970
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
National Airlines Timetable
October 2, 1970
David L. Phillips Collection
Japan Airlines Timetable
July/August 1971
George M. Foster Timetable Collection
FIRST L-1011
The L-1011 Tristar made its first flight November 16, 1970, and entered commercial service April 30, 1972 with Eastern Airlines. The aircraft was Lockheed’s answer to the widebody jets introduced by competitors in the era, the Boeing 747 and Douglas DC-10.
Eastern Airlines Timetable
April 30, 1972
David L. Phillips Collection
FIRST AMTRAK TIMETABLE
May 1, 1971, marked the beginning of Amtrak service in the United States. The intercity passenger rail market in the United States had been in rapid decline for decades, with dwindling ridership numbers and deteriorating equipment and infrastructure. Amtrak was created with the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, consolidating and restructuring intercity passenger rail service under a quasi-public corporation in an effort to retain passenger rail as part of a balanced transportation system for the United States. Included with this first nationwide schedule is a letter from the Chairman of the Board of Directors addressed to the American Traveler, requesting the support of the traveling public.
Amtrak Nationwide Schedules
May 1, 1971
John A. Swider Timetable Collection
AMTRAK’S NEW TURBOLINER SERVICE
The French-built Turboliner was among the first new equipment introduced by Amtrak, entering revenue service October 1, 1973. The new trains, capable of speeds of up to 125 miles per hour, initially operated between Chicago and St. Louis. Turboliner service was later expanded throughout the Midwest, including Detroit – Chicago service in 1975, as well as to the Northeast. The Turboliner remained in use for nearly three decades until being retired in 2003.
Amtrak Turbo Service Schedule
October 1, 1973
John A. Swider Timetable Collection
Amtrak Detroit – Chicago Turboliner Service Timetable
April 27, 1975
John A. Swider Timetable Collection
NEW DESTINATIONS
New routes and destinations frequently appeared on the cover of timetables, with airlines promoting new service to existing passengers. American Airlines began serving Montreal on January 11, 1977. The first timetable listing Montreal service featured a cover with a maple leaf as the background to a 727.
American Airlines Timetable
January 11, 1977
Transportation Library Timetable Collection
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