UNION PACIFIC Railroad's "PORTLAND ROSE" Passenger Name-Train Herald

Description

UNION PACIFIC Railroad's "
PORTLAND ROSE
" Passenger Name-Train Herald
This herald represents the lighted drum-head on the back of the Observation passenger car on the UNION PACIFIC Railroad's famous passenger era of the name-trains (1920's-1950's);
"
PORTLAND ROSE
"
Although not depicted, this wall plaque was designed by the company, Hobby Craft Specialties, that procured the original creation of these heralds referred to as their "Name Train" Series more than 25 years ago.  A very few well-stored heralds were recently found by
the founder of Carolina Hobby Craft, Inc. with Hobby Craft Specialties as a brand name supplier
to the model railroad industry.  The intent was to relive the days when passenger trains were
the primary mode of passenger travel in the United States as well as many other countries.
Now is your chance to grab a bit of a nostalgic era long gone, including the production of
these exact colorful and intricate "Name Train" wall plaques!
BACKGROUND HISTORY:
Before Union Pacific's streamliners wowed the public the railroad operated several other trains during the heavyweight era serving their most important cities such as Denver, Portland, and Los Angeles.
The
Portland Rose
was one of these, established during the era of the Great Depression as a renamed version of an earlier train.  It was quite lavish providing all of the on-board amenities one might expect during that era.
The Union Pacific ushered in its new train, the
Portland Rose
on September 12, 1930 as its top train to the Pacific Northwest listed as train #17 (westbound) and #18 (eastbound).
Once the
City of Portland
debuted a few years later the
Rose
lost its lofty status on the route but nevertheless remained an important train.  During the late 1940s diesels took over from steam locomotives at which time it began carrying some streamlined equipment.
Despite Union Pacific overhauling, changing, and reworking its passenger fleet several times throughout the 1950s and 1960s the
Rose
remained on the timetable until the start of Amtrak in 1971.