lettering set for 1949 Golden State streamliner

The Golden State Limited was conceived in 1946 as Train #3 and #4, in order to compete with the Santa Fe’s Chief and UP’s posh all-Pullman City of Los Angeles. The train could never make the competion’s schedule and as a result enjoyed a short lived existance and an ignoble demise by late1951. But starting in May 1947, the train was painted a distinctive red and silver post-war color scheme and more new cars were added from Pullman. A sister train, the Golden Rocket, was built and lettered by Pullman but discontinued before it ever ran as a train. Golden Rocket cars came with uted sides and lettered with the Rock Island’s distinctive square gothic lettering design, whereas the Golden State cars of the SP were all smoothside cars and came with SP’s Roman style lettering. The RI cars were interspersed in the Golden State consist, still lettered Golden Rocket (see Protocraft Decals sheet Golden Rocket-1). The CRI&P and SP never really were in sinc about the train and the interiors and maintenance were distinctly dierent, and eventually there was a falling out. By 1953 the SP’s cars were repainted and, still as Train 3 and 4, an all SP train, ran as part of the Golden Sunset. (see Protocraft decal set Golden State-2)

 

Decal set designed and created at Protocraft Decals

Printed by Microscale Industries