Hollywood Outtakes: Arriving in Los Angeles on the Southern Pacific

0:09 Southern Pacific train no. 76, the Lark, pulls into Los Angeles Union Station. The all-sleeper, deluxe train was the way to travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles. At its head, three-unit diesel no. 6002, an A-B-B E7 set fresh from EMD in 1947. They are in their original "Golden State" livery, but do not have a road number beneath the headlight, which suggests that this film was taken before 1949.
1:51 It looks like less than half the passengers remember to tip the Pullman-car porter.
2:52 Another day, and another Southern Pacific train arrives in LA. Although the shield on the engine nose says "Shasta Daylight," the train number says that this is the Sunset Limited out of New Orleans.
4:29 An unknown train slowly slides in on track 10.
A correction: the music on the soundtrack is the Harry James version of "You Made Me Love You." Thanks to KZbinr newdealswing for pointing this out!

[@johnalder6028]

Even in the 1960s I remember getting dressed up to take the train from New York to Chicago but now slobs wait on the platform. Well done video and greetings from Port Saint Lucie, Florida !

[@scottnyc6572]

You look at how things were back then compared to today and left wondering how badly things have gone downhill..😭

[@paulaajohnson2597]

Worse than downhill. Totally to the dogs.

[@51pogo]

…and I hear that the dogs don’t even like it…

[@FirefighterSEIN]

The 1960s completely ruined the way the American Public dressed. Free love, non-conformist BS etc. was reflected in the way the younger generation dressed. Look at these people getting off the train! You can't tell the rich from the poor, as all the men are wearing suits and the women are in dresses. Not a pair of jeans or spandex of any kind in sight.

[@jackjules7552]

I agree things have gone downhill. But the Lark was discontinued because the public stopped riding the Lark. When The Lark was discontinued it was running with only one coach and one sleeper with not even 100 passengers boarding. You can't blame Southern Pacific for discontinuing The Lark. However, nostalgia doesn't keep the train running. If people liked The Lark so much then they should have kept riding it and that would have saved it.

[@anthonyjamieson3875]

@@jackjules7552 This was the reason that the CEO of the then New York Central said of the abandonment of the Twentieth Century Limited: The Central did not give up on the Limited , the riding public did.

[@tobygoodguy4032]

The whole composition in both sight and sound is like a dream ... that could not possibly have existed. Sad huh? 🤠

[@gregsells8549]

By the '60s. SP would urge travelers to fly rather than take the Lark. The Sunset, meanwhile, would trudge on with only coaches and the infamous "Automat Buffet" car.

[@2mes2mains]

Like 143 ! wonderful video ! Great atmosphere ! I just had to remember in my mind, the southern pacific sunset color scheme of diesels and coaches, for the happiness to be complete 🌈

[@paulaajohnson2597]

I remember the luxurious Lark and its sleeping cars well as a young child. Superb Pullman service. We spent a lot of hometown time at beautiful LAUPT.

[@abcdeshole]

Is living in a society where everyone is well-dressed and polite and I can travel everywhere by luxurious and dependable train so much to ask?

[@kenkramer6529]

Nice! I remember my older sister talking about the Lark. I surely remember the Coast and San Joaquin Daylights. Well-written commentary.

[@allegheny48]

Thanks for another view of the postwar past when travel by train was still the way to go. Seems the ladies were better tippers than the men. The narration in the beginning really helped set the stage for what was to follow. I especially enjoyed Artie Shaw's version of You Made Me Love You. That same arrangement was done in the 1960's on an LP entitled The All Star Orchestra Plus Pipe Organ - Golden Age of the Dance Bands with the late Buddy Cole as organist.

[@FirefighterSEIN]

I was guessing Harry James on the horn...

[@Greatdome99]

Artie Shaw played the 'licorice stick' (clarinet)-it's Harry James. End credits are wrong.

[@louislamonte334]

Beautiful footage! The Lark was a truly outstanding train and God I wish I would have been able to take it!!

[@jackchen7003]

Wow, we really have gone backwards as a country

[@chuckabbate5924]

For almost 70 years we paved ourselves into oblivion.

[@johncox2284]

You got that right

[@anthonyjamieson3875]

@John Cox No argument here ; just watching these fine old film clips and contrasting the scenes of yesterday with today makes you want to cry!

[@michaela.chmieloski3196]

That interview-narration was a nice bonus.

[@Stanley7746]

I liked it a lot. Nice to hear the narration tell the story.

[@boots_n_coots]

As in a distant dream…

[@newdealswing]

Beautiful job - thank you for sharing - and for the GREAT period music of the Big Band swing era. However one correction - the music is actually by trumpet man Harry James & his Orchestra - his famous rendition of You Made Me Love You. Artie Shaw was a clarinetist as a famed big band leader (Shaw was married to Lana Turner - Harry James married to Betty Grable)..... The recording you used was a Time / Life recreation made about 50 years ago in hi/fi stereo. Again superb job - thanks for sharing!

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

Whoops! My error in transcribing the info. Thanks for pointing this out. I can't edit the video, but I did note the correction in the video description.

[@amywright2243]

Just beautiful. Thank you.

[@georgemcdowell8302]

No one gets 'dressed' to travel anymore. I won't be here, but I've often wondered how traveler's demeanor will be like in 50 years.

[@jackjules7552]

I still dress when I travel by train or by air...I really don't care what anyone else does. People still notice when you dress especially when you dress for the dining car on Amtrak.

[@gaborgredely1848]

Akkor az amerikai nők milyen csinosan öltöztek! Még a gyerekek is.❤❤❤

[@PeterT1981]

That narration was beautiful. Really set the mood.

[@amymalchodi8005]

Very nostalgic thank you 🥰💛

[@plunkervillerr1529]

Harry James, " You made me love you".

[@AndreiTupolev]

I like the dude hopping off at1:15and looking smug. I've no doubt he was traveling entirely officially. 😇

[@danielboone3770]

Love it a lot.

[@AndreiTupolev]

Arriving in style. 😎 Nice soundtrack. SP kept their A and B units together then, or at least that was the intention?

[@tkelly5530]

Who wrote the narration? It was superb, very well composed. Thanks!

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

See credits at end of video.

[@tmwinkler]

THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!!!

[@smedleyfarnsworth263]

Very interesting clip.

[@anetajohnson8446]

I was wondering about this, San Francisco to L>A> is about 550 miles, give or take! that could be an eight hr or so train ride.?they had a eight hr, night train for that ? not much time for sleep! The Chicago and North Western "400"went from Chicago to iMiniapolis 400 miles in 4oo minutes. Thats how it got its name. thats about 6 and one half hrs!.

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

According to a 1941 Official Guide, The Lark took 12 hours to make the trip--9pm to 9am. The Daylight trains were faster--about 9½ hours each way.

[@jackjules7552]

@@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo In its last days the Lark's schedule was from 9pm to 8:30am in both directions.

[@johncox2284]

Remember when people dressed up to travel? We have turned into a very sloppy society with people walking around airports in their pyjamas and their bellies hanging over sweat pants.

[@georgestephens4054]

I totally agree

[@UnionPacific1997]

Well they probably did that back then too

[@jackjules7552]

But you don't have to follow what other people do. If you want to dress up to travel...then dress up.

[@clinthowe7629]

Notice how everybody is cool with the camera, they didn’t have idiots running up complaining “don’t film me”!!! 😫😭😫

[@georgestephens4054]

What is the name of music track big band

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

It's in the credits at the end.