Cheyenne's car 'Omaha' in a 1866 photograph ?

car57 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2011 2:42 pm

Well i am asking for all of your assistance in trying all the ways you know to decipher whether the 2nd car in this 1866 UP 100th Meridian excursion photograph could bear the name 'OMAHA' all i have is the internet version of this picture, i wonder if anyone else has a better quality version. It certainly looks like the car name ends in A and may have 2 A's in the name. The window count and pattern on this side is correct the other side had two less windows where the smoking room was. The doors are arched which matches, and the duckbill roof we know was rebuilt in 1900 by Hicks. The date of our 'Omaha' here in town matches perfectly at 1866, and an event as prestigous as this would have the newest cars, in the consist and a sleeper named 'Omaha' would be perfect.

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigi ... um=&pos=18

Over to all you sleuths, if this is the case then our Omaha HAS to be saved.

Mike Pannell

wc581 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:30 pm

The Car on the Left looks like the car for the POTUS (President of the United States) Looks like two sets of trucks on the right end of the car. Would be neat to see a high res scan on the photo

Mike Slater

car57 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:08 pm

Yes the car on the left is Lincoln's old car, now UP director Durants personal car.
Its the RH one we need to be looking at.

Mike Pannell

Brian Norden · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:11 pm

You might like to check out this page from on-line "Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum"
http://cprr.org/Museum/Stereo_World/Carbutt/index.html
It tells the story of the trip and indicates where there may be other copies of the views (some of which may be closer to you than New York). Several Pullman cars were part of the train. Maybe one of the newspapers referenced might have listed all of the car names.

If you could look at one of the steorotropic cards under a glass or get a higher resolution scan you might be able to read the lettering on the car.
UP museum also has the image see:
http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/photos/1860s_1870s_jc.shtml

car57 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:42 pm

Hi Brian
Thanks for the links i had looked at those, the only 'fly in the ointment' so to speak was that the Omaha was built for Wagners, however it still could have been in this train ?

We shall see

Mike Pannell