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Planetarium Domes combine a smooth, quiet ride with extra sightseeing thrills for travelers aboard Missouri Pacific’s swift, luxurious, streamlined Texas and Colorado Eagles. So reads the written description of this promotional postcard published by the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
In the era of streamlined trains with such names as Kansas City Southern’s Southern Belle or the Rock Island Lines Rock Island Rockets, the Missouri Pacific Eagles line was launched with much fanfare in 1939.
The name Route of the Eagles was selected from the submissions made by the rail employees. A name committee was created at the railroad’s St. Louis headquarters. Company president L.W. Baldwin promised “fame and and the thanks of the management to who comes forward with the best suggestion.” “Speed and bright moderness” were the ideas to be conveyed by the new name.
In August 1939, the employee magazine (MP) announced the winning entry was “The Eagle – swift, graceful, powerful and since the creation of our Republic, the symbol of American progress.” From that day forward, an eagle adorned every MoPac locomotive in some format.
During the American Bicentennial in 1976, MoPac commissioned two new GP18U Diesel locomotives, painted in a red, white and blue scheme. Given the numbers 1976 and 1776, the locomotives were used to pull the American freedom train across the United States.
MoPac merged with Union Pacific in 1986 and most of the old blue and red locomotives were either sold or painted with the new yellow and red UP paint scheme. The last MoPac eagle left service in 1994.
The message on the back of the card reads: “Train ride to Lees Summit, May, 1960. 3rd grade.” The card comes from the collection of lifelong Northeast residents Bill and Mary Ann (Paden) Davis.
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