The "City of San Francisco" sits alongside the platform at the rear of Union Station; part of the 18th annual Denver Post - Cheyenne Frontier Days Train.
The City of San Francisco was built by American Car & Foundry in 1955 as dome lounge No. 9009 and named in 1993.
It is the only dome lounge in the Union Pacific Heritage passenger fleet that is still configured for end-of-train service. The car still has windows in the back wall, as well as the necessary exterior lighting, so it can be used as the last car of a train.
The City of San Francisco streamliner began service between Chicago, Illinois, and San Francisco, California, in June 1936. It was a jointly owned train with the Chicago & North Western. The C&NW operated the train from Chicago to Omaha, Nebraska; UP operated it between Omaha and Ogden, Utah; and Southern Pacific Railroad operated it from Ogden to San Francisco.
All “city” trains were painted Union Pacific colors of Leaf Brown and Armour Yellow, with scarlet striping and lettering, even though they operated over other railroads. Later the brown was changed to Harbor Mist Gray, the color scheme Union Pacific continues to use to this day.
One innovation in the dining car service on the City of San Francisco was the introduction of continental dinners. These were elaborate, multi-course meals with appropriate beverage service. The meals soon were discontinued when complaints of too much food and the “outrageous cost” of $1.50 per meal were forwarded on to railroad headquarters in Omaha.
