Formal tours of Yellowstone were conducted using the open automobiles of the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company. The roads/altitude probably were too much for the era's buses.
Tour itineraries, maps, 1
Tour itineraries, maps, 2
Map of Yellowstone Park and Tributary UP branches (click on image)
9-29-22 - 1930 UP 51 page booklet
NOTE: Wx4's Maps & Timetables Pages Two, Four, & Six contain dozens of Idaho Division Employee Timetable PDF's (with maps) that cover the Yellowstone territory.
Union Pacific 3-8-1937 Public Timetable:
- Large map of Eastern Idaho branches (click on map)
- Teton, Yellowstone branch schedules
- Butte Line Schedules
- Equipment, Yellowstone Special, Yellowstone Express
Union Pacific 6-20-54 Public Timetable:
Union Pacific 10-27-63 Public Timetable:
Union Pacific 5-15-69 Public Timetable:
UP Yellowstone Park Ads:
UP Yellowstone Brochures:
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Purely delightful! publicity photo: Teddy McKean and Inez Noble signal the opening of the 1924 Yellowstone Park Season. |
1954 Yellowstone Vacation Tours Brochure PDF (click on image) |
Below is a neat little 1915 USGS topo map of the Yelowstone Branch (shown here without the legend). It makes a wonderful little wall hanging, so we've created a file (including legend) that will print at approximately 75% of its original size on a standard 8.5x11 sheet of paper at 300 DPI.
map (4.2MB)
West Yellowstone Depot: This postcard view apparently dates from shortly after UP constructed the depot. Those familiar with the structure will note that something is wrong here: the photo is a mirror image of the actual scene.
Oregon Short Line map of Yellowstone N.P., 1904 (click on image for 2000 px wide map)
The Competition: Chicago & Northwestern, Burlington, Milwaukee Road, Northern Pacifc all vied with UP for the Yellowstone trade. Northern Pacific's Gardiner, Montana entrance (right) was particularly imposing, if barren. Notably, the National Parks Service has several online articles chronicling the Yellowstone railroad era.
(above) Northern Pacific had its own bear, Mr. Yellowstone Cub, as seen here in this 1944 ad. (click on image)
(right) 9-29-22 - This map was resident in several yearly editions of NP's Wonderland series (see Google Books). Overlooked in this 1898 permutation was the conspicuous blank space at lower left, where the monad logo should have appeared. Click on the image for a larger version.
- National Parks Service: To the Tetons by Train, by Robert C. Hoyle; This short history of the Teton Valley Branch features much info not available elsewhere. and is part of a National Parks Service Cultural Resource Management's (CRM) Historic Railroads - A Living Legacy series that also contains articles about Northern Pacific's Cinnabar (pre-Gardiner) entrance and historical archeology in the Cinnabar/Gardener area; UP's National Parks Dining Lodges and Cafeterias; historic railroads in the National Parks; an undated map, article about reaching National Parks by train. NPS also has a Yellowstone railroads Brocures and Guides page, featuring scans of maps and brochure covers. (2013 note: Apparently this article is no longer available online, but it is hard to know for sure, because the CRM website is an absolute shambles)
- Yellowstone Historic Center: The Yellowstone Historic Center is involved in the preservation of West yellowstone's historic buildings, including the UP depot, baggage room, dining lodge and water tank. Their site hosts a short history of the Yellowstone Branch, with some wonderful photographs.
- OGDEN RAILS, Union Pacific’s Streamliners, by Don Strack; history of UP's Streamliners, and Ogden depot operations
- Eastern Idaho Railroad - In 1993 UP sold off many of its Idaho branches to EIRR. You can visit the company Website here; obtain a short history Wikipedia here; and go to the Trainweb EIRR roster here.
