American Experience
Streamliners: America's Lost Trains (#1305)
On the morning of May 26, 1934, a shimmering silver locomotive pulled out of Denver's Union Station bound for Chicago. The Zephyr was unlike any train seen before. Known as a streamliner for its long, sleek look and powered by a revolutionary compact diesel engine, it would cover 1015 miles in a record 13 hours. By the 1940s, fleets of streamliners crisscrossed the country making the U.S. passenger rail system the envy of the world. But within two decades the era of these supertrains was over, dozens of routes were discontinued and the cars sold off to Canada and Japan. The dramatic story of the streamliners is one of remarkable achievements and opportunities lost. [56 minutes]
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Information For Teachers
- Grade Levels
- 9-12
- Curricular Areas
- Social Studies
- Series Length
- 144 episodes
- Average Episode Length
- 89 minutes
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- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/...
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Series Description: As television's longest-running, most-watched history series, American Experience brings to life the incredible characters and epic stories that helped form this nation.
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