Such "beautiful" trains appeared infrequently. Decorated in art deco style, it was the first Illinois Central train to be equipped (or even decorated) with fairings. He was born in the depot of Milwaukee Station, Wisconsin, at the end of April 1936 and was named "The Green Diamond" - "Green Diamond". The name of the train refers to the Illinois Central logo, and also commemorates the company's oldest steam locomotive, the Diamond Special.
For the first time he went to the Green Diamond line on May 17, 1936. Its unusual appearance, speed qualities and advertising made the train so attractive that there were never enough tickets for everyone who wanted to ride it. Green flew 473 km from Chicago to St. Louis in less than five hours, at an average speed of 95 km / h. During the day, the train made a trip to St. Louis and returned to Chicago, where it was based.
Pullman-Standard developed the original, complete "fixed" Green Diamond design, which included five cars (numbered 121-125), a motor car, a baggage car and three passenger cars. Three passengers were equipped with air conditioning and radio. And they were different - a dining car (forty-four seats and sixteen - at the tables), an ordinary "sitting" (for fifty-six seats) and a car with an observation deck - a salon, for twenty-two seats.
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The miracle train was powered by a 16-cylinder EMC Winton 201-A engine with 1200 hp. (890 kW). A separate generator, housed in a motor car, provided the Green Diamond with electricity, and a steam generator heated the train. The train was painted in a two-color scheme with a predominantly green paint.
By the mid-60s, "The Green Diamond" no longer seemed so fast and expensive. The composition of the carriages was changed, the salon and the restaurant disappeared, the usual sitting and mail carriages were added … the world was changing and aviation was rapidly taking passengers away from the railway. And another fact "Green Diamond" was the last "fixed" train built for the railroad in the United States.
