The "Argonaut": New Orleans - Los Angeles

Last revised: September 12, 2024

In time the Southern Pacific's Sunset Route earned near mythical status thanks to its beauty and the chance to travel via one train from New Orleans to Los Angeles with connections available to Florida.

The top run on this route was, of course, the popular Sunset Limited, considered one of the railroad's most prominent on its entire system. Its counterpart, running on a slower schedule with more economical ticket prices, was the Argonaut.

This train, launched in the 1920s, was never streamlined nor offered the same level of amenities as the more prominent Sunset. However, it nevertheless provided fine accommodations in typical Espee style.

As ridership declined the train became a regional serving Texas and New Orleans until it was finally dropped altogether in the early 1960s.

The Sunset Limited was an interesting affair. Here was a train considered by the Southern Pacific as its flagship to the Gulf Coast for many years and advertised as the, "Quickest, Safest and most pleasant route to the Coast."

As it grew in popularity Southern Pacific continued upgrading its services; during World War I it became a daily departure and in 1936 was given the recognition as trains #1 (westbound) and #2 (eastbound) on the timetable. By then, the streamliner era was underway.

Yet, while the Espee was an early proponent of this new craze, launching its first Daylight in 1937, the railroad was slow to upgrade its Sunset Limited with lightweight equipment until after World War II. Once doing so, however, it could reasonably be argued it was worth the wait with the arrival of five new trainsets from the Budd Company and E7 diesels from Electro-Motive, all wearing the railroad's venerable Daylight livery.

The Argonaut was launched by SP in 1926 to complement the Sunset and offer passengers a less expensive alternative to the latter's first-class accommodations.

It ran on a schedule of about 5 hours slower than the Sunset and offer a heavyweight consist of several head-end mail/express cars, standard coaches, sleepers, and a moderately priced diner. With the introduction of the Argonaut the Espee began prominently advertising both the trains in print media.

One particular piece had this to say about the train:

"California sunshine all of the way via the Sunset Limited. Old missions and churches, quaint and colorful, weave their magic spell over the Sunset Route between New Orleans and Los Angeles and San Francisco. Here Spaniard, Indian and Mexican have contributed landmarks and customs which make this truly a foreign tour along our southern border."

"The Sunset Limited, a luxurious all-steel train, leaves New Orleans daily at 10:40 A.M. Club Car; Observation Car; Ladies' Lounge and Bath; Superb equipment throughout. Another excellent train, the Argonaut, with wide vestibule Observation Car, and through sleeper for San Diego via Carriso Gorge, leaves New Orleans daily at 11:00 P.M."

"Liberal stopovers at New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Tucson, Phoenix, etc. Convenient service for the Apache Trail motor side trip. Sunset Route. While in the West see the whole Pacific Coast from Mexico to Canada - thriving cities, age-old missions, gigantic trees, majestic peaks, the romance and picturesqueness of the Orient - 1,300 miles of inspiration and beauty, at an additional cost of only $18."

(The below Argonaut timetable is dated effective December 13, 1936.)

Read Down Time/Leave (Train #5)	Milepost	Location	Read Up Time/Arrive (Train #6)
11:00 PM (Dp)	0.0	New Orleans, LA (Union Station) (CT)	7:35 AM (Ar)
11:07 PM	2	New Orleans, LA (Carrollton Avenue)	7:25 AM
11:17 PM	6	East Bridge Junction, LA	7:18 AM
11:37 PM	11	West Bridge Junction, LA	6:50 AM
F 1:17 AM	80	Morgan City, LA	5:10 AM
F 1:50 AM	101	Franklin, LA	4:34 AM
F 2:07 AM	114	Jeanerette, LA	4:14 AM
F 2:24 AM	126	New Iberia, LA	3:55 AM
2:54 AM (Ar)	145	Lafayette, LA	3:26 AM (Dp)
2:59 AM (Dp)	145	Lafayette, LA	3:21 AM (Ar)
3:24 AM	160	Rayne, LA
3:38 AM	167	Crowley, LA	2:41 AM
4:00 AM	180	Mermentau, LA
4:11 AM	185	Jennings, LA	F 2:10 AM
4:30 AM	195	Welsh, LA
5:28 AM	219	Lake Charles, LA	1:12 AM
5:43 AM	229	Sulphur, LA
6:02 AM	242	Vinton, LA
6:26 AM	256	Orange, TX	12:12 AM
6:59 AM	278	Beaumont, TX	11:40 PM
7:49 AM	321	Liberty, TX	10:39 PM
9:00 AM (Ar)	362	Houston, TX (Grand Central Station)	9:40 PM (Dp)
9:20 AM (Dp)	362	Houston, TX (Grand Central Station)	9:10 PM (Ar)
10:18 AM	399	Rosenberg, TX	8:10 PM
10:39 AM	415	East Bernard, TX
11:02 AM	432	Eagle Lake, TX	7:24 PM
11:26 AM	448	Columbus, TX	6:59 PM
11:49 AM	462	Weimar, TX	6:35 PM
11:59 AM	471	Schulenburg, TX	6:24 PM
12:26 PM	483	Flatonia, TX	6:02 PM
12:42 PM	495	Waelder, TX	5:45 PM
1:00 PM	508	Harwood, TX
1:15 PM	517	Luling, TX	5:08 PM
1:46 PM	537	Seguin, TX	4:38 PM
2:45 PM (Ar)	573	San Antonio, TX (Southern Pacific Station)	3:40 PM (Dp)
3:05 PM (Dp)	573	San Antonio, TX (Southern Pacific Station)	3:20 PM (Ar)
3:48 PM	598	Lacoste, TX	F 2:31 PM
4:12 PM	612	Dunlay, TX	F 2:06 PM
4:31 PM	622	Hondo, TX	1:48 PM
4:43 PM	630	D'Hanis, TX	F 1:35 PM
5:07 PM	643	Sabinal, TX	1:14 PM
5:23 PM	654	Knippa, TX	F 12:57 PM
5:45 PM	665	Uvalde, TX	12:40 PM
6:11 PM	683	Cline, TX	F 12:08 PM
6:47 PM	705	Spofford, TX	11:37 AM
7:40 PM (Ar)	742	Del Rio, TX	10:40 AM (Dp)
7:55 PM (Dp)	742	Del Rio, TX	10:30 AM (Ar)
F 8:17 PM	757	Devil's River, TX	F 10:06 AM
F 8:58 PM	777	Comstock, TX	9:30 AM
F 9:55 PM	806	Langtry, TX	8:25 AM
F 10:24 PM	827	Pumpville, TX	F 7:53 AM
F 10:40 PM	834	Lozier, TX	F 7:36 AM
F 11:00 PM	844	Watkins, TX	F 7:16 AM
F 11:25 PM	858	Dryden, TX	6:56 AM
12:10 AM (Ar)	879	Sanderson, TX	6:20 AM (Dp)
12:20 AM (Dp)	879	Sanderson, TX	6:10 AM (Ar)
F 12:53 AM	896	Longfellow, TX	F 5:41 AM
F 1:29 AM	911	Tesnus, TX	F 5:07 AM
F 1:42 AM	924	Haymond, TX	F 4:54 AM
2:12 AM	939	Marathon, TX	4:26 AM
3:12 AM	971	Alpine, TX	3:35 AM
F 3:40 AM	983	Paisano (Summit), TX	F 3:13 AM
4:05 AM	996	Marfa, TX	2:51 AM
5:00 AM (Ar)	1032	Valentine, TX	1:50 AM (Dp)
5:05 AM (Dp)	1032	Valentine, TX	1:45 AM (Ar)
F 5:46 AM	1059	Lobo, TX	F 1:04 AM
F 6:17 AM	1073	Dalberg, TX
	1078	Hot Wells, TX	F 12:33 AM
6:55 AM	1101	Sierra Blanca, TX	11:59 PM
F 7:27 AM	1123	Small, TX	F 11:21 PM
F 7:35 AM	1123	Finlay, TX	F 11:12 PM
F 7:58 AM	1135	McNary, TX	F 10:50 PM
F 8:07 AM	1140	Fort Hancock, TX	F 10:43 PM
F 8:35 AM	1158	Tornillo, TX	F 10:15 PM
8:45 AM	1164	Fabens, TX	F 10:07 PM
F 8:56 AM	1171	Clint, TX	F 9:57 PM
F 9:11 AM	1181	Ysleta, TX (CT)	F 9:44 PM
8:45 AM (Ar)	1193	El Paso, TX (MT)	8:15 PM (Dp)
9:05 AM (Dp)	1193	El Paso, TX (MT)	7:45 PM (Ar)
F 10:05 AM	1229	Afton, NM	F 6:42 PM
F 10:36 AM	1254	Cambray, NM	F 6:11 PM
11:11 AM	1280	Deming, NM	5:38 PM
F 11:41 AM	1300	Gage, NM	F 5:07 PM
F 12:07 AM	1320	Separ, NM	F 4:42 PM
12:37 PM (Ar)	1340	Lordsburg, NM	4:08 PM (Dp)
12:45 PM (Dp)	1340	Lordsburg, NM	4:15 PM (AR)
F 1:14 PM	1357	Steins, NM	F 3:38 PM
1:38 PM	1374	San Simon, AZ	3:04 PM
2:10 PM	1390	Bowie, AZ	2:40 PM
2:55 PM	1414	Wilcox, AZ	1:50 PM
3:10 PM	1424	Cochise, AZ	1:34 PM
3:27 PM	1434	Dragoon, AZ	1:19 PM
4:11 PM	1456	Benson, AZ	12:30 PM
F 4:30 PM	1465	Mescal, AZ	F 12:11 PM
F 4:52 PM	1476	Empire, AZ
	1476	Pantano, AZ	F 11:50 AM
F 4:57 PM	1485	Vail, AZ	F 11:32 AM
F 5:11 PM	1498	Cruz, AZ
	1498	Esmond, AZ	F 11:24 AM
5:30 PM (Ar)	1505	Tucson, AZ	10:55 AM (Dp)
5:55 PM (Dp)	1505	Tucson, AZ	10:35 AM (Ar)
F 6:16 PM	1517	Cortaro, AZ	F 10:14 AM
F 6:23 PM	1522	Rillito, AZ	F 10:05 AM
F 6:30 PM	1527	Marana, AZ	F 9:56 AM
F 6:44 PM	1538	Red Rock, AZ	F 9:41 AM
F 7:05 PM	1551	Picacho, AZ	F 9:19 AM
F 7:11 PM	1556	Eloy, AZ	F 9:13 AM
7:33 PM	1570	Casa Grande, AZ	8:55 AM
8:05 PM	1590	Maricopa, AZ	F 8:23 AM
9:20 PM	1633	Gila, AZ	7:20 AM
10:07 PM	1662	Sentinel, AZ	6:30 AM
F 10:30 PM	1676	Aztec, AZ	F 6:08 AM
F 10:59 PM	1696	Mohawk, AZ	F 5:38 AM
F 11:24 PM	1713	Tacna, AZ
11:40 PM	1718	Wellton, AZ	F 5:05 AM
	1732	Dome, AZ	F 4:43 AM
12:40 AM (Ar)	1756	Yuma, AZ (MT)	4:10 AM (Dp)
12:01 AM (Dp)	1756	Yuma, AZ (PT)	3:30 AM (Ar)
F 12:24 AM	1772	Ogilby, CA
F 12:48 AM	1791	Glamis, CA
1:32 AM	1821	Niland, CA	1:15 AM
2:21 AM	1865	Mecca, CA	12:22 AM
2:28 AM	1871	Thermal, CA	12:14 AM
2:34 AM	1875	Coachella, CA
2:48 AM	1878	Indio, CA	12:01 AM
F 3:40 AM	1906	Palm Springs, CA	11:16 PM
4:05 AM	1915	Cabazon, CA
F 4:23 AM	1921	Banning, CA	F 10:53 PM
F 4:39 AM	1927	Beaumont, CA	F 10:43 PM
5:08 AM	1943	Redlands, CA	10:07 PM
F 5:15 AM	1946	Loma Linda, CA
5:21 AM	1950	Colton, CA	9:55 PM
5:37 AM	1954	Bloomington, CA
5:43 AM	1959	South Fontana, CA
5:52 AM	1965	Guasti, CA	9:27 PM
F 5:59 AM	1969	Ontario (To Upland), CA	9:21 PM
F 6:12 AM	1975	Pomona, CA	9:10 PM
	1992	Bassett, CA	8:42 PM
	1994	El Monte, CA	8:38 PM
	1998	San Gabriel, CA	8:33 PM
6:55 AM	2001	Alhambra, CA	8:28 PM
7:30 AM (Ar)	2008	Los Angeles, CA (Union Passenger Terminal)	8:00 PM (Dp)

The Argonaut was listed on Southern Pacific's table as #5, westbound, and #6 eastbound with a connection available to San Diego via Carriso Gorge along subsidiary San Diego & Arizona Eastern (this setup was later discontinued).

While it was never streamlined it was pulled by either the railroad's beautifully styled Class GS 4-8-4 "Golden States" or Class MT 4-8-2s. During the diesel era the train could often by found led by Alco's beautiful PA model, of which the Espee was one of the few roads to own many of these often troublesome (mechanically) locomotives.

A 1950 consist of the Argonaut mentions it offered chair cars, a pair of standard Pullman sleepers (one running through and the other a connection to San Antonio), a diner, and a full lounge. It's also interesting to note that as a secondary train you would be surprised to learn what the Argonaut sometimes carried, according to Don Hofsommer in his book, The Southern Pacific, 1901-1985.

In one instance during World War II, a California assembly plant was in desperate need of fighter plane landing gear and the SP quickly transferred a boxcar load to the Argonaut's express car on train #5 to arrive in time.

On another occasion the author mentions an incident in 1927 when a train's steward arranged for a unscheduled stop to have a bottle of goat's milk delivered on a hot summer's day to aide a sick baby. Two of the most notable incidents, sadly, involved the loss of life.

On May 7, 1951 a second section of the westbound Argonaut, a troop-train carrying Korean War soldiers, was traveling along the Texas & New Orleans about 86 miles west of Valentine, outside of the tiny hamlet of Small, when it entered a curve at excessive speed and derailed.

Another derailment occurred on September 20, 1938 when the same train #5 slammed into the rear of the Californian on a siding at Niland, California due to a "faulty switch." In all, 11 persons were killed and another 100 injured.

As the 1950s wore on the Southern Pacific became increasingly disinterested in passenger operations when it was clear that the ridership witnessed during World War II would not endure.

As a result cutbacks began all across its system, including the Argonaut which in 1958 was truncated to a regional Houston-New Orleans run only leaving the Sunset Limited as the only transcontinental on the Sunset Route. It continued on in this regard until 1963 when the Southern Pacific discontinued the train entirely.