Union Pacific’s City of Las Vegas: The Short-Lived “Gamblers’ Special”

Published: August 1, 2026

In the mid-1950s, Las Vegas was rapidly transforming from a dusty railroad division point into America’s premier gambling and entertainment destination. Air conditioning had made the desert livable year-round, new hotels were rising along the Strip, and Southern Californians were eager for an easy escape. Union Pacific already carried passengers to and through Las Vegas on its long-distance streamliners—the City of Los Angeles, Challenger, and others—but these overnight trains offered limited convenient space for day-trippers or short overnights. On November 20, 1956, the railroad announced a dedicated daytime service between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Named in the tradition of UP’s famous “City” fleet, the City of Las Vegas entered revenue service on December 18, 1956.

The new train covered roughly 335 miles in about seven hours and quickly earned informal nicknames that captured its clientele: the Gamblers’ Special, Crap-Shooter Special, or Crap-Shooter Commuter. It was never one of UP’s prestige long-haul streamliners, yet it holds a distinctive place in the railroad’s passenger history as a late experiment in short-haul service during the final years of private-railroad passenger operations.

A Union Pacific publicity photo featuring train #115, the "City of Las Vegas", led by E9A #952 at the railroad's 1940-era art deco station in Las Vegas in September, 1957. Don Lidikay photo.

The Aerotrain Experiment

Union Pacific launched the City of Las Vegas with one of General Motors’ two experimental Aerotrain demonstrator sets (No. 1001). The Aerotrain was a radical lightweight design based on intercity bus technology: aluminum-bodied cars shorter and lighter than conventional coaches, riding on two-axle air-suspended trucks, with automotive-inspired styling that included curved hoods and tail fins. The fixed consist typically included coaches seating 36 or 40 passengers, a bar-lounge, and a “Chuck Wagon” buffet car.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony at Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal on December 16 preceded a publicity run. Celebrities and officials, including representations of the neon icons Vegas Vic and Vegas Vicki, marked the occasion. The first regular eastbound trip (Train 116) carried 179 passengers out of San Bernardino; the return (Train 115) had 172.

The novelty proved popular at first, aided by a pioneering free buffet meal service—the first such offering on any American railroad. Passengers enjoyed continental breakfast outbound, a cold luncheon featuring fried chicken, and a hot dinner on the return. Bar service rounded out the amenities. Yet the Aerotrain’s shortcomings quickly surfaced. The LWT12 power unit was underpowered for the grades of Cajon Pass and Cima Hill, often requiring a GP7 helper. The cars rode roughly, the fixed consist was inflexible, and turning the train at terminals was cumbersome. After roughly nine months, UP ended the lease. On September 15, 1957, conventional equipment replaced the Aerotrain.

Consist (October, 1958)

Conventional Streamliner Service

The re-equipped City of Las Vegas used standard UP Armour Yellow streamlined cars drawn from the existing fleet. Typical consists included a baggage or mail car, several 48-seat coaches with reclining seats, a lunch counter-dinette (often car 4000), and the distinctive “Pub” buffet-lounge (car 1502 or similar), styled after an Old English tavern. Motive power was usually one or two EMD E8 or E9 units; short trains sometimes needed helpers over Cajon Pass. Because coaches bookended the food-service cars, the train did not need to be reversed at Las Vegas—only the locomotive was turned—simplifying the short layover.

A representative 1958 schedule shows the practical daytime pattern:

Eastbound (Train 116): Leave Los Angeles 9:00 a.m., East Los Angeles 9:20, Pomona 9:45, Riverside 10:15, San Bernardino 10:40; arrive Las Vegas 3:45 p.m.
Westbound (Train 115): Leave Las Vegas 4:45 p.m.; arrive Los Angeles 11:30 p.m.

The one-hour layover allowed cleaning, restocking the bar, and a quick turn. Free “Chuck Wagon” buffet meals continued and remained a major selling point. Limousine connections to Strip hotels and Hertz rent-a-car service were promoted. The train primarily attracted Los Angeles residents seeking an overnight stay rather than same-day returns, as the tight schedule left little time for more than a few hours in the casinos.

Timetable (October, 1958)

Decline and Name Change

Las Vegas continued to boom—new hotels such as the Tropicana opened, and air travel grew rapidly—but competition intensified. Jet service, improved highways, and the eventual completion of Interstate 15 made automobile travel far more convenient. Air-conditioned cars reduced the discomfort of desert driving. Patronage on the City of Las Vegas gradually declined. Frequency was reduced at times (in some periods to selected days of the week), and consists shortened.

In June 1962 the train was renamed the Las Vegas Holiday Special. The change reflected its evolving role as a reduced, more leisure-oriented service rather than a full daily City streamliner. By the mid-1960s the consist often dropped to a handful of coaches, sometimes without a full buffet car.

Final Years and Discontinuation

Union Pacific’s overall passenger network was contracting. Long-distance trains were being combined, and the economics of short-haul service worsened. On August 7, 1967, the Las Vegas Holiday Special was discontinued. Remaining Las Vegas passengers were accommodated on the City of Los Angeles (and related combined services) that continued to operate over the same Los Angeles–Salt Lake route until Amtrak’s formation in 1971.

Some secondary sources list a 1968 end date or a September 1961 rename, but the most detailed Union Pacific timelines and contemporary accounts support the 1956–1967 span with the 1962 name change. The train’s relatively brief life mirrored the broader collapse of private intercity passenger rail in the face of highways and airlines.

Legacy

The City of Las Vegas never achieved the glamour of the City of Los Angeles or City of San Francisco, yet it remains an interesting footnote in Union Pacific streamliner history. It was one of the last new named trains inaugurated by a major Western railroad, an early (if flawed) attempt at lightweight equipment, and a rare example of free onboard meals as a competitive tool. It also illustrated both the opportunities and limits of rail service to a rapidly growing leisure destination only a few hours from a major metropolitan area.

Today the route is freight-only under Union Pacific. Amtrak experimented with Los Angeles–Las Vegas service in its early years without lasting success, and modern proposals for high-speed or conventional rail links continue to surface. The original City of Las Vegas, however, stands as a product of its optimistic mid-1950s moment—when Union Pacific still believed a bright yellow streamliner with free fried chicken and a well-stocked Pub car could lure the gamblers away from their cars and airplanes for one more trip into the desert.

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