Trying to find pix of this train, but so far, either nothing or blurry. Did the CB&Q passenger train 'Black Hawk' have the name Black Hawk on the sides of each of the cars dedicated to this train, or did it have different names for each car that made up the Black Hawk, as many RR did back in the day?
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The Black Hawk used cars from Burlington's roster. The only dedicated - and lettered appropriately - consists were the Nebraska and California Zephyrs. This is the modern era, 1950 - 1970.
As the Black Hawk was the overnight train between Chicago and Minneapolis, it carried Pullman sleeping cars, which were individually named on almost all railroads. The Pullman car name appeared in smaller lettering, at the mid-point of the car, below the windows. Coaches, chair cars, and head-end cars would have had the car number painted at that location. But as to the train name in the letter board, no. The Black Hawk ran during the night, so there are few photos of it except for a small number at twilight or dawn.
The letter board would have had large PULLMAN lettering, with CB&Q in smaller letters at the side entrance door (until the late 1940s). Pullman had to divest some of its holdings in an antitrust decision, and -- beginning in the late 1940s -- the letter board would have had large BURLINGTON lettering, with PULLMAN in smaller letters at the door. The reason for this is that the sleeping cars were sold to the railroads and leased back to Pullman for maintenance and on-board operation after the lawsuit decision.
I do not have any actual consist lists for this train, but, according to the Official Guide for June, 1954, the Black Hawk carried a through Pullman for Seattle which was handled west of Minneapolis on the NP Mainstreeter. That would almost certainly have been an NP painted Pullman. I did not see any indication that a GN car was carried on this train in 1954, but it is quite possible that the GN Western Star ceased to operate as a separate train east of Minneapolis at a later date , adding a GN Pullman to and from Seattle (and possibly one serving Portland via GN-SP&S?). They would have had corresponding letter board and car name painting in the same style as the Burlington Pullmans, with coloring and striping being in the style of the GN.
Thanks #90 and cbq9911 for the helpful info. Just trying to make a passenger consist as close to accurate as I can.
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