| has gloss | eng: The Cascade was an American passenger train of the Southern Pacific on its route between Oakland and Portland with a connecting sleeping car to Seattle. The Southern Pacific inaugurated the original train on April 17, 1927 in tandem with the opening of its Cascade Line between Black Butte, California and Springfield, Oregon. The new Cascade was part of the upgrade of SP's Shasta Route betwee the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest. The first version of the tran offered first class service and a $3.00 extra fare. It became an all-Pullman train in 1937. On August 13, 1950, the Cascade became a streamlined coach/Pullman train with a triple-unit diner and cars painted in two shades of gray. But the next 21 years saw a decline. The connecting sleeper was discontinued in 1966, the triple-unit diner came off a year later. By 1970, the train was down to five or six cars, ran only three days per week, and was usually late. Amtrak would take over the Cascade on May 1, 1971 and would combine its services with the San Francisco - Los Angeles Coast Daylight routing the train through Oakland and eventually renaming it the Coast Starlight. |