Rexall's Million Dollar Train
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- Опубликовано: 8 июн 2022
- Rexall was a chain of drugstores located across the US. They were known for their wide variety of branded products sold at pharmacies. Part of the United Drug Stores federation, it was founded by Louis K. Liggett of Detroit, Michigan. By 1935 as the US was recovering from the Great Depression, Liggett figured instead of having cash-strapped people travel to a Rexall convention, he could put the convention on wheels and bring it to the people. This led him to the New York Central Railroad and creating the streamlined Rexall Train. This million dollar train would tour most of the US and 2 Canadian provinces with almost every Rexall product imaginable displayed ornately onboard the train. In this video I talk about the travels of the Rexall Train, some of the events held at the station stops, along with how Louis Liggett and the train's staff made this ambitious tour possible!
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Ladies and gents, he presents you the
*D R U G T R A I N*
I bet he got a DUI while running the locomotive
@@Sunglass_Man *This guy has at least 2 DUIs*
Haha
Get the polio vaccine and go to New Orleans on the same trip
@@Iliketrains774 🤣🤣🤣🤣
"Rx" is the symbol of prescription drugs, so "Rexall" is literally "Rx for all", or "prescription drugs for all". Genius-level branding move!
Thanks for that "DOH!" moment!
Maybe in the US. Of course that’s where the train was.
"Good health to all, from Rexall" was the sounder on all of the radio programs they sponsored back in the era of Old Time Radio
The symbol ℞ derives from the Egyptian hieroglyph “Eye of Horus”, as Horus was the god of medicine.
😮
The design of this Streamlined version of a NYC 4-8-2 “Mohawk” is really cool to me. There isn’t a lot of Streamlined 4-8-2’s. This would’ve been another locomotive that I would like to see preserved.
The NYC only preserved two steam locomotives, and one of those was not deliberate.
@@pmsteamrailroading I know that there are two Mohawk locomotives that survived. I was mentioning the NYC Rexall Streamlined locomotive No. 2873.
Right; a Mohawk is a 4-8-4. A 4-8-2 is a "Mountain Type". I'm originally from Boston. Now I know why there were so many Rexall drug stores on my area.
@@flashcar60 4-8-4? You mean 4-8-2 at the beginning.
@@flashcar60 Just to let you know.
The Rexall Train never got much attention in the internet until this video finally got made. Thank you AmtrakGuy365 for showing us some history of steam locomotives.
Oh that’s absolutely beautiful! There’s just something magical about this era when it comes to railroading
That’s Right.
It is the spirit of the streamline fever
A drug store advertising train from the 1930s is somehow the most American thing I've ever heard of, this could never have happened anywhere else.
Wouldn't happen today either.
@@yodoglover400Back in the 1990s Marboro Cigarettes was going to do something similar but backed out just before the train was nearly finished. Today there would probably be a law against a Cigarette Train.
It’s actually surprising to see a New York Central Mohawk streamlined.
I never know that a New York Central Mohawk would be streamlined, I only know the New York Central Hudson’s to be Streamlined. In three versions of them.
@@nathancorcoran5347 that’s what I thought as well until now.
@@c.c.studios835 New York Central 2873 in it’s Streamlined version of the Rexall Drug Train, would’ve been another preserved steam locomotive. There isn’t a lot of Streamlined 4-8-2’s.
@@nathancorcoran5347 agree, we definitely need my 4-8-2 mountain type locomotives.
@@c.c.studios835 Affirmative.
"Good health to all, from Rexall!" If you've spent any portion of your life listening to old time radio broadcasts that date back decades before you were even born (but ones that your late parents listened to as young children) like I have, then that should sound like a familiar phrase - given that Rexall sponsored Phil Harris and Alice Faye, and "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" with film star Dick Powell, amongst others. As a Gen Xer growing up in the late '70s/'80s. My hometown within the greater Seattle-Tacoma area had a Rexall pharmacy still operating in one of the shopping centers close to home; as I recall, they had an active pharmacy going up to the middle late '80s, but then converted to a giftware retailer when the daughters took over the business from their parents. They remained at the former Rexall site until they relocated to a another shopping area on the other side of town. There was another local pharmacy further north that still had the Rexall signage and strike plates on their doors up until the early 2000s, until that entire complex was demolished, but years after the brand was nothing more than a secondary name on the Sundown supplement line.
I've been aware of this train set for a number of years, thanks to the various railroading publications I used to get. As someone who pursued an education in Industrial Design, has been a rail fan and history buff all my life, as well as passionate about the Streamline Moderne/Art Deco movement/era, I think it's one of the nicest purposely-constructed promotional vehicle series created - much like GM's "Parade of Progress" road-going publicity tour units.
Thanks for the additional info in your presentation - it was much appreciated!
Seeing that iconic Central shroud in LA and San Fran is so strange! Great video as always, thanks for putting it together!
streamlined engines are beautiful. we should be seeing them more often.
That’s Right.
@@nathancorcoran5347 too late, most of them are scrapped and dieselfied
@@GreatnessMyMiers That’s not what I meant.
@@GreatnessMyMiers go away communist, let us imagine :(
Didn’t think I’d have any connection to this train, but I’ve actually seen the observation car several times in Seattle! Small world.
My dude,
I live about 20 miles from Seattle, and I’ve seen the Orient Express restaurant a few times, although I’ve never eaten there.
I had no idea it had been part of the Rexxel Train!
You should try and go now
@@beardowns one of these days…
Maybe one day someone will buy it and restore it to the Rexel observation car and tour it around the the vintage PVs we see today.
I never knew that this train existed and now I know. Great video all around
This is probably one of the coolest looking trains that I have ever seen in my life! It's a shame that it wasn't preserved.
As was stated in one the articles, it went from March to November then the tour ended. All the cars and locomotive were returned to "paying" service.
This is absolutely fascinating. There was a Liggett's drug store in downtown Asbury Park, New Jersey.
My mom kept a Rexall book called "Talk about vitamins" from 1976. Its in surprisingly good condition for being almost 50 years old. Cool to see it as a train.
Interesting to know that all my time in the Pacific Northwest, the observation car became a diner in Seattle
I am old enough to remember Rexall Drug Stores very well. When I was a kid they seemed to be in every town, much as Walgreens are today. I didn't know about the train though. Thanks for an interesting video.
What are the odds, I was just watching the Trains of half life video and happened to see this in my recommended and it only being posted 13 minutes ago
Very well-made episode! I'm impressed that this much info on this tour train has been this well recorded online. Thanks for keeping the legacy of Rexall and the New York Central alive and well.
Just a shame that the train, or at least the locomotive, wasn't kept 'alive & well'.
The Rexall in my town is still open to this date.
As a kid living in Seattle during the 60's, my parents would occasionally take the family to Andy's Diner! I have always been a railfan, but I didn't know until now that I have actually eaten in that famous railcar a few times! I didn't even realize that anyone might even bring up the name of Andy's Diner! 🤔👍
I'm just old enough to remember shopping at Rexall around 1979 when I was 6. I'm not a railfan, but I love all things Art Deco/Art Moderne/Streamline/Machine Age and this train is a stunning example. It's kind of amazing that there's actual film of it from 86 years ago.
They really should’ve preserved that engine for historical reasons…
I'm old and can remember Liggett and Rexall being linked in store names. At least as of a few years ago, Dollar General sold Rexall branded vitamins.
Mine still does
Another obscure train service that'd be interesting to see a video on would be the 1926 Cardinal's Special. It carried a bunch of high level Catholic clergy from New York to Chicago and all the cars got a temporary red and gold paint scheme.
Well, now I need models of the entire consist from K&L Trainz for Trainz 2019.
I thank you muchly for posting this A Guy. My Dad would have been 16 when he went down to Toronto's Union Station complex to view this train. He too regaled me with seeing the LMS 'Royal Scot' train at our Exhibition grounds. Nice to be reminded of him.
Awesome story of the Rexall Train! I love the paint scheme!
This made me curious and I checked a 1936 Pella (Iowa) Chronicle for "Rexall Train" and it stated that Bernie Vander Linden, a Pella Rexall store owner, visited the Rexall Train in Des Moines. Bernie's son Howard eventually became CEO of Rexall.
Where I come from, this would be called a "pharmacy/chemist train" as "drug train" sounds like it's carrying something it shouldn't.
all aboard the drug express! we sell all types of drugs!
@@spingleboygle
The 'Reefer Special'.
The modern society has bastardized the word drug (s).
Very interesting history combining railroads and pharmacies. Rexall was the Walgreens of its era. Thanks for posting.
Excellent documentary!! Fabulous footage! This train was a perfect diversion and inspiration for Depression-weary Americans, it's no wonder that it was such a success. Rexall drugstores were once staples of medium and small towns. Like Rexall drugstores small towns are dying, tragically.
Dollar General carries its brand.
It is me or I LOVE the idea of ‘themed’ colorful trains that tour the country and or much of North America.
Awesome Video
Good health to all, from Rexall!
The streamlined steam locomoitives were truly works of art.
N&W J 611 is maintained and can be seen.
Very Nice work!
Rexall is actually still around and thriving here in Canada, Rexall is one of the biggest drug stores in Canada behind Shoppers Drug Mart
I know 4-8-2's as "Mountains". . .they were stellar in freight or passenger service. The last steam locomotives Canadian National Railways took delivery of were 20 of these Mountain types in 1944 - #'s 6060-6079 known as "Bullet Nosed Betty's". 6060, 6069 & 6077 are still with us. . .as are Rexall (-branded) drug stores, at least here in Canada. Thank you for this awesome video
@bikerheart. As a Canadian l personally know about those "Mountain," Steam locomotives. The last steam excursion that went up the tracks by my parent's in the Stouffville - Uxbridge, Ontario in the mid '70s was pulled by a Mountain locomotive # 6060. I believe this loco is still around & possibly running in Alberta, Canada.
Wow it amazes me how large the American rail network is
I just wish we had more passenger and high speed routes :/
It used to be even more extensive!
Was.
Now THAT was great! More historical videos, please. ;)
Great story. Another piece of Americana history preserved for those that come across it here on RUclips.
A genuinely enjoyable 10:51 minutes of time invested. Unlike a lot of crap on RUclips…lol Thanks for the post 👍🏻😎
What a huge undertaking! Excellent video!
Wow! that’s crazy odd to see a D&RGW 2-8-8-2 helper on a streamlined locomotive all the way from the NYC!
awesome!
Good health to all from Rexall--their motto in old radio shows they sponsored, like Amos & Andy.
I've never heard of the "Rexall Train"! And I'm a train buff! You do indeed learn something new every day! Well done!
I've heard about this several times, but this is by far the most comprehensive report I've seen. Thank you!
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this project actually worked! I wind up wa tching so many videos about grand projects that failed. This was refreshing!
great video love the gup clip
Never knew the Rexall train existed, never heard anything about it. Thanks for showing it.
Those early 20th Century Art Deco locomotives looked awesome!!!
I wished they did more nationwide rail tours like this nowadays
The last tour was the Freedom Train for the bicentennial. I rode the Phoenix to Los Angeles portion of the "Transcontinental Steam Excursion" to get 4449 moved back to Portland.
@kylesterritt5802,: Here in Canada CP Rail had a Christmas train that toured our country., & back in 1967 Canada's Centennial we had a Centennial Train which my Mom took me & my brother to see.
Me too.
There will be a Freedom Train in 2026. I hope it's not expensive.
Wonderful video!!!
It's so SAD to hear that the locomotive was scrapped :-(( After it's useful service, it should have been refurbished mechanically, repainted back to the Rexall blue & white, then kept as a museum piece. If it were kept in running condition, it could have been used as on excursion runs.
Two other NYC 4-8-2s were saved, which is something.
NYC was merciless with their abandonment of steam. Almost nothing was kept.
They didn't think about that back then. Just put it back in service and make money.
Outstanding production. I was fond of Rexall, store still had soda fountain by my school.
First, there was the Million Dollar Train, Next came the 6 Million Dollar Man
LOL
THE Mario 64 Bob-omb Battlefield music caught me totally off guard! Then I listened to the rest of the background music...ha ha!
ah wasnt that time great times
I had no idea there was so much to this story. Thanks for making this entertaining content to keep us all informed!
Fascinating!! Well researched and presented!
makes me wonder if the Orient Express restaurant knows they own a piece of this train
It is always interesting to see that railroads have national tours while providing public advertisement for special occasions such as with the "American freedom train". The Rexall train of 1936 was a public advertisement of pharmacy products promoted by railroad travel & it was an example of a "streamlined" passenger train that showed the NYC railroad's passenger service improvements during the 1930s era.
1:43 "Can't leak:" I literally died there. XD
Thanks for this fascinating bit of history! Its interesting that in Wisconsin, the train stopped at Fond Du Lac, not any bigger cities like Milwaukee or Green Bay.
Excellent documentary!!!
Thanks for providing.
I love trains!
That MOHAWK looked like MERCURY to me. That video was extraordinairelegendary! (extraordinary+legendary)
Now if only someone could make the entire train for model railroading!
MTH has made this model and passenger cars, I believe two separate releases
Any model would cost in the thousands now.
Nice Job
A streamlined Mohawk, with Plain Bearings was the most surprising part of this to me. Though the conception and overall presentation was amazing, and I'm not just talking about the train!
Yes, I'd expect a then modern train like this to have roller bearings.
The old friction bearings while maintenance heavy were super cheap.
My parents took me to see the train in Pittsburgh. My recollection was that it was powered by the 4-6-2, which was all-black.
I have an old black and white photo of the Rexall train as it sat in Pittsburgh. It was painted in the colors described in the video. It was on display at the downtown B&O station siding.
For any Canadians watching this, the Rexall being talked about in this video is unrelated to the Canadian chain of pharmacies, also called Rexall. Needless to say, this is very confusing. 😂
I was unaware of this. We had a Rexall drugstore in a neighbouring town & Edmonton, Alberta had a Ligget's drugstore.
Awesome video. Been busy lately and finally got to relax and catch up on videos. Lol
Excellent video thank you
Yet another outstanding video from the man who got me back into trains! Can’t wait for the Niagara video!
Very good episode. 6:53 Union Station in Nashville was nearly torn down, but managed to survive as a luxury hotel. It’s still there today.
I have ordered sodas and hot dogs in Rexall-branded drugstores, but had no idea the firm had ever applied this level of marketing muscle.
What a magnificent piece of engineering
The Rexall Train was a very nice-looking train for sure in my opinion, love the Commodore Vanderbilt-style streamlining on that New York Central Mohawk that was used in the train. Before watching your video, I didn't know that the locomotive was converted to oil, then reverted back to being coal-fired. Shame though that a locomotive of such prestige was scrapped. But it was a great idea to have it tour all over North America so that many people would get to see it. The 1930s was a great decade for tour trains in the United States. Not just the Rexall train, but the LMS Royal Scot went on a huge tour across the United States and Canada. Are you going to make a video of the Royal Scot's 1930s North American tour?
Thoroughly enjoy your videos....
Never been much of an AMTRAK fan, but after watching your videos, I'm definitely warming up to the company! 😉
That being said, how about a video (or two....or three....or....) on streamlined steamlocomotives?
Huge fan (putting it mildly here) of them old girls, so would love to see you do something on them, maybe your own Top 15 Streamlined list or something....
My #1 used to be the N&W class J, but as I've become somewhat obsessed with the Milwaukee Road, their class A 4-4-2's and F7 4-6-4's have sneaked passed and grabbed the #1 spot!
Must say that the NYNH&H I-5's are some serious stunners as well! 🥰😍
Hope that all is well with you and yours....
Greetings from a Swede in Glasgow, Scotland....
Have you stayed at the train hotels? They're pretty cool. There's one in Indiana that I know of.
What a beautiful machine
This is so cool! I had never heard of this train before now.
I AM A RAILROADER SINCE 1964!
NEVER HEARD OF THIS!!
KEEP THEM ROLLING BROTHERS!!
👍👍
Have you tried the train hotels? There's one in IN, about 50 miles from Chicago.
Oh my God. I go to that Oriental express restaurant ALL THE TIME. I had no idea it was so old!!
Cool video
My Grandfather sold Rexall and most probably my great grandfather as well. The train would have been quite a marketing tool. My Grandfather wasn’t crazy about going to those conventions. A train with all those displays, I’m sure he would of heard about this. Druggist who owned there own stores were busy men back then!
I never knew this was the only streamlined NYCR steamer to burn oil, cool!
Very interesting video. I remember all the Rexall drug stores in all the towns.
the cvs of their day. what a beautiful train.
I gotta be honest, the name "Rexy" just sounds too cute
Now you really wonder would a modern corporation do such a promotional tour in 2022. The promotion became a huge boon for the Rexall company, to say the least.
This great video was just the Rx we all needed!
I'm not surprised to hear it got scrapped. Once you mentioned New York Central, I knew that was its fate.
That’s a long rail trip
I live in Atlanta Georgia and I’m happy that the Rexha train comes
Since this train toured montreal its likely my late great grandparents and possibly my then young grandparents toured it
See, this is why I love your channel, if I didn't see this, I never would've heard of this, love your vids, keep up the good work!
me too
I just realized, this is probably what the Madagascar 3 Circus locomotive is based on
I have a photo in my family album of the locomotive. I think my dad went to see it in San Francisco.