Railroad routes

[slipstream]

As a new subscriber, I'm curious to know if there are books, schedules, etc., describing how & on what line(s) a person in 1949 would travel by Pullman from Baltimore to Wichita Falls, TX.  Thanks.

[timz]

The Official Guide of the Railways was a monthly publication of 1500 pages or so that tried to show all passenger schedules in the US -- and Canada, Mexico and who knows what else. I have 1948 and 1950 issues, and somebody out there will have a 1949. You'd check the B&O section for a convenient schedule to St Louis, then you'd look at the maps and see whether you need MKT or MoPac or whatever for the next leg.

[Deggesty]

timz

The Official Guide of the Railways was a monthly publication of 1500 pages or so that tried to show all passenger schedules in the US -- and Canada, Mexico and who knows what else. I have 1948 and 1950 issues, and somebody out there will have a 1949. You'd check the B&O section for a convenient schedule to St Louis, then you'd look at the maps and see whether you need MKT or MoPac or whatever for the next leg.

You could also take a Pennsylvania train from Baltimore to St. Louis. In April of 1948, you could have a through sleeper that ran Washington to Fort Worth (PRR through Baltimore to St. Louis, MP St. Louis to Texarkana, T&P Texarkana to Fort Worth). You would change there to a FW&D train that was bound for Denver--or you could change to the same train in Dallas.

In February of 1950, you would have had to change cars in Harrisburg or St. Louis, since the PRR Washington-Fort Worth car had been taken off. Or, you could either take a through NYC-St. Louis car on the B&O, or go down to Washington and take the Washington-Fort Worth car that ran on the B&O, MP, and T&P.

If anybody has a Guide from 1949, please fill in, especially if you know when the PRR Washington-Forth Worth sleeper was cut off..

Johnny

[timz]

Yup, it turns out PRR is a bit faster than B&O Baltimore to St Louis. I'm guessing the fastest trip would be PRR to St Louis, then the Texas Special to Denison, where you'd have to get off before dawn and change to the local (no sleeper) to Wichita Falls. If you insist on a sleeper the whole way, SFe Chicago to Amarillo is also a possibility.

[slipstream]

Well, there you go.  I'm amazed at this nation's wealth of information held by historians, collectors, hobbyists, etc., who are willing to help others with like interests.  Thanks so much for the OG references & checking an actual ride with options.  You're a great resource.  

[slipstream]

Thanks, again.  Sure would like to make that run taken in 1949 & '50 by a friend of mine.  Through your help, he'll be glad to relive it for his 85th birthday.  He was a ballplayer for the Baltimore Orioles, who wanted to play in Wichita Falls in order to be in Texas & meet the oilmen of the region.  He did well in 1949, hitting .446 for the Big State League Wichita Falls Spudders, until then, the highest batting average compiled in the history of Organized Baseball; he loved train travel with sleeper & fine dining cars in both his minor & major leagues travels.  Who didn't?  

[aricat]

I would think the best connection would be B&O's National Limited from Baltimore to St Louis and the Texas Eagle to Dallas via Longview Texas . The Texas Eagle does show it carried St Louis Fort Worth through sleepers in MP timetables. I would have connected in Dallas to Texas Zephyr . Sadly you would have long layovers in both St Louis and Dallas; 3hours and 4 hours.

[Deggesty]

aricat

Sadly you would have long layovers in both St Louis and Dallas; 3hours and 4 hours.

But--it is better than having a connection that is so close that you might miss your train.

Johnny

[MP173]

I checked my 1954 OG and came up with two possible routings:

PRR #3 Lv Baltimore 747pm Sunday

PRR #3 Ar St. Louis 305pm Monday

B&O #1 Lv Baltimore 516pm Sunday

B&O #1 Ar St. Louis 100pm Monday

Both PRR and B&O trains had Pullmans to Texas via both the MoPac Texas Eagle and the Frisco/MKT Texas Special.  Both Texas trains left  St. Louis at 530pm.

The quicker route to Wichita Falls would have been the Texas Special, which would arrive in Dennison Tx at 505am.  The local train MKT #31 left Dennison at 630am and arrived 129.3 miles later at 1035am.

Or, one could have taken the Texas Zephyr out of Ft Worth to Wichita Falls.  Leaving FtW at 145pm with arrival at 415pm in WF.  There would have been a 5 hour layover in Ft Worth.

If it were up to me I would have taken B&O #1 to St. Louis, used the 4:30 layover in St Louis for a meal and a walk to take a few photos of Union Station and the parade of trains on the Y, then boarded the same Pullman for Dennison.  The local to Wichita Falls would have added a little flavor to the trip.

ed