And the sleepercoaches, not the coaches, were the first stainless equipment regularly on the train, except, and this is important, an occasional appearance by a transcontinental Santa Fe stainless-clad sleeper when that service was offered on the Century. I don't think the SF sleeper was Budd, but a stainless-clad Pullman-built sleeper.
ZephyrOverlandCSSHEGEWISCHThe "20th Century" had coaches added to its consist in 1958 when it was combined with the "Pacemaker". Actually, the Commodore Vanderbilt (which already had coaches by this time) was combined with the Century in 1958, not the Pacemaker.
CSSHEGEWISCHThe "20th Century" had coaches added to its consist in 1958 when it was combined with the "Pacemaker".
The "20th Century" had coaches added to its consist in 1958 when it was combined with the "Pacemaker".
Actually, the Commodore Vanderbilt (which already had coaches by this time) was combined with the Century in 1958, not the Pacemaker.
Here is some additional information about the adding of coaches on the 20th Century Limited - On 4/27/58 the 20th Century Limited was combined with the Commodore Vanderbilt and by default, the Century got the Commodore Vanderbilt's coaches. On 10/25/59 the Century-Commodore (as contemporary NYC advertisements were calling the combined service) received Sleepercoaches and the coaches were taken out. The Century-Commodore was the only NYC exclusive Sleeper and Sleepercoach train running at the the time. This did not last long - coaches returned on 4/24/60 and the Commodore Vanderbilt name was dropped at the 10/20/60 timetable change.
Many of the J3a's lost their streamlining during WWII. so it is interesting that you rode behind one that still kept it!
i sure do miss the slumbercoaches; used to ride 'em whenever i could. my only memory of the 20th century dates back to 1943(!) when at age 11 i rode it NYC to Chi, all by myself. i was so naive that i was disappointed in the engine; viewing it from a roomette window i mistook it for a diesel, it was so streamlined and smoke-free! -big duke
That is correct. The flat side grey and grey long-distance coaches were bult for the Pacemaker, but it had been discontinued before the Century got coaches.
Rode slumbercoaches and sleepercoaches many times. Not as comfortable as a roomette, but better than an overnight coach seat, even better than the best of the long-distance coach trains like the El Cap/ Of course any USA Army (or other service) veteran has had lots of experience in sleeping in far more uncomfortable situations, and compared to some of them, any decent overnight train accomodation is luxury.
When the newly re-equipped Century was on display in GCT in 1948, I walked the length of the rather dark and dingy platform - and noticed that the rearmost diesel unit was a cab unit facing backward. That stuck in my 10-year-old mind because it broke the symmetry of the long grey worm.
Chuck
daveklepper The Slumbercoaches or sleepercoaches were added after the coachers were added and not before. While the train was all First Class it was just that, and Slumbercoaches were caoch fare plus an occupancy charge, without a first class ticket requirement. Howwever, the first coaches added were the overnight flat sided grey cars (probably originally built for the Pacemaker) and not stainless steel equpment, which was introduced by the Slumbercoaches.
The Slumbercoaches or sleepercoaches were added after the coachers were added and not before. While the train was all First Class it was just that, and Slumbercoaches were caoch fare plus an occupancy charge, without a first class ticket requirement. Howwever, the first coaches added were the overnight flat sided grey cars (probably originally built for the Pacemaker) and not stainless steel equpment, which was introduced by the Slumbercoaches.
Johnny
Eventually in the last years (1960's) the Century did start to carry some coaches as I recall. Starting a few years earlier it started carrying some Slumbercoaches.
E units were standard power on it til the end, though I'm sure you could find pics of F units on it at times, and maybe other engines pinch-hitting.
The last time I rode the 20th Century was in 1963 or possibly 1964. By that time it was no longer all sleepers but also carried coaches and slumber coaches. IIRC the consist was all lightweights and was a mix of stainles and grey painted cars.
Mark
daveklepper The repainting of 1948 was simultaneous with the Century's re-equipping with new 1948 equipment replacing the 1938 equipment, which was then used on other trains. The Budd-built New England States replaced the heavyweight train at the same time, and a number of other trains were equpped with lighrwieght equpment, including the Detroit Limited, and the Ohio State. I remember the Wolverine as having mixed heavyweight and lightweight equpiment in the 1948-1952 span of years.
The repainting of 1948 was simultaneous with the Century's re-equipping with new 1948 equipment replacing the 1938 equipment, which was then used on other trains. The Budd-built New England States replaced the heavyweight train at the same time, and a number of other trains were equpped with lighrwieght equpment, including the Detroit Limited, and the Ohio State. I remember the Wolverine as having mixed heavyweight and lightweight equpiment in the 1948-1952 span of years.
The Central's first E7s arrived in 1945 and were used on the 20th Century and some other NYC trains. (Many railroads rotated diesel sets, so the engines that pulled a top passenger train during the day might be used to pull a mail train the opposite direction that night.)
As delivered they were A-B sets; all were decorated to match the 1938 streamlined Century cars (i.e. light gray cars with a dark gray band thru the windows) except one A-B set that was all black, but had the same white striping of the other units.
NYC reversed the gray scheme to dark gray cars with a light gray band thru the windows in about 1948 or so, so I believe any later passenger diesels would be in that later two-tone scheme. I would guess by 1950-51 all the E's would have been repainted into the later scheme. Not sure how long it took to repaint all the passenger cars but I bet it was done pretty quickly.
From steam to E7's to mixed E7's and E8's to almost always E8's but occasional E7's, especially B-units. Never elephant style that I ever saw. Always an A unit followed by one or two B units, or A-B-A with the rear A facing the train (this rarer). Two tone grey continued with the complete re-quipping by Pullman in 1948. The first silver equpment I saw on the train was when they rented two Budd Slumbercoaches (or Sleepercoaches). This was after it became a combined coach and Pullman train, but for a while, all the coaches assigned were also two-tone grey, matching the sleepers. Sometime after Pullman operation was replaced by the NYC's own crews and management for the sleepers, the mixture of Budd stainless steel and two-tone grey started appearing, and occasionally a Budd stainless obs appeared as well. I believe all the stainless equpment the NYC ever owned was Budd. The Pullman-built and ACF and home-made cars were two-tone grey or green (for suburban service only in latter years, New York and Boston). That is what my memory tells me, others might correct me.
Once NYC moved the 20th Century away from steam in 1948 what models did they go through when they discontinued the 20th? Also what style passenger cars did they use from 1948 on? I know pre 48 it was Pullmans but did they continue and were they two tone grey or another color and were they simular with cars when NYC used E8's?
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