timz wjstix Quite a few heavyweight cars were built with, or converted to, ice-cooled air conditioning during the 1920's. Anybody know of a train that claimed to have air-conditioning in the 1920s?
wjstix Quite a few heavyweight cars were built with, or converted to, ice-cooled air conditioning during the 1920's.
Anybody know of a train that claimed to have air-conditioning in the 1920s?
If I'm not mistaken, Southern Pacific started experimenting quite early with air conditioning, in order to equip it's passenger fleet with this "cool" feature. I can't provide the dates, stand corrected, and request help from the Peanut Gallery. Like Howdy Doody, I have a wooden head, only mine was attacked by an angry army of termites.
Trinity River Bottoms BoomerIf I'm not mistaken, Southern Pacific started experimenting quite early with air conditioning, in order to equip it's passenger fleet with this "cool" feature.
Diners with ice-activated air conditioning in 1932; at least 165 cars with it by 1934. But not quite as early as B&O...
timz wjstix Quite a few heavyweight cars were built with, or converted to, ice-cooled air conditioning during the 1920's.
OK, well I stand corrected. Should have said 1930's.
BTW apparently those non-corridor "slam door" English passenger cars were a great boon to robbers. A bad guy could get into the same section as a couple of wealthy folks at one station, hold them up, and take off with the loot as the train pulled into the next station a few miles down the line.
wjstix timz wjstix Quite a few heavyweight cars were built with, or converted to, ice-cooled air conditioning during the 1920's. OK, well I stand corrected. Should have said 1930's. BTW apparently those non-corridor "slam door" English passenger cars were a great boon to robbers. A bad guy could get into the same section as a couple of wealthy folks at one station, hold them up, and take off with the loot as the train pulled into the next station a few miles down the line.
Are you familiar with the Agatha Christie story "The 4.50 from Paddington"?
A quick summary:
Our female detective heroine boards the train in the title, an express. Her train overtakes another stopping train made up of compartment cars. A closed blind flies up revealing the face of a woman being strangled by an out of sight figure.
The lady detective reports this to the train guard and the police but no body is found. She investigates herself, walking along the track disguised as a male track worker, finds a likely location, and gets employed as a servant in the house adjacent to the track where she finds the body.
There was a B&W movie starring Margaret Rutherford, and a later TV version in colour.
Peter
1920's? Yes, Pullman did have some experimental ice air-condiitoining systems in sleeping cars 1927-on. 1929 started a more general application. I think in 1929 there may have been advertizements.
Perhaps the first attempts at air conditioning were done by the Santa Fe for diners - using ice. Also seem to recall that the PV built for the "Millionaire Brakeman" had one of the very first A/C's applied to a railroad car.
On a somewhat related subject, the Northern Ohio Traction had some electrically powered mechanical reefers in 1926.
There's only one Miss Marple: Margaret Rutherford! The MGM produced B&W motion picture is a classic and can be seen over and over again! British Railways sure put on one good steam show! I got to see the Flying Scotsman in Dallas on it's US tour. A beautiful machine!
I just returned from a trip Syracuse, NY/Lamy, NM and on the home leg aboard the Lake Shore Limited, had a conversation with the sleeper attendant who had worked for many years on Pullman cars both in the US and in Mexico. He described for me the elaborate process of making up section berths including installing cooling fans which were quite a chore given his description of the work involved. Passenger comfort came at quite a price in terms of labor by staff in those days.
Donald J. Cockroach is fast bringing back "Luxury, Comfort, and Class Distinction" not only to the USA but to the entire planet in the process. Welcome to the New World Order according to Trump!
Donald may surprise you. If he strayes too far, there is always impeachment. The Dems did not impeach Bill when he lied under oath before Congress, but Republicans were ready to impeach Nixon over Watergate. And that, friends, is why I voted for Trump. Having been in the service, with a security clearance, I understood that Hillary had already performed an impeachable offence, one that got Iranian and Iraqi friends of the USA killed or worse.
Hey Dave, Mr. "T" got my vote too! I well remember Billy Boy and Silly Hillary and White Water too! Poor Monica. I wonder, did Billy Boy use Billy Boy* products in the "Oral Office"?
Find out more about Billy Boy at www.billy-boy.de and enjoy your day!:)
Sad day for the country when a choice had to be made between intolerable and intolerable.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I won't argue with that statement.
daveklepper Having been in the service, with a security clearance, I understood that Hillary had already performed an impeachable offence, one that got Iranian and Iraqi friends of the USA killed or worse.
Having been in the service, with a security clearance, I understood that Hillary had already performed an impeachable offence, one that got Iranian and Iraqi friends of the USA killed or worse.
I agree with that statement. And I made it clear that I was giving a personal opinion, based on my service expedrience and the news reports of deaths in Iraq and Iran. Is it only 50% + one? Thought more were required.
Oh but we did have a choice: A Crook or a Con Man!
What a bummer!:(
Thank God we still have The World's Greatest Hobby. Model railroading (and railfanning too) has no borders or walls and can bring family, friends, strangers, and newcomers together.
daveklepper 1920's? Yes, Pullman did have some experimental ice air-condiitoining systems in sleeping cars 1927-on. 1929 started a more general application. I think in 1929 there may have been advertizements.
In Otto Perry's amazing on-line collection in the Denver Public Library, there is a photo of the Emerson boiler B&O President Class Pacific No 5320 on display, I think at the Fair of the Iron Horse in 1927. Coupled behind it on display are some passenger cars, including a dining car with the very distinctive air conditioning duct over the dining area. That would seem to suggest that air conditioning was indeed in use in 1927.
M636Cthere is a photo of the Emerson boiler B&O President Class Pacific No 5320 on display, I think at the Fair of the Iron Horse in 1927.
This would be remarkable indeed, since all the records I have indicate that the President Cleveland wasn't even built until 1928.
I'd suggest no earlier than Chicago World's Fair of 1933, which would be right in there with "new" air-conditioning being shown off by the B&O.
This Perry pic says August 1934
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/58009/rec/1
timz This Perry pic says August 1934 http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/58009/rec/1
Save
BaltACD timz This Perry pic says August 1934 http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/58009/rec/1 Save
Clearly I've been posting too late at night instead of sleeping.
It has been exceptionally hot, even at night. It is lucky that global warming isn't real or I'd never get any sleep. Yesterday was within 1/4 degree celcius of the highest temperature ever recorded in this part of the world (41.25 degrees) and the highest ever recorded in February, and the nights have remained hot. There are six or so really serious forest fires running around north of here, while Western Australia has recorded the highest known one day rainfall and serious flooding. Right here it cooled right down after a cloud front came through late yesterday (just before I gave up photographing trains....)
Of course taking train photos involves standing in the sunlight while the shade temperatures are being quoted above. That can't help my brain either...
M636C-...meanwhile up here in Northern Saskatchewan we hit -40 C and colder yet with the wind. For our American friends thats a swing of about 146deg F. Of course you are in summer and we in winter.
Theoretically if we meet in the middle somewhere it should be nice and temperate, but maybe no trains in the middle.
Can somebody tell me why in the USA and Canada there have never been used "Classes" on the passenger trains like in Europe?
Europe has/had first class/second class/third class and even fourth class coaches, sleepers and sometimes even diners. And always the class number was visible, usually near the doors.
Why US and Canadian trains never had this? Why are coaches in in North America considered 2nd class and sleepers 1st class?
What´s the reason behind that totally different use of classes in railroading between the 2 continents?
De Luxe Can somebody tell me why in the USA and Canada there have never been used "Classes" on the passenger trains like in Europe? Europe has/had first class/second class/third class and even fourth class coaches, sleepers and sometimes even diners. And always the class number was visible, usually near the doors. Why US and Canadian trains never had this? Why are coaches in in North America considered 2nd class and sleepers 1st class? What´s the reason behind that totally different use of classes in railroading between the 2 continents?
A sleeping car and a parlor car have much more comfortable accommodations for pasengers than a coach car does; thus travel in these is "first class" travel. There is also somewhat more personal attention given passengers in "first class" cars.
Sleeping cars operated by the Pullman Company had PULLMAN by the outside doors.
Johnny
In the United States, travel was either first class (sleeper or parlor car) or coach. First class passengers paid a first class rail fare (about 15-20% higher than coach) plus a space or seat charge. Slumbercoach was intended to be an intermediate class with coach fares plus a space charge.
First class cars were not necessarily Pullman-operated. Most parlor cars and some local sleeping cars were railroad-operated.
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