Does anyone know the exact date that the G,M & O "Abraham Lincoln" service made its last run between Chicago and St.Louis in 1969 and the subsequent fate of the rolling stock, which I think was inherited from the Alton Railroad?
Thanks
GM&O had three Chicago-St. Louis round trips right up to April 30, 1971: the "Limited", the "Abraham Lincoln" and the "Midnight Special".
I can't find the reference material to verify, but I think the original C&A "Abraham Lincoln" cars were removed from service in 1968.
rcdryeI can't find the reference material to verify, but I think the original C&A "Abraham Lincoln" cars were removed from service in 1968.
The original Abraham Lincoln cars started out as the B&O's Royal Blue - because of rough riding on the Washington-Jersey City route, the B&O moved the train set to it's subsidary the Chicago & Alton as the Abe. When B&O divested itself of the C&A the trainset statyed.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
There were actually two trainsets, one built for the Royal Blue and one for the Abraham Lincoln. The original Abe's equipment was assigned to the Ann Rutledge when the Royal Blue set was sent west to become the Abraham Lincoln, along with number 50. The Royal Blue set was aluminum, the "Abe" Cor-Ten steel. GM&O's 1947 ACF coaches and parlors were enough to carry the remaining traffic by the late 1960s, when the 1935-built ACF equipment was retired.
Thanks everyone. This is making sense now. The last of the cars dating from 1935 appear to have were retired by the late 1960's (possibily either 1968 or 1969), but the GM & O continued to operate the Abraham Lincoln until Amtrak started on 1 May 1971 using stock dating from 1947. Presumably the distinctive 1935 observation car with the round end that was used on the Abraham Lincoln came off in the late 1960's.
Can someone tell me more about the GM & O ACF cars acquired in 1947, such as how many and what type of cars?
Also, does anyone know if an article has ever been written on the last years of the Abraham Lincoln service under the GM & O?
Four 31 seat parlor cars (Alton, Springfield, Bloomington and St. Louis)
Ten 68 seat coaches (3051-3060)
The coaches were also used on the Gulf Coast Rebel, along with four ACF-built 8 Rmt, 4 sect, 3DBR, 1 Cpt sleepers (Timothy B. Blackstone, Judge Milton Brown, Samuel King Tigrett and Culver White). The sleepers were assigned to the Midnight Special after the Gulf Coast Rebel was discontinued.
The dining cars used on the two daytime trains, which I rode frequently 1967-1970, were modernized-interior heavyweights with six-wheel trucks, and at least one retained its monitor roof, standing out from the lower arch-roofed 1947 cars. The food was excellent. I was already 35-38 years old, and involved in training younger members of the Downers Grove Bolt Beranek and Newman staff. They always questioned my insisting on using the train and a rental car on trips to Spingfield, Normal, and St. Louis, picking the train and returning at Joliet. with the early-mornig drive south from DG traffic-free. But a chicken dinner in the diner on the return trip had them convinced. And I think I sold some on rail travel.
The coaches were comfortable and clean, and the air-condiitoning worked. We did not upgrade to parlor-car seating.
When I rode the Abraham Lincoln in June of 1968, I was dismayed to see that it no longer had an observation car--but I did ride in a parlor car from St. Louis to Chicago, with only a few other passengers. It also no longer had a separate lounge car--but did have a diner all the way (unlike the Blue Bird the next year, which was coach only, with the diner put on in Decatur).
Johnny
None of the three trains could accurately be called a streamliner, esthetically, because heavyweight head-end equipment was present on all of them. (The GM&O trains)
Also, during heavy traffic periods, a modernized heavyweigh coach would be included, still with monitor roof. Interiors almost duplicating the 1947 cars.
I found the consist for the Abraham Lincoln on 22 May 1967 on the Classic Trains website that was recorded by David Ingles. It is most interesting.
The locos were 103 E7A and 103A E7A. The train consist was 458 baggage car, 464 baggage car, 2592 combine, 5932 parlor, 5933 parlor, 5700 diner, 5806 coach, 5805 coach, 5804 coach and 5802 coach.
Parlor cars 5932 and 5933 and Coach cars 5804 and 5805 are from the original 1935 Cor-Ten steel train. Coach car 5802 and diner 5700 are from the 1935 aluminium bodied train that originally ran on the Royal Blue. 5806 was a 60 seat coach built shortly after the other 1935 cars.
Its also worth noting that there is no observation car. I wonder when this car was actually withdrawn from the Abraham Lincoln?
Campaspe I found the consist for the Abraham Lincoln on 22 May 1967 on the Classic Trains website that was recorded by David Ingles. It is most interesting. The locos were 103 E7A and 103A E7A. The train consist was 458 baggage car, 464 baggage car, 2592 combine, 5932 parlor, 5933 parlor, 5700 diner, 5806 coach, 5805 coach, 5804 coach and 5802 coach. Parlor cars 5932 and 5933 and Coach cars 5804 and 5805 are from the original 1935 Cor-Ten steel train. Coach car 5802 and diner 5700 are from the 1935 aluminium bodied train that originally ran on the Royal Blue. 5806 was a 60 seat coach built shortly after the other 1935 cars. Its also worth noting that there is no observation car. I wonder when this car was actually withdrawn from the Abraham Lincoln?
According to "Streamliner Cars Vol 3" both observations were retired in 1969 and were sold to private owners in Missouri. I understand one is now in the National Museum of Transport in St Louis.
M636C
In June of 1968, I had a parlor seat on the Abraham Lincoln from St. Louis to Chicago. I had expected a ride in an observation car--but that car was not on the train.
I was taking advantage of the tariff that made it possible to go from Birmingham to Chicago via St. Louis at no extra cost. No matter what route you took between the two cities, the railfare was the same; competitive fares were wonderful back then.
I don't know when the observation cars were retired. I do faintly remember from the early 1960's, that while the Abe had the usual streamlined curved end cars, The Limited had observation cars that had a flat end. Basically two big windows. I was less than ten years old at the time, and the memory comes from a couple of days of father/son railfanning at the Springfield station. So I may be in error.
GM&O ran the Abraham Lincoln and Ann Rutledge that both made the daily round trip between St.Louis and Chicago on companion schedules. When was the Ann discontinued?
http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track4/abelincoln195008.html
The Ann Rutledge was discontinued in April 1958. The 1950 schedule BaltACD referenced is the first I've seen with all-GM&O through sleeper service Chicago-Mobile, which doesn't seem to have lasted very long. Southbound in "The Limited", northbound in the "Abraham Lincoln."
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