Vintage Railroad Advertising for 1934 and 1935

[sswcharlie]

Where is a forum that discusses vintage rr advertising.  I am looking for GM&N advertising and fare publication, and classified advertising for Jan 1935 or thereabouts.  Passenger services in MS at that time.  For the RailPlane and the Rebel.  Thanks

Charles Harris

[RME]

While you're at it, be sure to look up the MoPac "Eagle of the Rails"  (I won't spoil the surprise with hinting...)

I take it nobody helped you when you were asking this question back in 2015. 

[sswcharlie]

Hi RME

 

Thanks for your post.

Yes or should it be no, I did not get any leads last time I posted.

Will search Eagle of the Rails now.  Not sure what to expect! I live in New Zealand and not familiar with MP

Regards

Charles

 

[sswcharlie]

Go Cotton Belt !!   Eagle of the Rails !!

 

Charles

[RME]

I have no idea why I said Missouri Pacific, except I'm tired and was thinking about Eagles. 

SSW it is, of course.  Perhaps a little more Pickwick Nite Coach-like splendor would have saved it! ...

  Remember there was a 'counterpart' that was a converted highway bus - I think I've only ever seen one clear picture of it, although there are some tantalizing contemporary descriptions.  (See the "Camden Times" page thumbnail -- I don't subscribe to the newspapers service, but wanswheel does, so he might post the actual columns, including the bus picture and the associated advertising cut, from the issues involved, as well as the doubtless many other contemporary accounts of the service in the public press and trade references.)

And here is a piece of contemporary advertising for you...

I have to wonder if these were competition for the same market represented by this:

You might think this was Russia's answer to the Pioneer Zephyr, but it's considerably more interesting ... and earlier ... than that.  (And had a very good article in Trains many years ago now; I think in the same issue that featured that triumph of industrial lignite firing the Snuff Dipper.)

It's an interesting thing to consider why the 'Micheline' approach did not work for these Southern lines, first at the anticipated high speed and then 'not at all'.  (Note the key differences between how the Michelin system on the Silver Slipper's coach and the system on the Austro-Daimler differed!)  We read repeatedly about failure of the tires, but these are specially made so that the tread curves over the railhead, giving the effect of a 'taper and flange' to either side and essentially self-steering as well as suspending the wheel relative to the track.  Where I think the problem comes in is that the rubber tires were supposed to provide primary suspension that made precise line/surface and joint alignment or batter less necessary, perhaps unnecessary -- and that was not at all what the physics of rail/tire tread interaction actually involved, particularly with respect to low joints.  Rebound to the point of eliminating the incurved tread is relatively immediate even with the weight spread 20 wheels per car on long equalizing beams ... rebound past the 3/4" or so of 'safety flange' doesn't involve much more.  And then there is lateral compliance in the truck frame (and other parts of secondary suspension) if the tread distorts or slips across the railhead and the flange bangs against the gauge face.  Perhaps hard.  Perhaps repeatedly.  Perhaps enough to start hunting beyond the capability of the inherent or explicit damping built into the system...

[sswcharlie]

Thanks for the photos and great info.

Charles

[rcdrye]

Especially like the Cincinnati curve-side gas-mechanical.  The standard Cincinnati curve-side is quite spacious, so "passenger amenities"  wouldn't have been impossible.  On the other hand, the outside wall is the inside wall, which might make a gas-mechanical a bit noisy for the few passengers actually riding...