1928.......Seattle, Washington to Miami, Florida

[JanOlov]

Which way would you travel by train?

[daveklepper]

I'd ride the Olympian Hiawatha to Chicago just to ride behind the unique bipolars and enjoy the scenery, then the 20th Century to New York to enjoy possibly the highest standard of service available on any railroad, complete with barber shop and taler, and then it being winter-time the extra fare Florida Special.   I'd return via New Orleans just to enjoy the city, and then the Panama and then the Empire Builder.

[wjstix]

Unfortunately the Empire Builder wasn't started until 1929, but you could take the Oriental Limited. I might opt for NP's North Coast Limited myself. Similarly I think the Olypian Hiawatha started after the original Twin Cities - Chicago "Hiawatha", which started in 1935. I think their train in 1928 was the Pioneer Limited?? Still fun to ride behind the big electrics though !!

[daveklepper]

Thanks for the correction regarding premier train names of the time.

[Kevin C. Smith]

Well, my oldest OGR is 1937, so if you'll allow me some leeway on trains names/times...at least the routes should have all been there in 1928. Let me see what I can stitch together.

From Seattle: Well, I've got to start on the Milwaukee Road. If I'm going to go straight east (I could go south to Portland and the all SP to New Orleans but that would be boring), then my choices are limited, so I might as well enjoy the electric route through the mountains. #15, the Olympian, will leave at 10:30pm. Let's ride this not quite all the way to Minneapolis but get out at Aberdeen, SD at 8:25pm three days later, stay over at a hotel and catch the mixed train at 7:30 the next morning to Edgely, SD, arriving at 11:30am.

After a couple of hours for lunch, we board the Midland Continental's 1:25pm train to Wimbleton, ND, arriving at 4:45pm.

We must overnight in Wimbleton. In the morning, we can sleep in late and enjoy a late lunch or an early dinner before taking ourselves hence via the Soo Line's 3:13pm departure of train #108, which will bring us into Saint Paul at 6:50am.

A quick walk down the concourse gets us safely aboard the C&NW's train #361, departing at 7:15am for Ashland, WI, arriving at 1:50pm.

We enjoy the day in Ashland, departing on the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic's train #8 at 11:05pm and arrive in Champion, MI, at 5:30am (oh, dear!).

We have a full day in Champion-we do not leave until the Milwaukee Road's train #2 departs at 7:52 pm to take us to Crivitz at 11:41pm. We're ready (in more ways than one) for a hotel room for the night and then catch a mixed train at 11:45 the next morning to arrive in Menominee, MI, at1:05pm.

That gives us just under an hour to get bundled aboard an Ann Arbor carferry for a trip across Lake Michigan, sailing at 2:00pm. This journey lands us in Frankfort, MI, for a layover (depending on how long the lake crossing took) and the 6:45am departure of train #52 to Durand, MI, arriving at 1:33pm.

From there we take Grand Trunk train #17, leaving at 3:30pm to South Bend, IN, in which we arrive at 5:57pm.

Ah, but the clock has struck a very late hour and it's time I must retire. Who can get me from South Bend? I see in 1937 the Monon (Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville) is freight only from Michigan City, so a backtrack via the Chicago South Shore and South Bend won't work. Would it have still been possible in 1928? I was aiming at a journey to Indianapolis (was Union Traction Terminal around yet in '28?) thence on the Indiana Railroad (again, was it there yet in 1928?) to, I dunno, Louisville or Cincinatti and then to ??? on the way to Florida. Can anyone get me the next leg-say to Richmond, Atlanta or Memphis? Maybe I'll pick an option and let y'all (see, I'm prepared for the South already!) plan my travel options for the next segment...maybe like a serial story?

[daveklepper]

In 1928 you could have traveled (easily) all the way from South Bend to Louisville by interurban.   You would have used the Southern Indiana, and the Winona to Peru, Indiana, and then components of what would become the Indiana Railroad in 1930 to Lousville.   Even before the Indiana Railroad was formed, there was some interlining of cars and through trains, so your would have probably ridden from South Bend to Winona in one car, Winona to Peru in another, then you might have even been able to upgrade to parlor car in an interurban to Indianapolis, and then had a through ride to Lousville.   I think, but am not quite sure, that altogether five interuburan companies would have been involved in riding South Bend - Louisville.  And at the two locations where changes were made, Winona and Indianapolis, the same station was used and the schedules were coordinated.   At Indianapolis you would have had the thrill of useing the famous Traction Terminal with its multitrack train shed.  

[Kevin C. Smith]

Splendid, Dave! Thanks for the directions. Well, since I'm getting beyond familiar territory (to me), what should our next segment be? From Louisville to-where? Memphis? Atlanta? Should we head east a bit more before dropping south? It'll be a few days before I can jump back (or forward) to my 1937 OGR, so if anyone wants to be ouR "travel guide in time", I'm willing to follow. As you might have guessed by now, we're looking for secondary lines whenever possible. Let's see, we're only to the Ohio River and I think we're at least a week into our journey...

[JanOlov]

How about Boston to Chicago in 1936.......