Trains.com

Question about the passenger train streamliners run by the private railroads

5766 views
39 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    June 2009
  • From: Dallas, TX
  • 6,952 posts
Posted by CMStPnP on Saturday, August 29, 2020 11:10 AM

BaltACD
CSX has eliminated most of the line.

  

OK so there is no more of the St. Louis National Limited line or did CSX replace it with a parallel line?    Just curious.    They still service Louisville from Chicago so I would guess at some point that line crosses any East-West line they have.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Saturday, August 29, 2020 12:36 PM

CMStPnP
 
BaltACD
CSX has eliminated most of the line. 

OK so there is no more of the St. Louis National Limited line or did CSX replace it with a parallel line?    Just curious.    They still service Louisville from Chicago so I would guess at some point that line crosses any East-West line they have.

The line fron North Vernon to Louisville is the line CSX has eliminated.  The former B&O line from Cincinnati to St. Louis through North Vernon still exists, however, it has been rendered inoperable between Noble and Caseyville, IL.  The rails still exist, it has not been officially abandoned but the rails have been cut.

From Detroit to Louisville trains operated Detroit-Cincinnati-North Vernon-Louisville.

 

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Georgia USA SW of Atlanta
  • 11,919 posts
Posted by blue streak 1 on Saturday, August 29, 2020 4:38 PM

The C&O line from Lexington - Winchester -  Ashland , Ky  that follows what is now I-64 evidently was abandoned by C&O.  Line still intact LEX- Louisville ?

  • Member since
    June 2009
  • From: Dallas, TX
  • 6,952 posts
Posted by CMStPnP on Monday, August 31, 2020 11:06 AM

BaltACD
The line fron North Vernon to Louisville is the line CSX has eliminated.  The former B&O line from Cincinnati to St. Louis through North Vernon still exists, however, it has been rendered inoperable between Noble and Caseyville, IL.  The rails still exist, it has not been officially abandoned but the rails have been cut. From Detroit to Louisville trains operated Detroit-Cincinnati-North Vernon-Louisville.

OK, I see I think I had the wrong line.   I thought you meant the B&O line that crosses midway in Indiana on it's way to St. Louis from Columbus, OH.    The map I am looking at shows they cross that line at Seymour, IN but on trackage rights.

I can't believe they abandoned Chicago to Louisville.   No wonder they are trying to partner with whatever that shortline is in Indiana from Indianapolis to Louisville.    Trying to restore that route.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Monday, August 31, 2020 12:15 PM

CMStPnP
 
BaltACD
The line fron North Vernon to Louisville is the line CSX has eliminated.  The former B&O line from Cincinnati to St. Louis through North Vernon still exists, however, it has been rendered inoperable between Noble and Caseyville, IL.  The rails still exist, it has not been officially abandoned but the rails have been cut. From Detroit to Louisville trains operated Detroit-Cincinnati-North Vernon-Louisville. 

OK, I see I think I had the wrong line.   I thought you meant the B&O line that crosses midway in Indiana on it's way to St. Louis from Columbus, OH.    The map I am looking at shows they cross that line at Seymour, IN but on trackage rights.

I can't believe they abandoned Chicago to Louisville.   No wonder they are trying to partner with whatever that shortline is in Indiana from Indianapolis to Louisville.    Trying to restore that route.

Columbus to St.Louis was the former PRR.  Chicago to Louisville via Seymour was also the PRR.  I believe by the time ConRail was created the Chicago/Louisville line was basically 10 MPH account track conditions-I presume that ConRail did some plant rationalization prior to the ConRail split with the NS.  

The B&O line between Newark and Columbus was what the PRR used as their Main Line between the two cities; it was Dispatched by the B&O - in turn the line the B&O used between JO Tower in Akron and Warwick was jointly owned by the B&O & PRR (they each owned one track of the double track line) and was Dispatched by the PRR.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    June 2009
  • From: Dallas, TX
  • 6,952 posts
Posted by CMStPnP on Monday, August 31, 2020 5:00 PM

BaltACD
Columbus to St.Louis was the former PRR.  Chicago to Louisville via Seymour was also the PRR.  I believe by the time ConRail was created the Chicago/Louisville line was basically 10 MPH account track conditions-I presume that ConRail did some plant rationalization prior to the ConRail split with the NS.   The B&O line between Newark and Columbus was what the PRR used as their Main Line between the two cities; it was Dispatched by the B&O - in turn the line the B&O used between JO Tower in Akron and Warwick was jointly owned by the B&O & PRR (they each owned one track of the double track line) and was Dispatched by the PRR.

OK, long ago lived in Louisville for 2 years the PRR Bridge across the Ohio River is both massive and a Loiusville landmark.   It was built and financed by L&N but PRR later purchased L&N's 60% interest.    From what I understand L&N used to run Commute trains over it and into Indiana but those ended a long time ago.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Monday, August 31, 2020 6:38 PM

CMStPnP
 
BaltACD
Columbus to St.Louis was the former PRR.  Chicago to Louisville via Seymour was also the PRR.  I believe by the time ConRail was created the Chicago/Louisville line was basically 10 MPH account track conditions-I presume that ConRail did some plant rationalization prior to the ConRail split with the NS.   The B&O line between Newark and Columbus was what the PRR used as their Main Line between the two cities; it was Dispatched by the B&O - in turn the line the B&O used between JO Tower in Akron and Warwick was jointly owned by the B&O & PRR (they each owned one track of the double track line) and was Dispatched by the PRR. 

OK, long ago lived in Louisville for 2 years the PRR Bridge across the Ohio River is both massive and a Loiusville landmark.   It was built and financed by L&N but PRR later purchased L&N's 60% interest.    From what I understand L&N used to run Commute trains over it and into Indiana but those ended a long time ago.

When I was working on the B&O's St. Louis Division in 1966 as a Train Order Operator and spent a week working WS Tower at Watson, IN, I believe both the B&O & PRR used the K&IT bridge to cross the Ohio River into Louisville.  The PRR Chicago-Louisville Main line ran straight to the bridge.  The B&O ran to access the bridge from the East of it.  Watson was the interchange between the B&O and the Southern Indiana railroad; a B&O line ran about 8 miles South from Watson to Jeffersonville, IN where the B&O had its TOFCEE ramp; it was also where a spur was constructed from the K&IT bridge to and through Watson into the Charlestown Ammunition Depot during WW II.

I got some time to walk the interlocking limits of the plant - which had B&O CPL's on the B&O routes and PRR Position Light signals on the PRR routes.  Signal maintainer was required to keep all elements of the interlocking operational and the signals lit for all all routes - that being said there were 8 inch to a foot diameter trees growing in the gauge of the PRR routes as shortly after WW II the PRR stoped operating to the ammunition plant.

I never heard any stories of the L&N operating commuter trains.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    June 2009
  • From: Dallas, TX
  • 6,952 posts
Posted by CMStPnP on Monday, August 31, 2020 9:52 PM

BaltACD
I never heard any stories of the L&N operating commuter trains.

My mistake.....it was PRR, wow, check it out though, more extensive than I could ever imagine but all of it torn up and abandoned including the EL train along the Louisville waterfront.

https://historiclouisville.weebly.com/interurban-elevated-rail.html

 The pictures of the bridge I have seen show it still has two tracks but the second track is cut at each end and CSX just operates over the one remaining track.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Monday, August 31, 2020 10:54 PM

CMStPnP
 
BaltACD
I never heard any stories of the L&N operating commuter trains. 

My mistake.....it was PRR, wow, check it out though, more extensive than I could ever imagine but all of it torn up and abandoned including the EL train along the Louisville waterfront.

https://historiclouisville.weebly.com/interurban-elevated-rail.html

 The pictures of the bridge I have seen show it still has two tracks but the second track is cut at each end and CSX just operates over the one remaining track.

I had not heard of the B&O operating trains between Louisville and Charlestown Ammo plant during WW II - though it does make sense if the bulk of the work force was from Louisville (and Charlestown was in the wilderness in WW II) as there would be very few locally domiciled employees.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    September 2010
  • 2,515 posts
Posted by Electroliner 1935 on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 10:17 PM

There were three RR bridges across the Ohio River in Louisville. From east to west, they were the NYC (Big Four), PRR, now owned by the L & I RR & K&IT, now owned by NS. B&O, Monon, and Southern used the K&IT. PRR used its own and the NYC used its own. I believe that the Indiana interurban also used the NYC bridge. The B&O, IC and C&O used the riverfront Central Station while the PRR & L&N used the L&N Station. As to CSX, they now use the Louisville & Indianapolis (former PRR) via trackage rights between Louisville and Seymour and/or Indianapolis. L&N interchanged sleepers with the PRR both in Louisville and Cincinnati. And with the B&O in Cincinnati. 

And at one time, NYC had passenger service into Louisville. But that was before my time.

B&O had sleepers from Louisville to Detroit, St.Louis, Washington and New York. Some transfered at North Vernon and some transfered at Cincinnati. B&O had three trains each way, #1 & 2, The National Limited, #3 & 4, The Diplomat, and #11 & 12, the Metropolitan. 

It is amazing to think that after WWII ended in 1945, air travel was just beginning to (pardon the pun) take off and intercity travel was almost all by rail. No Interstates. No Jets. 

The NYC bridge main span still exists but its approaches were removed in '68. I believe they now have been replaced with pedestrian facilities

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy