There was a Manhattan-based author or journalist who under a pen name wrote of his many travels aboard named passenger trains in the period just after WW II, perhaps even before. He usually took first class sleeping accommodations. His articles were mostly about trains originating from Grand Central, Penn Station NYC, or the NJ terminals on the west side of the Hudson River. He was well known at the time, but I cannot recall his name.
Anyone know of whom I write? Any ideas or suggestions?
I recall one article about a Lehigh Valley overnight train to Buffalo, possibly the Black Diamond, on its last run. I can recall details about the article but not the author's name.
RJ Emery near Santa Fe, NM
RIDEWITHMEHENRY is the name for our almost monthly day of riding trains and transit in either the NYCity or Philadelphia areas including all commuter lines, Amtrak, subways, light rail and trolleys, bus and ferries when warranted. No fees, just let us know you want to join the ride and pay your fares. Ask to be on our email list or find us on FB as RIDEWITHMEHENRY (all caps) to get descriptions of each outing.
The BLACK DIAMOND was a day train on the LV that last ran in May of 1959. The last overnight train on the LV was the NY-Buffalo-Toronto MAPLE LEAF whose final run was in February of 1961.
henry6Are you thinking of Rogers E. M. Whitaker who rose to Editor of The New Yorker Magazine? He was also a world traveler, gourmand, and raconteur who wrote of his travels under the pen name, E.M. Frimbo.
Yep, he's the one! Thanks for the reference.
bill613a The BLACK DIAMOND was a day train on the LV that last ran in May of 1959. The last overnight train on the LV was the NY-Buffalo-Toronto MAPLE LEAF whose final run was in February of 1961.
Thanks for the clarification. I seem to recall the w/b Black Diamond left Newark Penn Station at 5 pm each day. That would make it an overnighter.
I just looked in a 1958 issue of the Guide. The Black Diamond was a day train between New York and Buffalo, leaving in the morning. The westbound night train was the Star; the eastbound night train had various names.
Johnny
I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Whittaker briefly many years ago. He told the story of riding a train somewhere (south Asia?) where the steam locomotives and the dining car ovens and grilles used Eucalyptus for fuel, and the aroma permeated everything: air, clothes, food --- EVERYTHING.
Thanks for bringing back a memory of this delightful man.
Tom
I rode the Black Diamond from Penn Station to Easton, PA, with Bill (Giggles) Watson and John Stern in the Spring of 1947. It was my first railfan trip with other railfans other than a New York subway-elevated or streetcar fan trip. We went to Easton to ride the Easton Limited (Lehigh Valley Tranist), then ride Allentown local streetcars, then the Liberty Bell with the ex-Red Devils to Philly, and then the PRR home. We also worked in a P&W Bullet Norristown-Ardmore Jc.,, and a two car center-entrance train from Ardmore Juncion to 69th Street. Later trips taught me I had missed the best part, the fast non-stop LVT cars between Norristown and 69th.
If I recall correctly, the Lehigh Valley did not buy modern lightweight coaches but rebuilt heavyweights in its own shops, much as PRR did with lots of P-70's. The LV rebuilt coaches were fine for day travel. Overnight, if the lights were left on, the glare made sleeping difficult, as I learned on the Maple Leaf between Allentown and Wiilksbarre in December 1949.
ACY I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Whittaker briefly many years ago. He told the story of riding a train somewhere (south Asia?) where the steam locomotives and the dining car ovens and grilles used Eucalyptus for fuel, and the aroma permeated everything: air, clothes, food --- EVERYTHING. Thanks for bringing back a memory of this delightful man. -- Tom
Thanks for bringing back a memory of this delightful man. -- Tom
Although it originated in Australia, eucalyptus has long been cultivated worldwide. The train ride could have been in any of the Asian nations, Africa or Brazil, for example. I presume the fuel for the steam locomotive was eucalyptus oil
Just yesterday, I began re-reading my copy of the Greatly Expanded Edition of All Aboard with E.M. Frimbo, and read about his adventure in Angola, where he rode a locomotive that was fueled with eucalyptus logs (not oil that had been extracted from the logs). The engine had no spark arrestor, and the log tossers on the tender had to keep brushing sparks off themselves.
I recall his writeup for the New Yorker Magazine on the last run (forget whether he rode eastbound or westbound) of the 20th Century. I recall he mentioned he carried with him Lucious Beebe's book on the Century and referred to it once and a while. I also recall that the train was late. But the service and food were excellent. He then regularly rode the Broadway Limited, as I did.
Sad to say, according to the account ("Last Run") in the above-mentioned book, Mr. Whitaker did not himself make the last run of the Century, but he did apprise the co-author of the book, Tony Hiss, of the run, and Mr. Hiss and a friend rode the train.
Through no fault of the NYC, the train did not reach Chicago until 6:45 in the evening--first, an express train (no other description was given in the account) derailed ahead of the Century, and so the Century was detoured over the N&W (NKP) west of Harbor Creek, Pennsylvania--and then was stuck behind a slow, slow freight, so as to arrive in Cleveland a little before time for lunch.
Thanks for the correction and details
Deggesty I just looked in a 1958 issue of the Guide. The Black Diamond was a day train between New York and Buffalo, leaving in the morning. The westbound night train was the Star; the eastbound night train had various names.
Indeed it was the Star. I located and read Whitaker's/Frimbo's article, Chapter 12 "Ithaca: A Case History from Frimbo's File" in All Aboard with E. M. Frimbo: World's Greatest Railroad Buff, 1974, Grossman Publishers, ISBN 0-670-11294-1. Being an egalitarian, he split his travels to and from Ithaca with Lackawanna service. However, as accommodations deteriorated on all lines, Frimbo had to resort to ever more clever means of rail travel to Ithaca.
I doubt if any single paying passenger will every surpass the total mileage of rail travel accumulated by Whitaker/Frimbo.
Deggesty Just yesterday, I began re-reading my copy of the Greatly Expanded Edition of All Aboard with E.M. Frimbo ...
Just yesterday, I began re-reading my copy of the Greatly Expanded Edition of All Aboard with E.M. Frimbo ...
Can you provide the publication details of that edition:Full titleAuthor(s)PublisherPublishing Date, and most important, anyISBN.
Thank you.
rjemery Deggesty Just yesterday, I began re-reading my copy of the Greatly Expanded Edition of All Aboard with E.M. Frimbo ... Can you provide the publication details of that edition:Full titleAuthor(s)PublisherPublishing Date, and most important, anyISBN. Thank you.
by Rogers E.M. Whitaker and Tony Hiss
Published by Kodansha America, Inc., 114 15th Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10011; 1997
ISBN 1-56836-114-9 (pb)
I finished re-reading the book two days ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I did not find, however, one of his adventures that is absolutely non-repeatable--his traveling with a CP crew as they did a week's work on rails and ferries, and shared the final meal with them.
It was my great pleasure to meet E.M. Frimbo ("the world's greatest railroad buff") as well as to exchange letters with him in 1976 as Amtrak was about to re-serve Cleveland after a five year hiatus. He was tall, with very white hair crowning his pink complexion. He was as modest as he was intelligent, and he wrote elegantly. He once wrote to me, "I deplore, incidentally, the national tendency to blame Amtrak for the misdeeds committed by our federal government and antagonistic railway managements." When Amtrak sent through Cleveland its special VIP train the day before regular service began, I took my high school history class to the new lakefront Amshack station, where he was gracious enough to greet them and say a few words to them.
Mr. Frimbo was the subject of a five page spread in Trains in the July, 1966 edition.
He was also an expert of the music and popular culture of the 1920's. His program notes for a three record set of 1920's dance music was a compendium of knowledge and a real window into the zeitgeist of the Jazz Age. He was a habitue of Broadway and a great friend and supporter to young actors and actresses; Debbie Reynolds credited him with propelling her career to stardom. The world of Broadway theatre knew him, not as E.M. Frimbo, but "Pops." He lived a fascinating life in so many respects, not least of which was as an editor of The New Yorker.
We have never replaced him yet as a writer who could make riding trains seem fascinating to the ordinary reader. Rogers Em M. Whitaker was a fellow of the type we never have enough of. I'm so glad to read here that others enjoyed his work and influence as much as I did.
Deggesty All Aboard with E.M. Frimbo (I am not sure that "Greatly Expanded Edition" is an actual part of the title.) by Rogers E.M. Whitaker and Tony Hiss Published by Kodansha America, Inc., 114 15th Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10011; 1997 ISBN 1-56836-114-9 (pb) I finished re-reading the book two days ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I did not find, however, one of his adventures that is absolutely non-repeatable -- his traveling with a CP crew as they did a week's work on rails and ferries, and shared the final meal with them.
All Aboard with E.M. Frimbo (I am not sure that "Greatly Expanded Edition" is an actual part of the title.)
I finished re-reading the book two days ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I did not find, however, one of his adventures that is absolutely non-repeatable -- his traveling with a CP crew as they did a week's work on rails and ferries, and shared the final meal with them.
"Greatly Expanded Edition" is not part of the title. According to Amazon, the paperback edition you have is a reprint of the 1974 hardcover book I have, which I cited in an earlier reply herein.The book I have has 33 chapters, none of which relates an experience with a CP track maintenance crew, as you have found. My one criticism of Whitaker's writings is that most chapters/articles are not dated.While Whitaker/Frimbo is infatuated with steam, I am the opposite. The age of diesel or electric streamliners for me defines train travel. I do make exceptions, however, such as the broad gauge WP Class Pacific "Black Beauty" steam locomotives of Indian Railways, which ran well into the 1970s. Their styling I deemed truly elegant. The locomotives often looked better than the luxury carriages they pulled.
As an aside, the "Black Beauties" were regularly cleaned and polished. There was an annual competition among maintenance crews as to who had the best looking engine.Returning to this thread, granted, few long distance diesel and/or electric passenger trains today surpass the luxury trains of the bygone steam era. However, even today there are regularly scheduled luxury trains powered by diesels or electrics. Two that come to mind are South Africa's Blue Train and Australia's Indian Pacific.
I am sorry that Amazon is not familiar with the edition that was published in 1997, for it is not merely a reprint of the 1974 book; it has a total of 54 chapters, the last one of which has an account of the placing of a plaque, made by his brother Francis, honoring him at Cumbres Pass.
http://www.amazon.com/All-Aboard-E-M-Frimbo-Greatest/dp/1568361149/ref=sr_1_2/189-3472236-0610020?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407012591&sr=1-2&keywords=all+aboard+with+e.m.+frimbo
Please permit this addendum:
First, I do remember the New Yorker article about Rogers's brother Francis, who was an accomplished blacksmith, and the placing of the plaque. Talk about two different career paths!
Second, I forgot to mention that before Amtrak, for at least several years, Rogers Whitaker, an editor at The New Yorker, of all things, worked on his vacations as a waiter in the dining cars of some western railroad, I'm not sure which (but as Casey Stengel would say, "You could look it up"). Can you imagine? A successful New York writer and editor waiting tables on passenger trains just because he wanted to?
And doesn't that sound, in a funny way, like something some of us would have liked like to have done? To be able to have worked on pre-Amtrak (or post Amtrak, for that matter) western passenger trains just because we wanted to?
E. M. Frimbo lived a live worth living.
"E. M. Frimbo lived a LIFE worth living."
I hate it when I mis-proof; Whitaker would have nailed me deservedly for that.
Dave and All:
My copy of "Car Names, Numbers, and Conists" (Wayner) page 57 states that the LV purchased 10 lightweight chair cars seating 92 (1510-1514) and seating 82 (1515-1519) from Pullman-Standard in 1939. I am thinking they were used in commuter service.
They did purchase one RDC 1 and one RDC-2 in 1951.
Ed Burns
wanswheel http://www.amazon.com/All-Aboard-E-M-Frimbo-Greatest/dp/1568361149/ref=sr_1_2/189-3472236-0610020?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407012591&sr=1-2&keywords=all+aboard+with+e.m.+frimbo
One of the best ways to spend $4.00 I know. ;-}
Note that there is a review of the 'expanded' 1997 volume that neatly describes the difference between the editions. I quote it in full to save the trouble of locating it on the Amazon page:
"I was the editor of the greatly expanded 1997 edition of this railroading classic of the 1970s. E.M. Frimbo was the alter ego of Whitaker, a writer who spent more than 50 years at the New Yorker, one of the original coterie that included A.J. Liebling, Joseph Mitchell, and others. Beginning in the 1940s, Frimbo began chugging through the pages of the magazine, right up to and beyond Whitaker's death in the early 1980s. In the 1960s, Tony Hiss had come along and become Whitaker's collaborator on these travel essays. When Hiss began to assemble this new edition, he discovered many pieces that were not in the earlier edition, so the book grew by 50%, and includes many photos of Whitaker never published before. Hiss unearthed such articles as one about the railway in Wales that travels through the Potemkin village where the classic TV show "The Prisoner" was filmed, and a final tribute to Whitaker, appropriately mounted to him at Cumbres Pass, the highest elevation in the USA reached by a train."
E.M. Frimbo and Oliver Jenson on Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder in 1975.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEptNZ939g8
The ten lightweights that Lehigh Valley purchased were "American Flyers," similar to the New Haven 8200's. The did not have reclining seats and were not intended for the premium trains, except possibly as the "shorts' coach.". The difference in seating resulted from different rest-room configurations. The coaches with reclining seats were modernized heavyweights. When one reclined, to get some sleep, one's eyes were directed up to an egg-crate ceiling with fluorescent tubes above. This bad situation was corrected.
wanswheel E.M. Frimbo and Oliver Jenson on Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder in 1975. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEptNZ939g8
Mostly right on except for their assessment for the success of ConRail
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
northeasterWhen I first viewed this interview from youtube, what was so clear and quite fun was to see Rogers Whitaker constantly looking out the train window as he was talking or being interviewed: the man just loved to be on a train! I wonder if anyone has collected his New Yorker stories as E.M. Frimbo as a set? I do have the larger volume by Tony Hiss and it is wonderful reading.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.