Blue Island - The Rock Island had two routes to Blue Island from LaSalle St. Station and the IC had a commuter branch running to Blue Island from a junction with the main line at or near 115th St., Kensington.
Mark
Correct. IC's station was across the street fom RI's before electrification. IC shortened the the line a couple of hundred feet since they no longer needed a run around track.
The IC and RI Blue Island stations are still both on Vermont Street, but on opposite sides of the street.
I did not know that the Rock used tank engines. Replacing them with donwgraded road power was modernization? Or was the modernization replacing wood open platform cars with steel vestibuled cars? (The Al Capones)
daveklepper I did not know that the Rock used tank engines. Replacing them with donwgraded road power was modernization? Or was the modernization replacing wood open platform cars with steel vestibuled cars? (The Al Capones)
Kind of both. Rock's tank engines were heavier than ICs. Most of the Rock's came from Burnham, Williams and Co. but they did have a few Baldwins. IC's came from Rogers and Brooks, except for a bunch of 2-6-4Ts converted by IC from Schenectady 2-6-0s, and a dozen or so homebuilts. RI's "Capone" cars were too heavy for the tank engines, all of which were 30+ years old by then anyway.
As far as I can find, RIs were 2-6-6Ts. IC had 2-4-4T, 2-4-6T, 2-6-4T, 4-6-4T(rebuild from 2-6-4T). IC also used lighter road engines in later years, though not on the Blue Island branch.
IC's communication system consisted of a rope running to a bell in the cab of the tank engine. It was part of the fireman's job to disconnect/connect the rope when changing ends.
Paul is correct that the IC's passenger station location didn't change, just where the end of the line was.
In 1910 what was the southernmost point reached by rail in the US? What through trains served this terminal? Ditto; same two questions for 1940.
As a first guess, question No. 1, Key West, Florida East Coast, Havana Special, No 2. Larado, Texas, Texas Pacific, Aztec Eagle
daveklepper As a first guess, question No. 1, Key West, Florida East Coast, Havana Special, No 2. Larado, Texas, Texas Pacific, Aztec Eagle
Sorry but the FEC Overseas Railway was not completed to Key West until 1912. See narig's comment regarding Laredo.
narig01 Last comment does this include any cross border trackage? I do not remember off the top of my head if Brownsville had a railroad border crossing and where it might have crossed.
Last comment does this include any cross border trackage? I do not remember off the top of my head if Brownsville had a railroad border crossing and where it might have crossed.
No cross border trackage was involved.
Territories off limits?
Continental US Only.
Bingo, Wans, you have it. In 1910 both the Over Seas Ltd and the Key West Express ran to Knight's Key Dock which was 112 miles south of Miami. In 1940 the FEC was cut back to Florida City just 30 miles south of Miami. There was no through passenger service south of Miami only a mixed train to Florida City.
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur died April 5, 1964. What railroad owned the land his residence was built above? What railroad did he ride on June 13, 1899? What railroad provided his funeral train?
wanswheel General of the Army Douglas MacArthur died April 5, 1964. What railroad owned the land his residence was built above? What railroad did he ride on June 13, 1899? What railroad provided his funeral train?
NYC (Park Ave tunnels) Waldorf Hotel
NYC(West Shore) to Kingston (West Point)
PRR (New York to Washington)
RC, yes, advance to Go.
A newsreel (first link) shows the funeral train arriving in Washington. I’m disappointed it shows almost nothing of Penn Station, which still stood with a magnificence equal to the occasion.
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/general-macarthur-lying-in-state/query/macarthur+funeral+new+york
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/a-tribute-to-general-macarthur/query/Tokyo
This Rapid Transit line extended its service over a suburban street railway whose tracks were leased from a steam railroad, mainly to get rights to serve a racetrack. The Rapid Transit line's own route was later built a couple of blocks away next to a major steam railroad route. The successor operation and the railroad share a common right-of-way today.
The following are rapid transit lines that share RofW with railroads today: Boston's Orange Lline and the Amtrak NEC, don't know of any racetrack.
Sea beach ("N") line and Bay Ridge branch of LIRR, used regularly at one time by NYNH&H freights. Lines were always together and don't know about any racetrack.
Cleveland red line and part of blue and green lines. RofW was always together, but certainly the blue and green lines were and called suburban street railways of a kind, but never ran on the street. Don't know of any racetrack.
Suffolk Downs in Boston's Chelsea area had service at various times by the Boston and Maine, the narrow gauge Boston Revere and Lynn, Boston Elevated and MTA streetcars, and the Blue-Line Rapid Transit, but the rapid transit was never on the same RofW as either railroad and went into service long after the narrow gauge quite, then using much of its RofW.
That leaves Lake Street of the CTA as the only contender, and although I do not know of any racetrack involved, and do not know of any race track that the rapid transit line served or serves, that does not mean that there was one in some unfufilled goal. So I guess it is the CTA Lake Street line. The Lake St. elevated structure is a few blocks away from the UP former C&NW West Line RofW, but where the rapid transit formerly ran streetcar style on the surface, it shares the West Line RofW.
The Lake Street L's first operations in what is now Oak Park ran on the Suburban Railroad's Randolph St. line a couple of blocks south of the eventual surface alignment along the C&NW. The Suburban leased the tracks from the Chicago Terminal Transfer, which had ended operations on Randolph St. in 1897. The Lake St. L used Randolph St for about two years, during which the South Blvd. line was built. The L continued to use the Lombard St connecting track and a bit of the Randolph St. trackage to reach Cuyler Avenue, a north-south "street" that connected with the Suburban's Harrison Street line, allowing through operation of L trains to the Harlem Racetrack. The tracks were removed from Randolph St about 1910.
In November 1962, the CTA began operations on C&NW's 1907 concrete embankment next to South Blvd. after decades of operating in its shadow. Today's Green Line still operates there.
The history of the people, companies, franchises and politics involving the Lake Street L, the Suburban RR and the CTT's predecessors, along with the towns that make up today's suburbs, reads like a police blotter.
Sinc
During WWII and through the early 50's to about 1958 double-end lightweights and deck-roof older cars suplemented the PCC's and the 20 pre-PCC single-end modern cars of Capitol Transit. One service that demanded their use was Rosslyn-Benning, for trips that reversed at the Benning crossover without continuing to Seat Pleasant or Kennilworth. There was only one line that never used PCC's. It had another or two other claims to fame. Which line was it and what was its end-points?
Big hint: The only time any double-end cars needed to use plows to pick-up from the conduit sysem, was to and from the carbarn.
Big hint: At one time it was possible to go from one important place to another via trains of more than one dar using conduit in downtown Washington and trolley poles elsewhere, without changing trains or cars. But it was also possible, with two changes of cars, to go via this route -- at one time. Probably at a lower overvall fare and probably twice or three times the time involved.
I think the Columbia line, shared with WB&A interurbans until 1935, matches your description. Plows were only needed at the White House carbarn end, where WB&A cars picked up plows as well.
YOu are close. The WB&A was the interurban between the two points. But I am referring to a line that coujld be used to reach between Washington and ---- NOT using the tracks used by the WB&A. And the line, reduced in length, and using only double-end cars, lasted a few years after WWII. I rode it. And since between the two points, two (and possibly at times three) changes of cars was required, three (or at times four) different lines had to be used. And there was never ever any through service, not even special moves or trolley freight.
WB&A cars and Rossly-Benning cars exchanged plows for use of trolley poles at the same location, the Washington - Benning line. Capitol Transit ran only to the central-Benning crossover, service beyond was WB&A. When WB&A quit, CT took over the line as far as Seat Pleasant and the Kennilworth branch, constructed the loop for PCC'sat Seat Pleasant and the wye at Kennilworth. I think Kennilworth was the only wye terminal on CT.
But the line I am looking for never did run downtown. It connected with a mostly or 100% PCC line that did run downtown. At one time at its fullest length it connected with another line that also was probably a shuttle for most of its life. Signs of its former length remained after it was cut-back, because the continuing RofW was very visable, and on the pole at the right side (with bracket arm terminating the overheaad wire) was a sign "End Zone 2, start Zone 3."
Even if they had wanted to run through service between the main downtown endpoints, served directly by the WB&A (and by two railroad, of course), it would not have been possible without special equipment never used in North America.
For me, the three "B's" are of course, Bach,, Beethoven, and Brahms. But here were also three B's, or even four.
need more time or not really interested?
I kind of ran out of steam after coming up with the Columbia line. I know there were a bunch of intrusions from Virginia that never got PCCs. The only other line I came up with was the one to Laurel MD, but what material I have on it is, at best, sketchy.
During the period of Capitol Transit, the only line into Virginia was at Rosslyn, and it got PCC's when the loop was built at Seat Pleasant and the wye at Kennelworth. After Benning was abandoned, supposedly because of deteriorated conduit, Rosslyn was thru routed with another line, forget which onet.
At Rosslyn, at one time Capitol Transit connected with the Washington and Old Dominion interurban, which at one time may have run cars through to Washington (with conduit) but I have no knowledge of that. During WWII it had already become diesel freight, and to handle war traffic bought second doodlebugs to handle a restored passenger service that lasted through WWII.
Regarding "my" CT shuttle, if Laural, MD was norh of Washington, then may have been the ultimate endpont . But the place where it connected with Baltimore Transit was a town (village) beginning with a B. And it was cut back to another place beginning withi a B, and connnected with a PCC-operated heavy line to downtown at that line's outer terminal beginning with a B.
A 1950s map shows a line to Branchville MD, near today's College Park. Furthest south I can stretch Baltimore Transit is Baltimore Highlands, not far out of Baltimore.
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