Did not the SPhave a round-end sleeper that was often used as the rear car, but was a sleeper, not an obs or lounge?
I wondered if that would come up. SP's Blunt-end sleepers were found on most SP trains, and were usually on two or more train sets for the Golden State, but weren't noted as such in the Official Guide. In any event there were usually five Golden State sets, so the rotation doesn't work out (RI sets usually had observations, including the Golden Rocket car). The train I'm looking for noted in its equipment list that the Observation was replaced by other equipment every third day. The train operated that way from 1948 until the partnership broke up in 1959.
Texas Special - Frisco & MKT
Mark
Mark, you get up too early. I had the same thoughts you did, in the same order.
I trust you are not having bad weather; we have light rain this morning. We bought a new snow blower this fall, and it had had one good workout so far.
Johnny
Correct! It looks like the original intent was to have just two train sets with Frisco and M-K-T each supplying one. With a 21 hour 15 minute schedule that didn't leave enough time for service (or late operation) an additional set was made up, with a non-sleeper lounge car instead of the 2DBR 1DR observation.
PRR cars with shadow striping (mostly Cascade series 10rmt5DBR cars) ran in the train in Penn Texas service between New York and San Antonio. The B&O cars in Washington-San Antonio service were not specially painted.
What through train route ran over the largest number of individual railroads? Name both the train(s) and the different railroads involved in its/their operation.
Offhand, I would say that the Dixie Flagler's route, as it was originally was, used more railroads than any other: C&EI Chicago to Evansville, L&N to Nashville, NC&StL to Atlanta, AB&C to Waycross, ACL to Jacksonville, and FC to Miami.
Before the Southern absorbed the GS&F, the Dixie Flyer also used many roads between Chicago and Jacksonville, using the CG from Atlanta to Macon, the GS&F to Tifton, and the ACL to Jacksonville.
The 1916 Guide that I have shows that the Dixie Flyer used the W&A between Chattanooga and Atlanta; if this is allowable, the Dixie Flyer used seven roads in its flight.
rcdrye Correct! It looks like the original intent was to have just two train sets with Frisco and M-K-T each supplying one. With a 21 hour 15 minute schedule that didn't leave enough time for service (or late operation) an additional set was made up, with a non-sleeper lounge car instead of the 2DBR 1DR observation. PRR cars with shadow striping (mostly Cascade series 10rmt5DBR cars) ran in the train in Penn Texas service between New York and San Antonio. The B&O cars in Washington-San Antonio service were not specially painted.
Deggesty Offhand, I would say that the Dixie Flagler's route, as it was originally was, used more railroads than any other: C&EI Chicago to Evansville, L&N to Nashville, NC&StL to Atlanta, AB&C to Waycross, ACL to Jacksonville, and FC to Miami. Before the Southern absorbed the GS&F, the Dixie Flyer also used many roads between Chicago and Jacksonville, using the CG from Atlanta to Macon, the GS&F to Tifton, and the ACL to Jacksonville. The 1916 Guide that I have shows that the Dixie Flyer used the W&A between Chattanooga and Atlanta; if this is allowable, the Dixie Flyer used seven roads in its flight.
Johnny, the Dixie Flagler route is what I had in mind. In addition to the Flagler, the Dixieland also ran on this route.
Regarding the W&A I don't know for sure. It was leased by the NC&StL in 1890 and I thought it was operated as an integral part of that road afterwards. I'm surprised it is shown as a stand alone road in any OG's after that year.
The next question is yours.
rcdryeIf Wikipedia is to be believed, the W&A is still owned by the State of Georgia and leased to CSX...
Wikipedia has it right on this arrangement.
Looking at its 1944 schedule, you see that a certain road in the West had a daily day train, complete with dinette-coach service, between its two terminii. The night train, also running between the two terminii, however, was operated only three days a week in each direction, leaving Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in one direction, and leaving Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in the other direction. What railroad was this?
Pacific Great Eastern?
daveklepper Pacific Great Eastern?
A quick guess would be the Northwestern Pacific.
UP Ogden - Heber?
No, Mark; the Northwesern Pacific had a daily overnight train between San Rafael and Eureka, with a standard sleeper and coaches, and no other passenger service.
No, Dave; the UP never went to Heber, that was a Rio Grande place, with a daily except Sunday mixed from Provo and back.
Possibly the wartime shortage of Pullman cars caused the Oakland - Portland SP overnighter to run just three times a week, with a daily day train taking up the slack? Just for a time in 1944 and most of 1945?
Or possibly Texas and Pacific service to Brownsville?
The SP had three daily trains with sleepers between Portland and Oakland--and there was no day train between the two cities.
The railroad had no other passenger service.
Also, the T&P did not go to Brownsville. El Paso was the only large city close to Mexico served by the T&P.
The railroad operated in only one state, despite the builder's desire to operate in two states.
Trickey question, yes, operated in only one state, with two in its name, but also operated in Mexico.
San Diego and Eastern Arizona
No; there was no state name in its name.
In October of 1944, the SD&AE's overnight train was a mixed train, with no sleeper, and the day train made a round trip, with through cars for and to both New Orleans and Chicago, and a diner that ran between San Diego and Yuma. Also, as you said, the trains ran over the Tijuana and Tecate as it went across Mexico. The road in question had no through service with any other road, and the day train took all day from origin to destination.
Alaska Railroad?
No, the Alaska Railroad was somewhat limited in its passenger service in October, 1944--twice a week service between Anchorage and Seward, going to Seward Mondays and Fridays and coming back the next day; through service once a week to Fairbanks, with an overnight stop at Curry each way and a lunch stop at Healy each way, returning the next day after arriving in Seward; daily except Sunday round trip to Whittier; a mixed train Anchorage to Sutton and back four days a week--bare-bones service by the Department of the Interior.
In the early thirties, a line relocation removed a scenic attraction from the railroad's line--but saved much money in operating costs, especially in the winter.
Tonopah and Goldfield?
No, the Tonopah and Goldfield did have a morning mixed train that ran from Goldfield to Mina daily except Sunday and from Mina to Goldfield dauly except Monday.
You are getting closer to the location of the road.
The Nevada Northern had two 4-6-0's until after WWII, and would have been of strategic importance in 1944, so that's my next try.
Sorry, the Nevada Northern was out of the passenger business by this time. According to Wikipedia, its last scheduled passenger train ran in 1941.
Keep trying; it is a western road.
Not particularly close to Nevada would be the Denver and Salt Lake, still independent in 1944, though D&RGW did have overhead rights from Denver to Dotsero...
Aha! Yes, indeed; the Denver and Salt Lake is the road. After the opening of the Moffat Tunnel (I feared that I would have to add that the builder of the road had a monumental improvement named for him, though he did not live to see it), the D&RGW cut 175 miles off its route between Denver and Dotsero by using the D&SL between Denver and Bond (Orestod); one condition was that the D&RGW could not handle local traffic, but could carry people traveling through beyond its line to/from points on the D&SL.
Incidentally, I am not sure as to how the name of the eastern point of the cutoff is to be pronounced; I wanted to make it two syllables, but I have heard "O-res-tod;" the same person (a coach attendant) who pronounced it thus called the Gilluly Loops (which has hairpin curves) "switchbacks"--I remonstrated with him, explaining that switchbacks involve the use of switches, such as you find on the Cass Scenic Railroad (and I lined one switch as we were coming down the second, and last time, that I rode to Bald Knob and back). I do not remember if it was that coach attendant who called the passengers' attention to to possibility of seeing herds of jackalopes when we were going through western Colorado--the man sitting beside me did not know what a jackalope is, so I described the beast to him--who knows, he may still believe that such exist.
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