Yeah. That was a little too obvious! Interesting little line, though. Bernard R. Carmen wrote a nice little book about it years ago. Seems like their early safety record was somewhat appalling!
The ball is in your court Mr. rcdrye!
Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington.
Okay. While we're on the subject of lines named for massive manmade projects: This 24 mile shortline (at it's max) included in it's name a huge 19th century engineering feat. It managed to change gauge, motive power and length before expiring in the nuclear age, in which it played an active part.
rfpjohnI believe that would be the Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad, "Better by a damsite", refering to the Chattahoochee river dam. They had a neat roster of Alco RS-1's for the first couple of decades.
For a 15 mile short line, it was quite visible. Your question.
I believe that would be the Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad, "Better by a damsite", refering to the Chattahoochee river dam. They had a neat roster of Alco RS-1's for the first couple of decades.
I also could have mentioned that both the TARS cars spent a couple of decades in Vienna, sent there as part of the Marshall Plan rebuilding of Europe.
This industrial shortline that was created in the early 1960s had many interchange box cars, decorated with a crossbuck and a slogan that referred to a man-made geographic feature.
You are absolutely terrific. A 100% accurate and thorough answer. Be proud of yourself. Of course you could have mentioned that the Boston Elevated morphed into the Metropolitan Transit Authority with almost the entire Type-5 fleet intact. Mass scrapping of these useful cars did not start until about 1960!
TARS and O&CB used a control stand and brake system interlocked together with a foot pedal operated brake control, which released the brakes when depressed. Releasing the pedal slowly provided for self-lapping service application, taking your foot off an emergency stop. The door control interlock could be set up to close the door before the car started moving (there were also operating buttons, so you could operate the doors without releasing the brakes). In addition, applying the brake tripped the line switch, removing power from the motors. Releasing the brake also closed the line switch, letting the operator run nearly hands-free. The controller itself, at least on the TARS cars, was a K35G with an LB-2A line controller similar to ones used on Birneys. It was up to the operator whether to use the LB-2A to cut the line switch in and out or to rely on the foot brake.
Branford has TARS 629, which is operational. Seashore has 631 which is out of service awaiting bearing work on the motors.
Boston Elevated Railways' 500 type 5 cars had the center emergency brake. Seashore has two, 5734 which is leased to the "T" and normally lives in Boston's Boylston Street station, and 5821, which is operational at Seashore. 5821's emergency brake was recently restored to operation after many years.
I have spent many happy hours on 631 and 5821, most recently on 5821 this week.
The Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway and the Third Avenue Railway, later Third Avenue Transit, in NY, had a safety car system that was just as effective and safe, maybe even better, than the common one attributed to Birney and widely used to covert two-man cars to one-man operation, and used on most lightweight cars. What was different about the Third Avenue system, also used in Omaha, how did one provide service braking, emergency braking, creeping up to an anjoining car in a yard or carhouse, and door control. Where can one see a car like this in a museum operation today?
And what large system had many many one-man lightweight cars without either of the safety-car systems, simply a lever hanging from the center for a passsenger to pull to stop the car in an emergency, and where can one see such a car in a museum operation today?
Though he didn't get the train names quite right, Dave actually identified the SR/N&W route via Bristol so I'm going to pass the baton and ask him to pose the next question.
Mark
look forward to his question. Thanks
Mark did give the answer, naming the trains that ran diesel one way and steam the other, though he got the directions wrong. I thought that using the first letter of the name of each train would be a clue as to which one was which.
Johnny
I can vouch that the Tennessian was diesel Monroe- Washignton both directions after 1942, since I saw it in Charlottesville a few times 1943-1944, age 10-12. Always EMD, an A-unit and a B-unit. But one time a PS4 on the front of the two Es because of a "diesel dilema" as the engineer shouted to me.
Must be the Birmingham Special and the Pelican that have steam one way and diesel the other. Since the Tennesian was diesel both ways, I don't know of another choice. But maybe I am missing something.
Re-reading your question it seems you were asking about trains and their motive power circa 1957. The streamlined Ps-4 Pacific powered the Tenneseean between Washington and Monroe from its inaugaration only until 1942.
Regretably I won't be able to attend the 75th Anniversary Dinner.
KCSfan Since the B'ham Special was the inspiration for the song, The Chattanooga Choo Choo, I'll guess it was the train that ran South form Washington behind steam. I believe the Tennesseean's power was a Ps-4 streamlined Pacific. Mark
Since the B'ham Special was the inspiration for the song, The Chattanooga Choo Choo, I'll guess it was the train that ran South form Washington behind steam.
I believe the Tennesseean's power was a Ps-4 streamlined Pacific.
The Southern used its only streamlined steam engine for regular power through 1957 (the EMD engines began running through in January of 1958)?
You did name the trains that ran one way with steam and the other way with diesel.
Until the diesel power ran through over the N&W, the Tennessean and the day local Chattanooga-Memphis were powered by Alco engines Bristol/Chattanooga-Memphis. Thereafter, only EMD power was used on the main passenger trains.
Are you going to the Trains 75th anniversary dinner in October?
Okay--now which one was diesel-powered going south and steam powered going north (which tells us which one was steam-powered going south and diesel-poweed going north.
What was the Tennessean's power on the Washington Division from inauguration until the diesel engines began running through between Washington and Memphis?
The Birmingham Special and Pelican.
Sorry, misread the question. But do I have the right route? I don't wish to go on a wild goose chanse, and if someone else comes up with the complete answer in the meantime, good for him or her.
Dave, the Tennessean was not the train that ran one way diesel and back steam. When it was inaugurated, before WWII, it had diesel power Bristol to Memphis and back. You are correct that the N&W steam powered the trains between Monroe (the Southern's division point) and Bristol.
The Tennesean, Southern diesel Washington - Monroe, N&W steam to connection at Lynchburg, then to Bristol, Southern to Memphis, steam until after WWII. Pelican steam all the way until after WWII, but ran to Birmimgham and New Orleans. Be back with a 3rd.
The original B&O electricification was done by General Electric. I don't know if Edison was still associated with the company at the time of the B&O electricification.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
In the early fifties, as a certain road was replacing steam engines with diesel engines, one of its trains (call it "B") left its origin under diesel power and when it reached a division point the engine was exchanged for a foreign road's steam engine which ran over the first road until it reached its own road, and then on to that road's end for that train. When "B" was going north from that division point, it ran with a steam engine. When another train (call it "P") left its origin, it was powered by a steam engine to that point, where a steam engine of the foreign road was coupled on--and when "P" ran north from that point, it was powered by a diesel engine to its destination. The foreign power carried both trains from its origin for the trains to that point.
Name the roads involved, the division point, and the trains. For a little more interest, name the third train that covered the particular routing described and its power north of the division point.
That's the train I was looking for. B&M's route west out of Boston at least hit some Middlesex villages and towns, where B&A's didn't.
The Paul Revere ran out of Boston in the mid-afternoon and arrived in Buffalo about one in the morning, carrying Pullmans for Chicago.
This was a New York Central System train. Here are some hints: Its eastern terminus wasn't New York. It was more or less a day train. The person it was named after was most famous for one particular event associated with the eastern terminus city.
The George Washington, C&O, Washington - Cincinnatti. The B&O, also with a Washington - Cincinnati passenger service, ran alongside the Chesapeak Canal for which George Washington was one of the original promoters.
When Abraham Lincoln went from Springfield to Washington, did he use the Alton, later the GM&O, route? If he used a different route, and/or was the lawyer in the famous bridge and navagation case, then the Alton's and GM&O's Abraham Lincoln might be what you are looking for.
The PRR for many years had a NY-Washington train named the Edison. When I rode it, it was the slowest of all the hourly trains, making the most stops, like New Brunzwick and Newark, Delaware. Edison was not directly involved in any PRR electrifications, but probably was involved in the original B&O Mt. Royal Tunnel Baltimore electrification.
The train I'm looking for was named for a person.
rcdrye This New York Central System name train which lasted into the mid 1950s would have been truer to its namesake if it had followed the competitor's route out of its eastern endpoint.
This New York Central System name train which lasted into the mid 1950s would have been truer to its namesake if it had followed the competitor's route out of its eastern endpoint.
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