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Classic Railroad Quiz (at least 50 years old).

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Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 11:22 AM

Johnny has the final answer. GM&O's doodlebug wandered from Bloomington to Kansas City, crossing the Mississippi River at Jacksonville IL , the Wabash at Mexico MO and coming in from almost straight east.  The line is owned by Kansas City Southern now.

CMStP&P's trains 25 and 26 from Milwaukee to Kansas City met up with the Chicago-Omaha Arrow at Savanna Il in the middle of the night and swapped passengers.  At one point 25 and 26 had carried through cars from Chicago along with the name Southwestern Limited.

Dave did all of the drudge work, so he gets the next go.

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 11:13 AM

The connection point on the Milwaukee service was probably Ceder Rapids, to a branchline train.   If it was to a through train from the north, it would be Savannah.

Apparently posted without seeing the above.   I had checked on the GM&O, but the map I saw didn't show the KC line for some reason.

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Posted by Deggesty on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 10:40 AM

Milwaukee passengers changed trains in Savanna.

The GM&O had a connecting service (not very good westbound, but decent eastbound) at Bloomington. I am not sure just how the GM&O got into Kansas City.

Johnny

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Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 10:29 AM

Aside from being blue and not red, MoPac didn't get the C&EI until long after St. Louis service was dropped.  Think of the remaining competitors in the same C&EI/Wabash market.

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 9:54 AM

ןIshould have noted you ruled out CGW and apologize, and I will use the map, despite its bankrupcy connotations! At the time you are using, had the MoPac already purchased the C&EI, and was the C&EI Chic-St.L passenger train still running?   If so, the sixth railroad would be the MoPac., with St.L the transfer point.  I think the C&EI passenger service was cut back from St.L and then cut altogether.   But the MoPac St.L - KC service lasted longer.

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Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 9:18 AM

Great Western no longer served Chicago.  On the other hand the last of the railroads also had a largely red paint scheme...

CB&Q's (now BNSF's) Brookfield sub used Wabash trackage rights to get to Kansas City.  CB&Q's own line met the Wabash for a short section of paired track after the trackage rights section.  CGW's line entered from the northwest, OK for twin cities service but not much else, and abandoned after C&NW got the CRI&P spine line.

CRI&P and CMStP&P entered on joint track still used today by UP/CP.

Here is a Milwaukee Road map you can use to determine the junction point:

http://milwaukeeroadarchives.com/Bankruptcy/Bankruptcy.htm

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 9:03 AM

The sixth railroad was the Chicago and Great Western, with a connection between named trains at Owelein.  These were not streamliners but were named trains.

And from the list, the Rock and the Milwaukee must have entered on a joint line.  The Q must have used either the Wabash or the CGW to enter KC, using the list, but considering the geography, where the WAbash came in from almost due east and the CGW from the north, I'll pick the CGW for the Q.

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Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 9:01 AM

Milwaukee connection was a bit east of Des Moines.  Think where the train was coming from.  Look at a historic CMStP&P map and a current map of CP/IC&E to see it, since the track west of the junction point is still in use by IC&E.

http://milwaukeeroadarchives.com/Bankruptcy/Bankruptcy.htm

http://www.oocities.org/trainmaps/dmeice.jpg

Tally so far:

One seat rides:

1. AT&SF on own tracks

2. CB&Q on ? tracks (one of three railroads without one-seat rides)

3. Rock Island jointly with ?

One railroad rides

1. Wabash on own tracks connecting at St. Louis

2. Milwaukee Jointly with ? connecting at ?

3. ? on own tracks connecting at ?

A lot of the connecting info is in the above list.  Enjoy finding the last one.

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 8:32 AM

The Milwaukee connection was at Des Moines.  The third line with a one-sseat ride would be the Rock Island.  I had forgotton the Golden State, which did run through Kansas Ciity on the way to the west from Chicago.  Perhaps there was a Kansas Rocket, also.  More to come.

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Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 6:26 AM

AT&SF is the only carrier that offered a one-seat ride and arrived on its own tracks.  Wabash is also correct, with St.Louis, and Wabash had its own line as well.  North Western didn't get to KC until it had acquired the CGW, which I already cut from the list (Chicago dropped in 1955). CB&Q had its own line into Kansas City, but its passenger shortcut did enter on trackage rights, but not on the Rock Island.

The third line with a one-seat ride competed with the AT&SF for traffic to the west as well as to Chicago, and operated trains through Kansas City.  Of the two remaining lines, one had formerly transferred Chicago cars to its Kansas City train, which ran as far as it would have if it had originated in Chicago.  The other ran the smallest possible train from its connection with its much more famous and longer lasting service.

Tally so far:

One seat rides:

1. AT&SF on own tracks

2. CB&Q on ? tracks

3. ? jointly with ?

One railroad rides

1. Wabash on own tracks connect at St. Louis

2. ? Jointly with ? connecting at ?

3. On own tracks connect at ?

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 5:05 AM

Before looking at the March issue, which has not arrived here in Jerusalem, and without research, and Wikapedia is pretty bare on this, here are some thoughts.

The AT&SF offered multiple one-seat rides and certainly was the passenger carrier of choice.  It must have entered on its own tracks, because its trains ran through the city which was a through-station stop on its main line.  The CB&Q had its Kansas City Zephyr and an overnight train, both one-seat rides, so it must be the railroad that gave one-seat service, but my guess it entered on the tracks of the Rock Island, since in other service it had a joint service with the RI.   The third choice would be Wabash, with a change in St. Louis, but with multiple trains on both the Chi-StL and StL-KC, all or almost all full-service trains.  I suspect one could make decent connections on the Rock, and if my memory serves, Beurau (Sp?) would be the connection point.   The other two?   Milwaukee and Norhwestern or possibly the Chicago Great Western?  The Rock did have its own tracks into KC.  The Wabash may have used UP tracks or may have had its own.

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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 6:52 PM

Anyone with access to the March 2015 Trains map of Kansas City has most of the information needed to get the six railroads.

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Posted by rcdrye on Saturday, February 14, 2015 10:42 AM

It's sometimes hard to believe how many options travelers used to have.

Between 1956 and 1959 there were six railroads offering same-railroad (though not necessarily same-seat) service between Chicago and Kansas City.  Three of the railroads arrived in Kansas City on their own tracks, two shared a joint approach and one had rights on one of the first group of three. Of the three arriving on their own tracks, only one oftered a one-seat ride from Chicago.

Name all six railroads, how their trains arrived in Kansas City, and where you had to change trains on the ones that didn't offer a one-seat ride.

I deliberately placed this after 1955 to leave out the CGW, which had dropped Chicago service in 1955, since the CGW line into KC has been abandoned.  The one line that arrived on trackage rights also had its own line, but used the trackage rights route after 1952 for passenger trains.

More hints... All three roads offering a one-seat ride had (mostly) stainless steel passenger trains, the other three painted steel, reds, oranges and blues.

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Posted by NorthWest on Saturday, February 14, 2015 10:17 AM

Correct, although 434 became GM&O 950 before ICG 6071.

All yours.

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Posted by rcdrye on Friday, February 13, 2015 4:37 PM

There seems to be some dispute whether an X comes before or after the series designator...

GP40 433A to IC 3075

SD40 434 to IC 6071

SD40 434A - 434H to UP 3040-3047

SD45 4351 to IC 7000

SD45 4352-4354 to D&H 801-803, traded to EL for U33Cs 3301-3303 (D&H 751-753)

Some of the SD40 units were painted in Santa Fe's blue and yellow freight scheme, but without Santa Fe lettering.  434G and 434H demonstrated in Canada and Mexico before settling down on the UP.

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Posted by NorthWest on Friday, February 13, 2015 10:38 AM

Right. After some research, it appears that Otto Kuhler styled the exterior.

We've reached the 50th anniversary of the entry of EMD 645 production units into service. Name the 645 testbed units, and who they were sold to.

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Friday, February 13, 2015 10:02 AM

I believe that the architect in question was Paul Cret.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, February 13, 2015 5:57 AM

Small correction:  zeverette.  Only demonstration runs on the Fulton Street Elevated, most other elevated lines had platforms that prohibited its use.  Revenue service only on the Franklin Avenue Shuttle.   Arhitect the same Philadelphia architect as for the original Super Chief interior, and now I am blocking on his name!

 

The 10 car R-11 used almost exlusively on the "A".

 

Your question.   Thanks

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Posted by NorthWest on Thursday, February 12, 2015 8:52 AM

BMT Zephyr:built 1934, spent its time primarily on Brooklyn elevated service with a long stint on the Franklin Shuttle. Retired 1954, scrapped 1960.

R-11 Million Dollar Train: built 1949, 10 cars built to be prototypes for the Second Avenue Subway. Rebuilt to R-34s in 1964, and retired 1977 after a yard accident. One unit preserved, others scrapped. Interior styled by Otto Kuhler, designer of numerous streamlined railcars and locomotives.

Both were built by Budd.

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, February 12, 2015 1:45 AM

My trips' report on the Suncook Valley can be found on a thread on this forum about three or four years ago!  I was 13-1/2 years old, rode the line four times in the summer of 1945, the year WWII ended.  Also what became the Concord and Clairmont, still run by B&M with passenger service, powered by 2-6-0s.

The R-32's still running after about 50 years of use on the New York Subway System's B division were the first production run stainless steel subway cars in North America, built by Budd.   But they were not the first all-stainless-steel-body subway cars on New York subways.  Name the two prior trains, dates, operation, disposal.  Both had nicknames.  Give them if you know them. The interior of one was designed by a designer of the interior of a famous streamliner.  Who and what streamliner. 

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Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 10:16 AM

Correct.  The Turkey falls covered bridge was replaced in 1916.  The Interurban (also B&M - this was sort of a trick question) lasted until 1932.  The steel bridge was removed after the Suncook Valley was abandoned in 1952, but the piers are still standing in the Merrimack River.

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 9:29 AM

Very easy, although when I rode across the bridge's location, the wood bridge had long been replaced by steel.   I assume this was done before the wholy RR-owned interurban went out of business, because inaddition to the one track still in used by shortlines Sunncook Valley, the girders and supports for the interurban's track were still in place, and the crew did explain their history in summer 1945..

The Boston and Maine, Manchester - Concord direct and via Hookset.

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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, February 10, 2015 11:07 AM

This state capital was reached from the state's largest city by two routes operated by the same railroad.  One was a main line hosting through services, the other came in over a weight-restricted wooden bridge shared with an interurban between the same two cities.

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Posted by NorthWest on Monday, February 9, 2015 8:19 PM

rcdrye
Lehigh & New England got 4 L1s 2-8-2's from PRR. I can't confirm 1941 but they were built 1915-1918 so that would seem about right for PRR to sell them. They were G-1's on the LNE.

Correct! The PRR also sold off L-1s to several other railroads. Your question.

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Posted by daveklepper on Monday, February 9, 2015 2:06 PM

New York Ontario and Western did have some ex-New York Central locomotives, and was possibliy the first Class I to be abandoned after the Colorado Midland.

Unsure of the type, probably 2-8-2's or 2-8-0's.

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Posted by rcdrye on Monday, February 9, 2015 8:56 AM

If my memory serves Rutland's 0-8-0's were actually built for Rutland but assigned to NYC during the period of USRA administration.

Lehigh New England got 4 L1s 2-8-2's from PRR.  I can't confirm 1941 but they were built 1915-1918 so that would seem about right for PRR to sell them.  They were G-1's on the LNE.

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Posted by NorthWest on Monday, February 9, 2015 8:49 AM

You are close in geographical area, but it is not the Rutland. I think the 0-8-0s (109 and 110, class U-3) were sold to the Rutland prior to 1941, when the NYC sold off all its stock. Look west a bit.

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Posted by rfpjohn on Monday, February 9, 2015 7:27 AM

Could it be the Rutland, which had two USRA 0-8-0 switchers which had originally served on the New York Central?

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Posted by NorthWest on Sunday, February 8, 2015 2:39 PM

This railroad, one of the first abandoned as a whole (though parts were purchased by others) purchased locomotives from the railroad that dominated one of the states it operated in, in 1941. Name the railroad, locomotives transferred, and original owner of the locomotives.

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Posted by rcdrye on Sunday, February 8, 2015 12:26 PM

Near as I can tell all of them were Baldwins, originally compund.  GN's had 35 of them with 55" drivers,  25x32 and 35x32 cylinders,  200PSI w/ superheaters, along with GN's favored Belpaire firebox.  GN's were simpled in 1926, with 23.5x32 cylinders replacing the large low pressure ones and the pressure upped to 210 PSI.  Southern's (two SR, one AGS) had 56" drivers, 23x32 and 35x32 cylinders, also 200PSI. No record of a superheater.  Erie's lone example was rebuilt to a 2-8-0.  I haven't found specs, but it's probably in the same range as the others. Baldwin apparently offered a "kit" to build your own out of a (presumably Baldwin) 2-8-0, without any takers.

All yours, NorthWest!

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