I will answer tomorrow evening if no one else does by then, but would prefer not to (don't have any good questions ready).
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
In early 1951 Canadian National tested the RDC demonstator on a number of routes, including interurban subsiduary Montreal & Southern Counties. Later in 1951 electrified operations south of Marieville ceased, with diesels (including the CN-only FM/CLC H-12-46) taking over.
https://www.exporail.org/can_rail/Canadian%20Rail_no491_2002.pdf
Late in the year the 2960 came to the Baltimore & Annapolis for 18 days, B&A had previously abandoned passenger rail service (the company switched to buses) and ceased electrified operations in February 1950. The test must not have been successful as no RDC's were ordered and the company never resumed passenger rail service.
http://ctr.trains.com/photo-of-the-day/2018/07/rdc-test-on-baltimore-and-annapolis#12
CN already had the H-12-46s on order before the RDC demo, didn't get their first RDCs until 1953. The M&SC's light rail between Marieville and Granby was the impetus for the A1A-A1A wheel arrangement. Apparently no public trips withthe RDC were run, only trips for CN officials.
The Baltimore & Annapolis was trying to lure some public investment in restored rail service. Like similar attempts in the 1950s and 1960s, the attempt went nowhere. The tests were successful in the sense that passengers liked the RDC, but B&A certainly couldn't afford any on its own. Like later "tests" in Michigan (DSS&A) and California (SP), The RDC wasn't quite enough to save local services.
A fairly common diesel switcher weighed a specific amount to skirt what we would now consider a rather archaic rule.
At the time the locomotive builder did not produce its own diesel engines, and these locomotives could be ordered with several different engine designs. The vast majority of these locomotives were built with one engine type from a very prominent diesel engine manufacturer, and the last 4 locomotives were built with a different engine type from the same manufacturer.
What is the locomotive model?
Everything seems to fit the GE 44-tonner
That's the answer.
I helped get one running the other day, which inspired the question. Ours is one of the last four built (ex-CN 4), and has CAT D342 engines instead of the far more common D17000.
Still waiting on you Mod Man!
Bumping this to open it up. I don't have anything interesting enough for a good-enough general question.
One of the last trains listed in the OG as "All-Pullman", the Panama Limited carried coaches for several years listed under another train name. What was the "train"?
City of New Orleans?
The Magnolia Star was the all-coach overnight train between Chicago and New Orleans in the late sixties. In the Guide, its equipment was listed immediately below that of the Panama Limited, which was #5 and #6--but no numbers were shown for the coach train.The equipment listing showed a cafe-coach, and a St. Louis-New Orleans coach.
Until Amtrak decided to rename the overnight train, the City of New Orleans left its origins in the morning, and arrived at its destinations by midnight (if it ran close to being on time); the last time I rode it, it arrived in New Orleans about six hours late, and I detrained at Carrollton Avenue to make sure I caught the Southern's only train out of New Orleans--the City had engine trouble all the way from at least Carbondale south--all three E's died at Dyersburg, amd two Geeps were pressed into service)..
Johnny
Johnny has the correct answer (as he usually does!). Thought I'd toss a soft lob to keep the quiz going. Yours, Johnny!
Here is what seems an oddity to me: in 1953, there was a Richmond to Chicago Pullman that did not take a direct routing. What was the routing, what roads, and what name trains handled it?
A side question to the Panama/Magnolia Star: Was there a seperate name for the coaches added to the 20th Century?
Ed Burns
NP Eddie A side question to the Panama/Magnolia Star: Was there a seperate name for the coaches added to the 20th Century? Ed Burns
The original plan for adding coaches to the Century was to combine it with the Commodore Vanderbilt, which already carried coaches. Once NYC pulled out of Pullman in 1958, I think they stopped caring. The red carpet remained (even for coach passengers!) until the end of Century service.
Suprise! Able to log in at the Yeshiva! 1st time in a long time!
The direct and usual sleeper service between Richmond, VA, in Chicago, IL., was the C&O in Newport News - Chicago sleepers via C&O to Cincinnati and then NYC to Chicago.
I think the N&W did try to compete with Richmond - Petersburg on the ACL, probably the Everglades or the Havana Special, then the Pocohuntis or Cavelier on the N&W, and the PRR Cincinnati - Chicago, possibly also passing though Richmond, Indiana.
No, Dave, the N&W did not enter into this route at the time specified. It did have a Norfolk to Chicago 10-6 that was carried by the Pocohontas and the PRR's Red Bird from Cincinnati.
The car in the question went east in a seemingly more sensible routing.
Hmmm... 1953. Wouldn't that involve C&O, a R.R.Young road, and then at some point New York Central, promising to be a R.R.Young road? If I were going to look for that it would probably involve Cincinnati, then perhaps up as far east as Cleveland?
The C&O already had its direct sleepers to Chicago on two of its three through trains. (Sprotsman, George Washingnton, and Fast Flying Viginian. I think it was the first two that carried the through Chicago sleepers and also made good coach connections with the Central (Big Four) at Cincinati to Chicago.
The C&O had its own frieght tracks to Chicaago, but in my memory only had a day local that went as far as Hammond, with passengers asked to use the South Shore the rest of the way. For a while it was pwered by an Atlantic. Through passesngers were routed via the Central between Cincinnati and Chicago.
Possibliy RF&P to Washington and then PRR General or Admiral (Washigton Sections) to Chicago. If not PRR, then the B&O.
The N&W did serve Richmond with a sleeper, however! The regular New York - Norfolkl sleeper. Rivals the Montrealer-Washingtonian in number of railroad. PRR, RF&P, ACL, N&W. Rode it. ACL to and from N&W at Petersburg.
No, Dave, the car did not go through Washington. Overmod has the right roads, but the car did not go through Cincinnati westbound--even though it did eastbound.
Deggesty Here is what seems an oddity to me: in 1953, there was a Richmond to Chicago Pullman that did not take a direct routing. What was the routing, what roads, and what name trains handled it?
It would be Richmond to Chicago via Toledo. C&O's Sportsman handled the car to Toledo, where it was switched to NYC's Lake Shore Limited for the run to Chicago. Looking at the February 1953 OG, no Chicago-Richmond sleeper was available.
C&O and NYC swapped cars in Toledo for other purposes as well, especially after 1946 when they shared Toledo Union. In various years the cars from various West Virginia resorts went via Toledo in one direction or another.
Zephyr Overland has the route and trains.
The car apparently came east to Clifton Forge. using the Carolina Special to Cincinnati and then the Sportsman to Clifton Forge; did Pullman dedhead the car to Richmond?
The C&O had many Pullman lines which were not return trips like the above line. In the same month, the Southern had a car which apparently ran New York to Charlotte on the Piedmont Limited, Charlotte to Atlanta on the Washington-Atlanta-New Orleans Express, and back to New York on the Peach Queen; all were essentially overnight trips.
The Chicago-Toledo-Richmond car was back by May 1957, a 10-6 running in both directions in the New England States and Sportsman.
The Clifton Forge car could also have been used to Newport News (Phoebus) and retruned to Richmond with a shorter deadhead.
Give me a few days to develop a new question.
For the 1962-63 winter season, ACL introduced an upgraded Florida Special for its 75th anniversary season, with added amenities and upgraded equipment. Unfortunately, corporate focus on this train resulted in the disappearance of another train, one that at one time was touted as "The Train of Society". What was that train?
Was it the Vacationer? It left New York City in the morning, and Miami in the afternoon, giving passengers a choice as to the time of day for travel.
Deggesty Was it the Vacationer? It left New York City in the morning, and Miami in the afternoon, giving passengers a choice as to the time of day for travel.
No it wasn't. The Vacationer was gone for a number of years already.
The Miamian, trains 7 and 8, which ran about twice a week, carried a large number of Pullmans, most cars having bedrooms, compartments and drawing rooms, with only three cars listed in the January 1960 OG as having roomettes. Several sleeper-lounges, a full lounge and a diner made up the rest of the train.
The 1961-1962 winter season seems to have been the train's last.
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