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Classic Railroad Quiz (at least 50 years old).

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Posted by henry6 on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 3:22 PM

#19 No, too far west to be central.  #20 OH No!  But O yes, and definitely not Toledo.

IGN, by the way is more close to central.  I will return after 9pm EST tonight to collect five more chances before giving the answer.

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Posted by henry6 on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 8:43 PM

Ok...its past 9:30PMEST 12/1/09.  But since I don't have another question handy, lets let this ride until tomorrow night.  See if there are any more guesses...or better yet, answers!

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Posted by Southerngreen1401 on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 6:11 PM

 

What was the name of the Railroad of the first railroad accident in the USA and where did it happen?
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Posted by henry6 on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 7:45 PM

First things first...the train I was thinking of:  the answers to the clues included Baltimore as one city of origin, the O indicated Buffalo as in NY on Lake Erie, and the Central in question was the Northern Central, the line the PRR used north out of Baltimore to Harrisburg.and Williamsport before turning west to Emporium Jct. and then north to Keating Summit, Olean and Buffalo.  The train: The Buffalo Day Express (southbound the Baltimore Day Express, but thats not what I was thinking of).

So I have to go again: and again my eastern homesteading comes into play.

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Posted by wanswheel on Thursday, December 3, 2009 6:12 AM
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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, December 3, 2009 1:50 PM

 You might say that the first USA railroad accident occurred when the belt broke on the Tom Thumb and the horse won the race.   B&O, 1829.

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Posted by henry6 on Friday, December 4, 2009 7:51 PM
All right, I am again confused.  Should I re-pose my quiz...that since I am an easterner I am again thinking of a train of my youthful days?

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Posted by daveklepper on Monday, December 7, 2009 3:27 AM

I just posed a question of the other thread so go ahead and pose a new one here.  Or I am willing to discount the Tom Thumb belt break and have a go at finding the first "in revenue service" accident?

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Posted by henry6 on Monday, December 7, 2009 9:21 AM

henry6
All right, I am again confused.  Should I re-pose my quiz...that since I am an easterner I am again thinking of a train of my youthful days?

Unless anybody wants to take it from here, this is the question on the board...please, I am old and thinking can be a chore...

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 2:28 AM

Your question makes sense.  Since the Tom Thumb belt braking was not a train in revenue service, I assume that you are talking about one carrying passengers other than just the engineer and a mechanic.  I seem to remember that the first run of the De Witt Clinton on the Schenectedy and Mowkawk caused an injury by some important politician being to close to the track.   Is that memory correct?

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, December 10, 2009 9:51 AM

Or are you thinking of another accident and another train?

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, December 20, 2009 1:16 PM

OK, I'll assume I was correct and ask the next question:   Name all Class I railroads/railroad systems in the 1928-1932 period that had at least two different Chicago terminals for passenger service.

 I don't include the C&O which had a day train from Cincinnati that terminated at Hammond but sent through cars to Chicago over the New York Central System. 

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Posted by al-in-chgo on Sunday, December 20, 2009 1:31 PM

How can a railroad line have more than two terminals, one at the end of each linel?  Everything along the line would be a way station, wouldn't it, no matter how busy? 

 

 

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Posted by Deggesty on Sunday, December 20, 2009 5:16 PM

al-in-chgo

How can a railroad line have more than two terminals, one at the end of each linel?  Everything along the line would be a way station, wouldn't it, no matter how busy? 

 

 

Al, look at it this way: railroad A was built into Chicago, and its terminal is E; railroad B was built into Chicago, and its terminal is F; railroad C was built into Chicago, and its terminal is E. In time, A, B, and C are consolidated into one system, D--but there is no immediate change in the usage of the terminals. Thus, D has at least two terminals in Chicago.

Also, think about the CNW system in Omaha: the C&NW used the UP station, and the Omaha road used its own station for the trains that came down west of the Missouri.

Best wishes to you and all other contributors to this thread for a wonderful Christmas.

.Johnny

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Posted by passengerfan on Monday, December 21, 2009 6:05 AM

Just wanted to wish everyone the best of the Season.

Al - in - Stockton

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Posted by henry6 on Monday, December 21, 2009 9:08 AM

B&O, PRR, NYC, IC, SF, UP and possibly RI.

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 9:38 AM

Can you name the stations and the reasons for the two stations in each case?  Need not be complete but give it a try.

I have my doubts about the UP (did not serve Chicago, just through trains on other railroads), and you did leave out one very different but obvious one.   Hint:  The one left out had most trains running through a downtown or near-Loop terminal to terminate at the opposite side of the city from where its trains came from.

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Posted by ZephyrOverland on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 12:33 PM

daveklepper

Can you name the stations and the reasons for the two stations in each case?  Need not be complete but give it a try.

 

I'll start with the NYC.

Most of its trains running on the former Lake Shore and Michigan Southern used La Salle Street Station and its BigFour subsidiary Chicago-Cincinnati trains used Central Station because those trains utilized IC trackage between Chicago and Kankakee.

 

To all in this forum Seasons Greetings and best wishes for a great 2010! Smile

 

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 6:43 AM

But Michigan Southern also used the IC Central Station at the time.   Except possibly one thorugh train from NYC.   But please continue.   Any one else know the obvious one left out?

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Posted by ZephyrOverland on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 12:41 PM

daveklepper

But Michigan Southern also used the IC Central Station at the time.   Except possibly one thorugh train from NYC.   But please continue.   Any one else know the obvious one left out?

 

 

Are you thinking of Michigan Central?  I forgot to include them in my previous post - they also used Central Station.

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Posted by wanswheel on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 3:36 PM

Illinois Central commuter trains at the old depot on Randolph Street.

http://transportation.northwestern.edu/docs/2006/2006.07.17.Carlson.Publication.pdf

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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, December 25, 2009 3:18 AM

Excuse me, I thought Michigan Southern must be the name of the Michigan Central line into Illinois, but apparently you are teaching it was something else.   Yes, the Michigan Central used the IC Central Station except for one through train to and from NYC which used Lasall.  And yes, the IC through trains used Central Station as terminal but the suburban trains, both before and after electrficaiton, used Randolph Street.

 

I am still looking for the name of the Class I which had some of its trains terminating in a station reasonably close to the Loop but had almost as many going through Chicago to a suburban community still withing Chicago limits.   Hint: At the latter point it shared a yard.

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Posted by narig01 on Saturday, December 26, 2009 7:56 PM

 

WAG   Chicago & North Western.   I remember reading somewhere that in addition to Northwestern terminal, C&NW was still using the original Wells St(?) Terminal.

           Rgds IGN

PS If I get it right, I tend to have infrequent net access, whilst I follow the column I don't have the ability to post. So please feel free to continue without me.  Thx IGN

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, December 27, 2009 2:57 AM

This is good information if anyone knows exactly when Northwestern's Wells St. Terminal was abandoned.

 

I am looking for another answer, however.   Note that Wells Street was another near-loop terminal, not a suburban part of Chicago.   And there was any shared yard there.

 

Further hint.   Ocassionally operated one-coach trains.   Also regular ran school extras.

 

 

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Posted by narig01 on Sunday, December 27, 2009 9:01 AM

South Shore? According to the book Interurban Era Chicago,South Shore, & South Bend had a terminal where they met IC. In addition they also used IC's terminal (Randolf St) ?

Rgds IGN

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Posted by aricat on Sunday, December 27, 2009 6:16 PM

I believe that the answer is the Chicago Aurora and Elgin which operated out of Wells Street terminal until 1955; I think. I only rode the CA&E once in November of 1953 out to Wheaton Illinois. We took the CTA to make a connection with the CA&E and did not ride from Wells Street. I did encounter the CA&E in Wheaton a number of times between 1952 and 1956,they often operated only a single coach in the 1950's

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Posted by daveklepper on Monday, December 28, 2009 3:49 AM

In the period under consideration, all C&AE trains that operated into Chicago operated only into the Well Street Temrinal and did not terminate anywhere else.  The cutback you experienced in 1953 was do to the Congress Expressway construction, the abandonment of the Congress elevated structure, and the operation of the CTA trains at ground level with C&AE trinas not acommodated.  CA&E quit passenger service altogether shortly afterward.

 The South Shore trains that ran into Chicago used only the Randolph Street Terminal.   Some service may have turned at Kensington, but I would question whether that could be  considered running into Chicago.

The give away hints.   This class I railroad ran a train schedules and named specifically to connect with the New York bound 20th Century Limited.   And actually during the period discussed it could technicalliy and accurately be described as having three Chicago terminals.

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 8:34 AM

DO YOU ALL KNOW THE ANSWER PERFECTLY WELL AND ARE JUST PULLING MY LEG?

 

SOME OF THE ANSWERS WOULD INDICATE JUST THAT!!!

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Posted by ZephyrOverland on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 11:05 AM

daveklepper

The give away hints.   This class I railroad ran a train schedules and named specifically to connect with the New York bound 20th Century Limited.   And actually during the period discussed it could technicalliy and accurately be described as having three Chicago terminals.

 

It sounds like the North Shore Line.  It's Eastern Limited from Milwaukee was timed to provide a good connection to the Century.  And the three Chicago terminals could be: 

- Roosevelt Road

- Adams and Wabash

- Howard Street

 

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, December 31, 2009 3:21 AM

correct except that Howard Street may technically in Chicago, but it is hardly a Chicago terminal, being the border with Evanston.   The third and regularly used terminal at the time, 1929-1930, was JACKSON PARK!!!!    Where the North Shore shared the CRT ("L") yard and had a commisary to stock the dining cars.   Most Milwaukee expresses at the time used Jackson Park and made selected stops on the South Side.   Most other trains used Roosevelt Road.   Some moring rush hour trains ran all the way around the loop to deliver workers directly to Wabash Avenue and Lake Street Loop addresses, lost their identity at Adams and Wabash, and proceeded to Roosevelt Road or Jackson Park as extras with white flags.  I believe this sort of oepration continued to the end of service in 1963.    Howard Street was the southern terminal for Waukegan and Highwood Shore Line Locals that provided something like streetcar service, often using wood equipment, some still not modified with tapered ends to operate over the "L" into Chicago.  Often these were one-car trains.  If no one can provide definite information on other railroads than the North Shore, the New York Central System, and the Illinois Central, yours is the next question.

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