Trains.com

Classic Railroad Quiz (at least 50 years old).

741758 views
7952 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 12:29 PM

The streetcar operation that I believe answers my latest Forum question ran for several years after WWII, and I am unaware of any Memphis operation that continued longer.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 10:58 PM

.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 11:02 PM

We were running at least one Birney at the time of the fire, and I think it may be running again now (I don't spend enough free time downtown to have observed).

As the 'real' answer, let me throw out Fort Collins Municipal Railway (originating pre-Birneys as the Denver & Interurban, associated with C&S and intended as connecting with them) as being what you want as an answer... last service mid-1951? (With the last two of the Birneys -- admittedly they were those Brill 'Birneys' -- arriving from Virginia as late as 1946!)

... incidentally they started running Birney 21 again under the auspices of the Fort Collins Municipal Railway Society in 1977 and have restored it to 1919 form -- they recently got Brill 25 back after quite an odyssey and have it running too.

They expect to start up for the 'season' on May 4th, and you or I would only pay $1 to ride...

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, March 28, 2024 3:13 AM

Your secoond answer, Fort Collins, Colorado, is the ne I wanted.  Three single-track lines, neeting in a wye downtown, one car on each line at one time, cars covering each line in rotation (clockwise or counter-clockwise?).

Next question please.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Thursday, March 28, 2024 11:01 AM

The last two examples of this class of turbocharged locomotive had a counterintuitive and unusual mechanical difference from the others.  What was the class, and the difference?

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, March 28, 2024 10:10 PM

Did  the last two of the PRR's 2-10-4s, copied from the C&O design, lack trailing-truck boosters that the earlier examples had?

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Friday, March 29, 2024 12:16 PM

daveklepper
Did  the last two of the PRR's 2-10-4s, copied from the C&O design, lack trailing-truck boosters that the earlier examples had?

That's an interesting question in its own right!  Let me see if I can find out.

But by 'turbocharged' I mean a production (not experimental) diesel engine.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Friday, March 29, 2024 1:50 PM

The Q2s were apparently all built with them, and I can find no indication that any rebuilding removed them.  Dave Stephenson (feltonhill) said he had gone through every picture he could find and saw none that didn't have the piping to the booster present. The 

  • Member since
    July 2016
  • 2,631 posts
Posted by Backshop on Friday, March 29, 2024 8:44 PM

The first 21 GP39's had AC alternators (C&O-20 and ASAB-1) while the last two for Kennecott Copper had DC generators.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Sunday, March 31, 2024 4:43 AM

That's what I had.

You're up!

  • Member since
    July 2016
  • 2,631 posts
Posted by Backshop on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 3:33 PM

This major American railroad had no 20th century had no locomotives of a certain wheel arrangement but three of their partially/wholly owned subsidiaries did.  Who were the railroads and what was the wheel arrangement?

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 6:32 PM

This just came up in a different context.

The Railroad is PRR, the wheel arrangement is 4-8-4, and the N&W (of course!), the LV (some with 77" drivers), and the Wabash were three subsidiaries that had them.

  • Member since
    July 2016
  • 2,631 posts
Posted by Backshop on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 8:09 PM

Overmod

This just came up in a different context.

The Railroad is PRR, the wheel arrangement is 4-8-4, and the N&W (of course!), the LV (some with 77" drivers), and the Wabash were three subsidiaries that had them.

 

While correct, that wasn't the answer that I was looking for. You're close, geographically, though.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 11:59 PM

Well,  the  New York Central had no Birkshires, but three of their subsidiaries probably had them, onr the Boston and Albany, and one  the last domrstic  steam built by ALCO and the lightest of the 2-8-4s, but the exact names of the two subsidiaries escapes me, but i'll olookfor that information.

 

Possibly because the B&A's went to the Michigan Central when the B&A had very early dieselization, that may also be one of the three.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, April 4, 2024 1:23 AM

NYC  Subsidiary Pittsburgh & bLake Erie baught the lightest and most modern Birkshires.  Not certain if you count Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo as a NYC Sysytem subsidiary, since it was half-owned by CP, but I think they had a few.  In any case MC should qualify.

I'll be glad to give the next question bto RC, since he did give a full correct asnswer first, even if different than that you had when asking the question.

  • Member since
    July 2016
  • 2,631 posts
Posted by Backshop on Thursday, April 4, 2024 2:25 AM

Dave, you were correct.  I was thinking of the P&LE, TH&B and B&A.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Thursday, April 4, 2024 5:00 AM

But according to Polarowitz some of the A2a locomotives (A-2-A on P&LE) were resurrected to work in the Indianapolis area (where they performed surprisingly well but were so debilitated from improper storage that they couldn't be kept running).  Is Indianapolis on a NYC subsidiary? if so, that would make four.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Thursday, April 4, 2024 7:59 AM

Indy is on the Big Four (CCC&St.L.), a major NYC subsidiary.

  • Member since
    July 2016
  • 2,631 posts
Posted by Backshop on Thursday, April 4, 2024 8:57 AM

Overmod

But according to Polarowitz some of the A2a locomotives (A-2-A on P&LE) were resurrected to work in the Indianapolis area (where they performed surprisingly well but were so debilitated from improper storage that they couldn't be kept running).  Is Indianapolis on a NYC subsidiary?

 

Were they leased, rented or owned?

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Thursday, April 4, 2024 9:48 AM

I suppose they were technically leased.  The A-2a's were retired by the P&LE.  The NYC system moved stuff around as needed, expecially towards the end of steam.  CCC&StL retained its corporate existence until the PC merger, but it was operationally integrated much earlier, maybe 1930 or so.  Michigan Central and Boston & Albany had some independence until about 1960.  P&LE was never fully integrated, even in the Penn Central years, and ended up independent during the Conrail takeover.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Friday, April 5, 2024 5:21 AM

An interesting note about TH&B: while their passenger power famously cam from NYC (the Hudsons), its two 2-8-4s most certainly didn't.  As I recall, these were touted as being large, modern Canadian construction at the time they were built.  (Although IIRC there was some business about C&NW drawings having to be rushed up to MLW to get the locomotives built in time...)

  • Member since
    March 2016
  • From: Burbank IL (near Clearing)
  • 13,540 posts
Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Friday, April 5, 2024 10:10 AM

rcdrye

P&LE was never fully integrated, even in the Penn Central years, and ended up independent during the Conrail takeover.

 
P&LE was absorbed into CSX in 1993.
The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, April 7, 2024 1:22 AM

RC, do you wish to ask the next question, or should I.  Your answer was also correct in every respect.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Sunday, April 7, 2024 6:53 AM

I think Backshop is up on this thread.  I owe one for the other one.

  • Member since
    July 2016
  • 2,631 posts
Posted by Backshop on Sunday, April 7, 2024 5:41 PM

rcdrye

I think Backshop is up on this thread.  I owe one for the other one.

 

No, I asked the last question.  It's Dave's turn.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Monday, April 8, 2024 9:25 AM

Mr. Klepper is up.  He had the wheel arrangement and the subsidiaries.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 2:17 AM

Staying with 2-8-4s:

The originals were the Boston and Albany's (New York Central System).

Afgter their sucsess, a different railroad received some with nearly duplicate specifications, but had a difference in one feature that made a radical differenced in appearance.

Provide the essential facts:

Name the second railroad.

Driver diameter, boiler pressure, weight-on-drivers, and other information you wish to provide,

The difference in the feature that made a big difference in appearance.

As a  bonus, main characteristics of the highest 2-8-4 development, C&O, NKP, W&LE, and of the last and lighter 2-8-4s for the P&LE when part of the NYC System.

 

 

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 7:31 AM

B&M, with that wonderful shrouded Coffin feedwater heater and headlight underneath -- Loving Reaper on wheels...

You can't really invoke the AMC Berks without mentioning their most significant predecessors, the first true high-speed Berkshires.  (The A-1 was really just an improved 8000, and didn't truly take advantage of the higher horsepower inherent in Super-Power -- more interesting, the same was true of some of the early 4-8-4s, like the design the ATSF actually called 'Heavy Mountains'.)

The first real 2-8-4s as we know them were on the Erie, and they were really just as amazing as the AMC engines.

The A2as were badly misunderstood -- I personally believe they were a 'sop' to Kiefer, to let him litter one last batch of kittens.  The only problem was that they were forced on the P&LE, which had just become aware of how very effective even first-generation diesels were for their operations.

They are a misunderstood design -- people think that with 63" spoked drivers they were as regrettably slow and heavy as the 'original' 2-8-4s with that driver diameter.  They would be wrong -- for example, there is video of them working in Indianapolis during their 'resurrection' that shows a remarkable capability for acceleration... even in reverse gear.

The real thing that killed them was dead storage in the Pittsburgh area.  Like so much other wonder power of the 1940s they were built with advanced alloys and light-as-possible construction, and they rotted away as quickly as MP54s and GG1s when not fully attended...

 

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 12:13 PM

.

I see the site is 'cutting didoes' again, multiple-posting without warning, delaying typing by up to fifteen seconds, and randomly losing the cursor location (perhaps we should start calling it the 'curser' again as we do so much of that trying to post now...)

  • Member since
    July 2016
  • 2,631 posts
Posted by Backshop on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 5:22 PM

This has been an enjoyable conversation.  While others' favorite steam locomotives are Northerns, Mountains, Hudsons, Challengers and Big Boys, I've always liked the Berkshires and "double Berkshires", the Yellowstones.

SUBSCRIBER & MEMBER LOGIN

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

FREE NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter