As I recall, there is a tunnel in Salem, Mass, which I went through when I made a roundtrip to Rockport in 1974. There is also the Hoosac Tunnel, which took a long time to bore because nothing better than black powder was available to blast the hard rock.
Johnny
Salem MA is correct. The Hoosac, while certainly hard rock, is not by any stretch "urban". The one I'm looking for goes under part of a downtown district.
rcdrye I had found the NYC one but thought it might have a name. I assume the Split Rock tunnel was daylighted.
I had found the NYC one but thought it might have a name. I assume the Split Rock tunnel was daylighted.
The Split Rock tunnel was not daylighted. When this stretch of the RI was double tracked the new second track was built around the escarpment but the original track continued to run through the tunnel.
Mark
RCDYE and ALL:
My first thought of the Rock Island tunnel was the photograph on the cover of "Rock Island Color Pictorial, Volume 1" (page 16). This shows a TA and train exiting the Pleasant Hill Tunnel west of Peru-LaSalle, IL. The caption states the tunnel was daylighted during WWII. Another picture (page 20) shows the Rocky Mountain Rocket exiting the same tunnel.
Where was the Split Rock tunnel?
I only rode the RI once and that was between Chicago and Des Moines.
Ed Burns
673-234-9306
Correct my cell phone to 763-234-9306
NP Eddie My first thought of the Rock Island tunnel was the photograph on the cover of "Rock Island Color Pictorial, Volume 1" (page 16). This shows a TA and train exiting the Pleasant Hill Tunnel west of Peru-LaSalle, IL. The caption states the tunnel was daylighted during WWII. Another picture (page 20) shows the Rocky Mountain Rocket exiting the same tunnel. Where was the Split Rock tunnel?
The Split Rock Tunnel still exists right alongside the Illinois & Michigan Canal about mid-way between Utica and LaSalle and was never daylighted. The tracks through it have been abandoned but the Iowa Interstate uses the second track which the Rock built between the canal and the escarpment through which the tunnel ran.
There were a total of five tunnels on the Rock, the Split Rock, and four more in Missouri on the StL - KC line at Freeburg, Argyle, Eugene and Vale. I am inclined to think the caption on the photo which you mention is mislabeled. All of the literature agrees there were a total of eight tunnels in IL (all of which have been identified in this thread) and nowhere is there any mention of a Pleasant Hill Tunnel.
As far as I know, yes, the Salem tunnel has been daylighted and does not exist as a tunnel anymore. Other urban tunnels do exist, including either Brattleboro or Bellows Falls, forget which, West Point on the River Line directly under the Military Academy, and of course north of Central Station, Montreal. I am sure there are many more.
The Salem tunnel still exists having been extended in the 1960s to allow more of downtown Salem to cover it. The other tunnel I'm looking for is on the (now former) B&M in Vermont.
narig01Did my response not post? St Albans, Vt. If I remember correctly short tunnel with nice portals.Thx IGN
St. Albans is Central Vermont, not B&M. The portals you remember are probably the trainshed, demolished in the 1960s. CV did have a tunnel on the Burlington branch, the original 1847 main line. Dave passed over the correct answer without choosing it. The tunnel is on the Conn River Line just south of Bellows Falls Union Station and runs under the south edge of downtown Bellows Falls, a village in the town of Rockingham VT. The tunnel was an operational problem for B&M and tenant CV until the floor got lowered twice, first in the 1970s to clear trilevel auto racks and again in the early 1990s. It's big enough now to clear Amtrak Superliners but not double stacks (Superliner IIs were delivered from Bombardier's plant via the tunnel). Current owner is G&W's New England Central.
Johnny got Salem right off, so he gets the right to ask or defer.
What was the last passenger train with cars from the Midwest to be operated on tracks laid by the South Carolina Railroad? Give the routing of the train, with the junctions of divisions.
I haven't found a date for its discontinuance (1968?) but it would have to be the Carolina Special section from Cincinnati to Charleston via Hamilton, Knoxville, Asheville, Spartansburg and Branchville SC, which is where it joined the original SC RR to Charleston.
Ah Ha! you have the train! Yes, it was the South Carolina section of the Carolina Special. I am not certain as to just when it was discontinued east of Columbia, but the November 1962 issue of the Guide shows it ending at Columbia. I last rode it in the spring of 1967, taking it from Knoxville to Columbia.
Hamilton? no. You missed Oakdale, where the CNO&TP crews gave it over to the Knoxville Division crews, and Columbia, where the Columbia Division crews gave it over to the Charleston Division crews; I do not believe that there was a change in Branchville, where the Columbia Branch Railroad (which was eventually absorbed by the SC Railroad) took off from the SC Railroad. You did right well, though.
Harriman Junction was the actual junction between the CNO&TP and Knoxville Division, Asheville was the point of change to the Asheville Division, Hayne was the point of change to running on the Charlotte Division (but no Charlotte crews operated the train), and East Spartanburg (I think I am right with this) was where the Columbia Division joined the Charlotte Division. Of course, all of the division names have been changed with the consolidation of divisions. Also, there was a change of crews on the CNO&TP, at, I think, Somerset (I am not at home right now, and am depending upon my memory).
I just realized that I could asked what the timetable directions were, but I will give them now--South from Cincinnati and East from Oakdale (Harriman Junction, actually). Thus, it was #27 to Harriman Junction and #28 from there on to its terminus. If you thought of going from Morristown to Charleston as heading south, that it had an even number could have been confusing, but being even-numbered accorded with the numbering of the other trains between Knoxville and Morristown, between Asheville and Biltmore (junction between Salisbury-Morristown line and Asheville-Spartanburg line), and between Hayne and East Spartanburg.
We'll go west for the next question...
Some cars of this famous streamliner left one of its endpoints an hour or so before the main train, and some other cars left a nearby city at around the same time as the main train. Cars from the other two sections were added to the streamliner less than an hour after its departure from its original terminal. The procedure was reversed in the other direction. The overnight train on the same run dispensed with the early cars on the main route, being combined from two sections. Railroad, cities and train name(s).
RCDYE AND ALL:
I believe you are talking about the "20th Century Limited". The Boston section had cars that were added or subtracted at Albany, NY. The train ran from New York City to Chicago.
In 1930, Edward Hungerford wrote a soft cover book about the "20th Century". This book also details the many people (ticket agents, dining car crews, etc.) that made the "20th Century" a great train.
A 1948 OG does not show that the "20th Century" handled any Boston cars, however the "New England States" was run as a Chicago-Boston train.
763-234-9306
The Century was combined and split at Albany, but not when it was a streamliner. The train I'm working kept this arrangment from its inaugural until at least the late 1950s.
The Daylight is correct. A coach or two left San Francisco about an hour before 98 departed on train 110. The Oakland coach(es) left the Oakland Mole on train 250 at about the same time 98 left San Francisco, stopping at Jack London Square instead of 16th St. Everything was combined at San Jose, about an hour out of both SF and Oakland. Westbound (Northbound) 99 split off cars onto 249 for Oakland and 151 for San Francisco. The non-Daylight trains were anything but streamliners, drawing mid-range steam power and boiler-equipped GP9s along with express cars, heavyweight RPOs and Harriman coaches.
The overnight train was the Lark, with head-end and rear-end cars originating and terminating in Oakland. The Owl ran through the San Joaquin Valley on the west side line through Madera.
Your question.
When the pre-1938 heavyweight Century added its Boston sleepers (no coaches) in Albany it was close to three hours after it left Grand Central Terminal.
I presume the Daylight coach that left SFearly was for the benefit of suburban station boarders who thus had a one-seat ride to LA without the need to change at San Jose?
daveklepper When the pre-1938 heavyweight Century added its Boston sleepers (no coaches) in Albany it was close to three hours after it left Grand Central Terminal. I presume the Daylight coach that left SFearly was for the benefit of suburban station boarders who thus had a one-seat ride to LA without the need to change at San Jose?
That was the idea. The Peninsula coach lasted a bit longer than the Oakland coach which quit when the Oakland Mole closed in 1958, but SP continued to schedule a "commute" with a cross-platform transfer at San jose even after Amtrak took over the Daylight in 1971 and rerouted it to Oakland 16th St. Station. The Oakland Lark was discontinued in 1960.
Both the Peninsula and Oakland trains that had Daylight coaches also carried RPO cars for the "Mail" which usually ran under numbers 90 and 91.
By giving them two old locomotives equal or more in scrap value.
I remember reading about this, but I guess my memory is somewhat confused. It may have been old rolling stock of one sort or another or old scrapped worn rail or something, but it was not cash, it was equivalent scrap-value steel. I did once have the great privilege of riding the Laurentian behind a Shark Nose. But what I particularliy enjoyed was the trainman's giving me permission to stand on the rear vesitbule platform with open Dutch doors along the shores of Lake Champlain. What a business trip!
Swaps like this are relatively uncommon but not unheard of. C&O got 3 RDC's from C&NW for 3 coaches. M&StL traded RDC's to C&O for hopper cars. Conrail traded four SW8's to Amtrak for a pair of E8A's. Amtrak also traded SDP40F's to Santa Fe for CF7's and SSB1200 switchers. I'm sure that there are others.
I remember reading the fairly recent interview and I guess I could have looked it up to get an exact answer. But I was close enough with rolling stock.
Anway, a question similar to one asked before but slightly more general. There are five transit systems, not cities or towns or areas, but systems, that have passenger rail operations of more than one gauge. I will accept four as a correct answer, but be sure you are correct. And. yes, thinking outside the box is necessary. As a bonus, think of one system that had two, then one, then two again, and now only one.
I'm not sure these are what you're looking for but here are seven North American systems...
Philadelphia SEPTA 5' 21/2" (light) and 4'8 1/2" (heavy + Norristown)
Montreal has 4' 8 1/2" and rubber-tired Metro.
Toronto has 4' 10 7/8" (light) and 4' 81/2" (heavy)
Pittsburgh PAT has 5'2 1/2" and wide-gauge incline.
L.A. has 4' 81/2" and wide-guage funicular (Angel's Fight)
San Francisco Muni 3'6" (cable) and 4' 81/12"
Seattle 4'81/2" and monorail
New Orleans PS had 4'8 1/2" and 5' 2 1/2", then all 5' 2 1/2", Then the riverfront line at 4'81/2", now reguaged to 5' 2 1/2"
You are basically correct and should ask the next question. I understand the Seattle monorail has been shut down. Toronto has two different systems, so I was not counting Go Transit's standard gauge,,,, and the heavy rail rapid transit is the same gauge as the light rail/streetcar system,,, 4ft-10+in. But the TTC Scarboro Linear Motor line is standard gauge, so, yes, Toronto counts. Interesting that in Phili,,, Market St. Rapid is the streetcar gauge but Broad Street Rapid is standard. You got New Orleans right. Good job!
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