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Classic Train Questions Part Deux (50 Years or Older)

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, August 7, 2014 2:33 PM

Mike and Tom can decide between them who has the honor of asking the next question.  I would point out that the honor of having the very first conduit line underground was what is now the Par k Avenue Vehicular Tunnel but was a tunnel for the New York and Harlem Ry., and for its successor south of 42nd Street, the 4th and Madison Avenue streetcar.   And there was an underground station at 37th Street, remains of which can be seen when driving through the tunnel (surface buses Dec. 1935).  And Washington already had two other underground conduit lines, the tunnel used by the 20 under Capitol Hill, which was pre-WWII, and the underground southern terminal of the 14th St. line at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving,  daring from the '20s.

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Posted by wanswheel on Thursday, August 7, 2014 3:53 PM

Actually I had hoped to be wrong, because I’m thinking too weakly of a good question. Rob?

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, August 7, 2014 10:10 PM

And of course, the name DuPont, for DuPont Circle, will always be associated with Wilmington, DL. Hq of DuPont Chemicals.

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Posted by rcdrye on Friday, August 8, 2014 6:20 AM

We'll stay with traction but move up the equipment size...

This postwar rapid transit line operates left handed over about half of its original length because of joint operation with another, older rapid transit line.  Neither line operates left-handed over its entire length.

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Friday, August 8, 2014 10:10 AM

This would be the Cleveland Transit System rapid transit where it shares trackage with the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit.  Left-handed running is required because of center platforms and PCC cars with doors on the right-hand side only.

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 rcdrye on Friday, August 8, 2014 11:39 AM

Correct.  Shaker Heights reverts to right hand running at the split, but the Red line runs left-handed to Windermere, once the site of a large CTS streetcar carbarn. Red line trains run right-handed to Hopkins Airport. All swaps are made with flyovers.

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Saturday, August 9, 2014 10:10 AM

More left-hande operation, but in a different city.  Prior to consolidation under Insull management, the Chicago L was operated by four different companies.  Which company operated left-handed, even on the Union Loop?

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 KCSfan on Saturday, August 9, 2014 3:02 PM

Oak Park (Lake St.) Elevated.

Mark

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Posted by rcdrye on Saturday, August 9, 2014 7:32 PM

That's actually a trick question.  Both Lake St and Northwestern Elevated operated left-handed.  Prior to 1902, LSERR swapped to right-handed at a crossover at Lake and Franklin.  After 1902, with the end of surface operation on Lombard and Randolph in Oak Park, LSE and successor Chicago and Oak Park ran left-handed all the way.  NWERR operated left-handed, except in Evanston, where the overlap with C&ME (North Shore) required right hand running.  The apparent location of the changeover was Central Avenue in Evanston.  Both systems changed to right-hand operation with the introduction of free transfers and through routing in 1913.  And all four companies operated left-handed on the loop prior to November 3, 1913, with C&OP and NWE sharing the outer (counterclockwise) track, Metropolitan and South Side the inner (clockwise) track.  After that date C&OP and Met shared the inner track, NWE and South Side the outer, with both tracks operated in a counterclockwise direction, an arrangement that lasted until 1969.

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Monday, August 11, 2014 10:01 AM

rcdrye has the correct answer, and is awarded the next question.

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 rcdrye on Monday, August 11, 2014 7:07 PM

Burlington and Rock Island operated the Zephyr Rocket between the Twin Cities and St. Louis from the 1940s into the 1960s.  The two railroads cooperated in another way involving both Zephyrs and Rockets.  Where did this cooperation take place?

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Posted by NP Eddie on Monday, August 11, 2014 8:32 PM

Rob:

I believe you are looking for the Burlington-Rock Island. The train ran between Dallas and Houston. The General Manager's jobs rotated between the RI and CBQ. If my memory serves me correctly, didn't the BN purchase the RI's interest in the line and it is or was called the Joint Texas Division?

Ed Burns

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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, August 12, 2014 6:31 AM

You have the place (Dallas-Houston) correct.  Care to name the Zephyr and Rocket(s)?

The Burlington-Rock Island was built as the Trinity and Brazos Valley.  Part of the line, and later all of it, became the Joint Texas Division(s) of the Fort Worth and Denver and CRI&P.  After RI's abandonment FW&D, and later BN (and BNSF) owned the entire line.

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Posted by KCSfan on Tuesday, August 12, 2014 7:08 AM

Twin Star Rocket and Sam Houston Zephyr.

Mark

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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, August 12, 2014 9:36 AM

KCSfan

Twin Star Rocket and Sam Houston Zephyr.

Mark

The Twin Star Rocket  was preceded by the Texas Rocket, whose name was later reused on a K.C. - Dallas train.  Both trains were shown in RI and FW&D schedules.  For a short time at least, the Sam Houston Zephyr ran with the 9900 train.

Ed answered the question as I asked it.

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Posted by ZephyrOverland on Thursday, August 28, 2014 9:02 PM

rcdrye

Ed answered the question as I asked it.

Ed - do you have a question yet?
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Posted by NP Eddie on Friday, August 29, 2014 9:39 AM

ALL:

This question is about the 1970 BN merger.

As of that merger six regions were created with some having between one and four divisions as part of the region.

Name the six regions as of the 1970 merger. Which one moved with a year of the merger and was re-named. Also which region was eliminated and re-named?

Lots of fun after the 1970 merger! I bid a job on the X-GN side and gained a lot of knowledge of that side of the railroad. I was the first X-NP yard clerk on X-GN property. Needless to say, I was shunned for a while.

Ed Burns

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Posted by ZephyrOverland on Sunday, September 7, 2014 9:01 AM

Ed - can you give us a clue?  There has been no response in over a week.

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Posted by NP Eddie on Sunday, September 7, 2014 9:53 AM

Hi Zephyr Overland:

My hint:

Got to the website of the "BN-BNSF Historical Society" for the answers.

I have many stories about the BN merger that I can share.

Ed Burns

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Posted by NP Eddie on Sunday, September 7, 2014 4:06 PM

ALL:

A second hint---when you use the BN-BNSF Historical Society web site, click on "Employee Timetables" for the two answers.

Ed Burns

 

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Posted by rcdrye on Monday, September 8, 2014 8:55 AM

Six initial regions

Chicago

Twin Cities

Billings

Omaha

Portland

Seattle

I'm not sure what you're referring to in the regions changes.  Most of the 3/3/70 ETTs aren't labelled by region.

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Posted by NP Eddie on Monday, September 8, 2014 10:10 AM

Rob:

This was a tricky question.

The X-CBQ Omaha Region moved to Denver within a year or two after the merger. I suspect that the new coal traffic warranted a Vice-President close to the coal fields.

The Portland Region had only one division, the Portland Division (which was mainly the former SPS). That was consolidated into the Seattle Region and was renamed the Seattle-Portland Region.

I would have to do research when the regions were replaced with divisions.

Next question to you.

Ed Burns

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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 9:13 AM

This "Steam Road Trolley" carried a Pullman off of the C&NW to a city more associated with the IC until the early 1930s.

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 10:22 AM

The Illinois Terminal to Springfield, IL      I think the car came from Chicago, but I do not know the interchange point.

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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 8:54 PM

Not Springfield, or even Illinois. Bit to the west.

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Posted by KCSfan on Wednesday, September 10, 2014 7:57 AM

Waterloo,IA. The CNW ran a Chicago - Waterloo sleeper which ran between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo on the Waterloo Cedar Falls and Northern.

Mark

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Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, September 10, 2014 8:35 AM

KCSfan

Waterloo,IA. The CNW ran a Chicago - Waterloo sleeper which ran between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo on the Waterloo Cedar Falls and Northern.

Mark

Correct!  Must have been a little chilly on cold Iowa mornings, or maybe WCF&N had a small boiler...

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Posted by KCSfan on Wednesday, September 10, 2014 5:42 PM

rcdrye

Must have been a little chilly on cold Iowa mornings or maybe WCF&N had a small boiler...

I agree. It was 60 miles between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo and the running time on the WCF&N was about two hours so there must have been some way to heat the sleeper in the winter. The interurban assigned to this run was very likely was equipped with a small boiler.

In 1930 an interurban raced an airplane and won! What type car was this and what railroad staged the race?

Mark 

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Posted by NorthWest on Wednesday, September 10, 2014 5:55 PM

C&LE, Cincinnati Car Red Devil.

(Although I think that the plane was going to lose, no matter what...) 

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Posted by KCSfan on Thursday, September 11, 2014 12:52 AM

You've nailed it Northwest and the next question is yours. According to one source the speed of the Red Devil was 97 mph but it doesn't specify if that was a top speed or the average over the length of the race. In any event I doubt that figure as I believe 90 mph was the top speed a Red Devil was capable of.

Matk

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