The first electrified elevated was one of the Chicago L's in 1898 or 1899 with motor-cars hauling trailers. This was followed by the South Side elevated using Spraigue's newly-invented mu control. There were simultaneous experimental electrifications in New York and Brooklyn, but in 1901, after inspection of the South Side electrification, full speed electrification of the Manhattan Elevated system and Brooklyn United bgan, completed in 1904, the "Suburban" line in The Bronx north to Treement Avenue being the last completed, with through service over the Third Avenue inaugurated, at least during rush hours.
Cannot anyone make a guess as to where the local ran express and the express local? Should be enogh hints by now.
The steam railroad was one of three that originally had the name "Beach" in it, but that word and the name of the beach were dropped as the rest of the name continued as the route designation, even use by some today, and also used for the streetcar line that took over the surface tracks under the 1917 elevated structure..
OK I give up on this question. The answers are the line is the West End line, the portion in quesiton now covered by the D train with full-time service from 205th Street in The Bronx to Coney Island via the Christie Street connection, an IND train in Manhattan and The Bronx, and a BMT train in Brooklyn.
Before Chrystie Street, the West End Express, a full-time service, ran from Times Square to ConeyIsland, using the same tracks on the Manhattan Bridge as now used by the D. A rush-hour-only West End Local ran from the Nassau Loop, via Tunnel to Manhattan, via (Manahttan) Bridge to Brooklyn, and between 9th Avenuc and Bay Ridge Ave., it ran express, stopping onlyl at 62nd St., in the direction of light traffic, just to save on the number of trains and crew used in the operation.
The steam railroad was promoted by Charles Gunthner in the 1860's, and yes, did open wiith 'dummy" locomotives, and one-car and two-car trains. It was named the West End and Bath Beach Railroad. The oriignal northern terminal was at the 39th St. Ferry Terminal, thus "West End." I believe some larger power was purchased 2nd-hand from the LIRR. Around 1894, it was purchased by the elevated railroad system that became the Brooklyn United Elevated RR, and trains ran through on the 5th Avenue el structure to downtown Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Bridge, and some trains began ranning through to Park Row Manhattan, pulled by the Bridge's cablecars. Electrification was completed around 1901, with cars equipped with both 3rd-rail shoes and trolley poles, with overhead wire used on the surface portion of the line. 1917 or 1918 was operation on the elelvated structure, with the surface tracks then used by the West End streetcar line, and the street named New Utrecht Avenue.
Subsitiute Question: Name the four 1962 New York - Montreal (to and from) through trains that passengers could choose from. Don't answer unless you have five answers.
Added ponts: Do the same for Boston - Montreal
br
Dave, I don't understand " Don't answer unless you have five answers," for you asked us to name the four trains--which were the daytime Ambassador and overnight Washingtonian/Montrealer operated by the New haven, B&M, and CV, and the daytime Laurentian and the overnight Montreal Limited, which were operated by the NYC and the D&H.
The only through service between Boston and Montreal was an unnamed RDC that the B&M and the CP operated; this train connected in White River Junction with the Ambassador, making it possible, with a change of trains, to travel to CV points from/to Boston.
Johnny
The through 1962 RDC service Boston to Montreal operated B&M/CP via White River Jct. VT, Wells River VT (where the car for Berlin came off) and Newport VT.
Both north and southbound Ambassadors and the B&M RDCs all arrived at White River Jct in a half hour period around 4 PM. The Ambassador got an engine change, and the RDC did a series of backup moves to get from the New Hampshire Division to the Conn River Line via the joint track on the west side of the station, to allow for cross-platform transfers.
deggerty, you got the right answers, and rc filled in a detail. You did name four trains with five names. and, yes, by that time the overnight boston - montreal red wing had been disccontiniued, ditae boston section of the ambassador, which was replaced by the across-the-platform transfer tot the budd car allouette, at White River Jc. which had been rerouted from the wells river - plymouth - concord route. the cn-cv-b&m overnighter had been dropped much earlier, and toward the end it ran concord - boston with the red wing.
but the rdc was not unnamed it was still called the allouette on the windsor station departure board. rode it
The B&M/CP RDC run was unnamed on the B&M after 1960. Both CV train names were carried in the employee timetable until the end of service.
The moves at White River Jct were handled by hand-throw switches and a 4 ball ball signal. The Ball Signal tower was found a couple of years ago over the bank near the river, and is stored pending restoration. The crossing it protected was removed after 1965. Vermont Railway System has built a replica of the signalman's shanty at the crossing site.
again, the budd car run may have been unnamed on the b&m, but it was still called the allouette on the cp. and you meant three names on the cv, not two, since one train had two names. i think, however, that the ambassador was cut before the montrealer/washingtonian, which lasted either up to amtrak or within the year before. i think the ambassador was cut around 1965 or 1966.
after the demise of the budd car boston - montreal, it was still possible to go boston - montreal by budd car to portland and grand trunk to montreal, friday (saturday?) and sunday afternoons - evenings.
budd cars took over all intercity b&m trains around 1960, except for the ambassador and montrealer/washingtonian. this hastened the end of mc passenger service. they did not wish to run budd cars.
The Montrealer/Washingtonian ended in late 1965, the Ambassador in early 1966, shortly after the last B&M RDCs from Boston.
Greenfield (Massachusetts) Recorder-Gazette, Saturday, September 3, 1966
Last Passenger Train
The Ambassador, Boston & Maine Railroad day train, made its last run through Greenfield Friday afternoon when service was halted between Springfield and Montreal to become part of the American transportation legend.
Montreal - Washington Train Runs At End
ST. ALBANS, Vt. (AP) - Vermont rail passenger service concludes today with the end of an historic train run that carried royalty and presidents during its 40 years of service between Montreal, New York and Washington.
The trains involved are the twice-daily Montrealer and Washingtonian which have operated between the major rail points for 40 years. The rest of Vemont's rail passenger service has been phased out in the last 10 years or so.
The end was foreshadowed by Interstate Commerce Commission authorization for the Boston & Maine Railroad to drop its share of through service.
The B&M hauls the cars from Springfield, Mass. to White River Junction, where the Central Vermont Railway picks up for the northern leg of the journey.
Without B&M connections, the Central Vermont said, it cannot continue its share of the service. Central Vermont is a subsidiary of Canadian National Railway. But it is intrastate in nature and doesn't require authorization to end its trains.
Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Calvin CooIidge, a Vermont native, all used the trains out of Washington as did British Prime Minister Winston Churchill when he went to Montreal following Washington talks on bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Johnny, those would be the SP's Sunbeam and Hustler which ran between Houston and Dallas.
Mark
right, and you got there first
KCSfan Johnny, those would be the SP's Sunbeam and Hustler which ran between Houston and Dallas. Mark
http://ctr.trains.com/~/media/Files/PDF/Great%20Limiteds%20Online/GL130815/Sunbeam%20Leaving%20Dallas.pdf
Mark, you certainly were up early this morning--or did you not get to bed last night? Yes, you have the details right. We could speak of another connotation for "hustler," but we won't go into that.
Dave, did you sleep late, and let Mark get ahead of you?
Mike, thanks for the article from Trains. I recognized the style as being that of Trains in the forties (I have two or three copies that I bought as back issues; I never saw the magazine until in April of 1952, and I have every issue since), and I was borne out by the last page of the article.
From its name you would think this was a fast train but it was nothing more than an all stops local on a railroad that never had much passenger service. However it might have been an inspiration to Jerry Lee Lewis. Name the train, the railroad and the route.
Some passengers on this train continued their journey by boat.
Probably no help, but Goodness Gracious, Roy Acuff sang about a Dallas bound Fireball Mail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4VIOdzdHlM
wanswheel Probably no help, but Goodness Gracious, Roy Acuff sang about a Dallas bound Fireball Mail. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4VIOdzdHlM
No pun intended but you are on the right track. That's even better than the Jerry Lee Lewis connection I had referenced.
Mark, it sounds to me that you are referring to the Katy Flyer, which was, of course the MKT's train that, in March of 1953, had chair cars St. Louis-Oklahoma City, Kansas City-San Antonio via Dallas, and Denison-San Antonio via Ft.Worth, and sleepers Ft. Worth-San Antonio and Dallas-San Antonio--and no diner, but with meal stops.
Without looking it up, I believe that O. Henry mentioned this train in at least one of his stories set in Texas.
Not the Katy Flyer, Johnny. This railroad had far fewer passenger trains than did the MKT.
I am uncertain as to whether this is the train you are referring to, but certainly the "Newfy Bullet" meets that description exactly, Newfoundland Railroad, later CN, not a timetable name but one in very general use by its passengers and public in general. In fact, it may have been placed in the timetable with the CN demosntrating a sense of humor. 3'6" guage of course. EVen though an all-stops local, it was a full service train wtih an excellent dining car and section and room sleepers. Glad I rode it. St. John - Port Au Basque.
Good guess, Dave, but it wasn't the Newfy Bullet. The train I'm looking for had one name when running west and a totally different name when eastbound.
The train may have been on the Deluth Messabe and Iron Ramge, with Deluth one terminal and the other Chisholm or someplace neargby, but I have been unable to locate the train names.
Not a DM&IR train but keep guessing, Dave. In my prior post I indicated the train ran east-west. I don't have an ETT for this road but I think they may have used north-south as the timetable directions for this route.
Dave:
I have a question about the last paragraph in your November 3rd post.
Are you talking about the Michigan Central or another railroad? And why did that railroad disliked RDC's?
Ed Burns
mc stood for maine central the one passenger train that the mc intended to keep was the interline with b and m to and from boston, forget which name, possibly pine tree limited, which the mc ran between portland and bangor. but when the b and m substituted budd cars, the mc applied for discontinuance. budd cars would be a new maiintenance technology for the mc, and they foresaw the b and m sending them budd cars with defects which they wouldl have to fix to get them reading for the return trip. so the mc exited the passenger business completely. their losses were enough to move the icc. unlnike the b and m, the emc never owned a budd car. but the initial schedule of the flying yankee in 1936-1937 did have it running to bangor over thte mc.
The end points of this train's route were both port cities on large bodies of water.
The AnnArbor beteen Toledo and Frankford, MI?
Good job, Dave. You've got the railroad and the route though it's Frankfort not Frankford. Now just name the train and you'll be our winner. In one direction it was known as the Toledo Torpedo but I'm looking for the name given to the westbound (or northbound) train.
KCSfan Good job, Dave. You've got the railroad and the route though it's Frankfort not Frankford. Now just name the train and you'll be our winner. In one direction it was known as the Toledo Torpedo but I'm looking for the name given to the westbound (or northbound) train. Mark
Dave I'm going to declare you the winner since you got the RR and the route. The train was known as the Frankfort Fireball. I'm not sure this was an official or only a semi official name. Various Ann Arbor websites refer to it and the Toledo Torpedo by those names. The Jerry Lee Lewis connection I mentioned was his signature song, Great Balls of Fire. Looking forward to your next question.
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