Close enough for a fun quiz. Sky Dome was an early B&O designator before they settled on Strata Dome (which I forgot). GN used the "Great Dome" name for their full length cars but just designated the short domes as "Dome coaches". The third train from Chicago with NP domes was the PRR/L&N/ACL/FEC South Wind. From the photos I've seen, IC repainted the NP cars, PRR didn't. Depending on the year (since IC painted them back in NP colors after the winter season) the NP/IC cars were either lettered Pullman with NP lettering on the ends or had the full Northern Pacific name spelled out on the letterboard.
Back to you for the next question.
Vista Dome - CB&Q / Rio Grande / WP / NP /SP&S
Domeliner - UP
Planetarium Dome - MP
Sky Dome - CP ?
Pleasure Dome - AT&SF
Great Dome - GN /SP&S
Super Dome - Milw / GN / SP&S
You didn't mention Shasta Dome which was The B&O's name for its dome cars on the Capitol Ltd. and Shenandoah
The Wabash Bluebird ran with a dome Observation/Parlor Car and dome chair cars but I can't find any special name given to these cars.
The SAL's Silver Meteor carried a glass topped car but it wasn't a true dome since clearances prohibited their use of dome cars.
In the winter of 1959-60 NP sleeper domes ran in the City of Miami - IC/CofG/ACL/FEC Chi-Miami and the North Coast Ltd - CB&Q/NP/SP&S Chi to Seattle and Portland. I don't know of the third train unless it was the Mainstreeter.
Mark
Let's slow down and look at the scenery a bit...
Here are some brand names used for dome cars. Name the carriers that used them. Railroad names may appear more than once.
Vista Dome
Domeliner
Scenic Dome
Planetarium Dome
Sky Dome
Pleasure Dome
Big Dome
Great Dome
Super Dome
Extra credit: During the winter of 1959-1960, NP 4-4-4 sleeper-domes ran on three trains out of Chicago. Train name, railroads and destinations.
You are correct. When I made the trip, we had two RDCs leaving North Station about 1pm, arriving in Portland in the early evening, with two other connecting passengers (and extensive carry-on acoustical test equipment), a taxi to the Grand Trunk station, then before boarding I learned that meal service was only available to parlor car passengers, and the six-wheel modernized parlor was at the end of the train, and one seat was still available, so I paid for a cash upgrade. I distinctly remember the name of the parlor car:
Allouette!
I rode the back platform while still daylight, then ate two of the sandwiches offered by the buffet service plus two cups of hot tea, and went to sleep, arriving in Montreal near midnight, with a reservation at the CN hotel upstairs from the station. The next morning I took a CP Budd-car train to Three Rivers for a project at Cap de Madelaine, the Cathedral du Notre Dam de Cap. I think that sound system is still working after 52 years!
French Canadians like to vacation at Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
The attendant in the parlor car was reluctant to handle USA money, so some Canadians exchanged money with me so I could pay him in Canadian money!
Next question yours RC
After regular daily service was discontinued in 1960, the CN/GT ran trains from Montreal to Portland ME on summer weekends (with a bus connection to Old Orchard Beach) until 1967. For a short period of time after the RDC runs via White River Jct were discontinued it was still possible to make a connection from a Boston-Portland RDC run, before those, too, were dropped. CN/GT trains were either RDC equipment or conventional coaches with boiler GP9s, often lettered Central Vermont.
After the RDC Allouette came off, the very last through Boston - Montreal train, it was of course still possible to go from Boston to Montreal by using the remaining New York Central/Boston and Albany train from South Station to Springfield, and then waiting for the Montrealer to come through from Penn Station and Washington. The northbound layover was not as horrible as the southbound, via the Washingtonian and New England States remnant, but both weren't very nice. In any case, northbound one would leave Boston around 2 or 3 in the afternoon and arrive in Montreal the next morning. But once or twice a week there was a faster way. What was it, which railroads, what equipment, which location the transfer point, and how did one make the connection, again, at the period just after the Allouette was finally discontinued.
You got it. The White Mountain Division from Concord to Woodsville was abandoned in 1954 between Plymouth NH and Blackmount NH (near Woodsville), so the remaining traffic after that was handled via White River Jct. The Red Wing ran from Wells River Vt. to Concord and Boston via White River Jct, with the CP power (if used) usually turned at the B&M roundhouse at Westboro (West Lebanon) NH after coming off at White River Jct. The Boston-Montreal sleeper via the Montrealer/Washingtonion was gone by 1947. B&M's lone E8 was supposed to be for this pool but ended up in general service with the E7s almost immediately.
After the mid 1950s the afternoon drill in White River Jct had the B&M's RDCs from Boston arriving around the same time as the northbound Ambassador (NH/B&M) with the CP/B&M train from the north (Montreal and Berlin NH, RDCs combined at Wells River VT) and the southbound Ambassador (CN/CV). All of the arrivals and departures were scheduled between 3:45 and 4:15 PM. With CV and B&M power getting swapped on both Ambassadors, the operator handling the ball signal was a busy man.
The Allouette and the Red Wing. The first the day Montreal - Boston train, the second the overnight. They ran opposite B&M E-7's (occasionally the B&M's one E8). The route was CP Windsor St., Montreal - Wells River Jc., then B&M through Concord, Manchaster, Nashua, and Lowell to North Station, Boston. The power always ran through on the Allouette but occasionally was swapped the Wells River on the overnight. In the steam days, power also ran through, and I once did ride Boston - Concord behind a CP 4-6-2. In the steam days after traffic dropped off after WWII, the Red Wing also carried coaches and one sleepers to Concord where they separated and ran to White River Jc. as the Boston leg of the Montrealler, but this was dropped I believe by the time of dieselizaton. The Red Wing came off around 1960, the tracks between Plymouth and Wells River went out of service shortly after, and the Allouette was rerouted via White River Junction, then north to Wells River. Connections both ways were established at White River Junction with the Ambassador, so it was possible to continue on the CV - CN route as well as via the CP to Montreal. And the B&M E-7's and CP E-8's were replaced by RDC's, usually one B&M RDC mu'ed with a CP RDC.
In the late 1940s Canadian Pacific bought three U.S. buit E8s for a particular passenger train. Name the train, its endpoints and route. For extra credit, name the other train these units often ended up on in the early years before moving to the Montreal-St John Atlantic.
rcdrye The pieces that stayed in the Southern Railway System: Cincinnati New Orleans and Texas Pacific Alabama Great Southern New Orleans and Northeastern The other two ended up in the Illinois Central's system Alabama and Vicksburg Vicksburg Shreveport and Pacific The A&V and the VS&P were merged together (and further subsumed under IC's Yazoo and Mississipi Valley) under the IC diamond. Some locomotives were sublettered for Y&MV/VS&P into the diesel era. Of course the Southern System sublettered for Q&C roads right up to the NS merger.
The pieces that stayed in the Southern Railway System:
Cincinnati New Orleans and Texas Pacific
Alabama Great Southern
New Orleans and Northeastern
The other two ended up in the Illinois Central's system
Alabama and Vicksburg
Vicksburg Shreveport and Pacific
The A&V and the VS&P were merged together (and further subsumed under IC's Yazoo and Mississipi Valley) under the IC diamond. Some locomotives were sublettered for Y&MV/VS&P into the diesel era. Of course the Southern System sublettered for Q&C roads right up to the NS merger.
A+, absolutely correct. Next question Rob.
One minor addendum, New Orleans & Northeastern was absorbed into Alabama Great Southern some time prior to 1970.
Before it was absorbed into the Southern Ry System The Queen & Crescent Route consisted of five different railroads. What were these five roads? The SR In 1926 leased two of the five to still another railroad which subsequently operated them as part of its system. What two RR's were these and to what road were they leased?
Gonna give it to KCSFAN. Erie is not only the shortest but the car was cut off the main at Meadville so it there was no change of cars.
Mark, you've made your mark here, now it's your turn to do so with a question for us.
RIDEWITHMEHENRY is the name for our almost monthly day of riding trains and transit in either the NYCity or Philadelphia areas including all commuter lines, Amtrak, subways, light rail and trolleys, bus and ferries when warranted. No fees, just let us know you want to join the ride and pay your fares. Ask to be on our email list or find us on FB as RIDEWITHMEHENRY (all caps) to get descriptions of each outing.
The March 1937 OG shows a through 12 Sec/DR sleeper carried in PRR train No. 581 between NY and Corry and train No. 950 between Corry and Oil City. The same OG shows there was no rail passenger service to Oil City on the Erie but lists connecting bus servie via the Walsh Bus Line between Meadville and Oil City.
The shortest route would be Erie NY (Jersey City) to Corry and PRR Corry - Oil City 518.7 miles.
An all PRR route via Philly, Harrisburg and Corry would be 543 miles. An all Erie route via Meadville would be 546 miles, just slightly longer.
I'd have to do a bit more research to find out if Pullman service to Oil City was available on either or both the PRR from Corry and the Erie from Meadville.
Ok...lets try this. I am in New York City and booking a rail ticket and Pullman space to Oil City, PA. Routing please. Date is not important but most direct routing is.
And Happy Thanksgiving from sunny Jacksonville, FL to all on the board!
Thanksgiving Day 2012. I'm thinking! I'm thinking. In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving.
Oh, and I thought it was really Portland, Maine! OK..but give me this day to conjure up a question....
New London it is. CV trip-leased CN units, usually FM CFA16-4 cab units but also occasional F7s, for the through freight to New London from about 1949 to about 1957. This directly relieved the CV's 2-10-4s (the 700 series, see the Fall 2012 Classic Trains issue) which had to be turned at Brattleboro anyway. The 700s help out until the end of CV steam pulling the through freights interchanged with B&M at Brattleboro. The line south of Brattleboro had a number of light bridges and required units of about 2-8-0 size, often doubleheaded with a few cars between the engines. The diesels could run through. The practice ended when CV got its GP9s.
Your question, Henry!
CN units did operate over the CV into Vt. and sometimes all the way to New London. But also on the GT into Portland, ME.
I think CN locomotives operated into White River Junction, VT, over the Central Vermont on occasion.
And they also opeated on the Grand Trunk, not the Grand Trunk Western, into Portland, ME.
CN locomotives did not operate in regular service on the Grand Trunk Western until the 1970s. The regular service operation began in 1949 and lasted into the late 1950s, at least. The American built lcoomotives replaced by CN units were among the smallest of their wheel arrangement.
You guys are close on latitude. Valparaiso is just a bit south of the city I'm looking for,
IGN, I think Valpariso was a bit further south than Portage on the GTW. Possibly CN locomotives might have run as far south as Toledo on the D&TSL which was jointly owned but the GTW and the Nickle Plate.
rcdrye Prior to the 1960s this was the southernmost city in the U.S. that saw Canadian National locomotives operating in regular service.
Prior to the 1960s this was the southernmost city in the U.S. that saw Canadian National locomotives operating in regular service.
WAG: Portage, In?
Rgds IGN
Yes, Rob has the onus of asking another question.
My ticket read: Birmingham-Louisville (L&N)-Chicago (PC)-LA(SFe)-San Diego (SFe)-LA (SFe)-Portland (SP)-Seattle (BN)-Minneapolis (BN)-Chicago (Milw)-Louisville (PC)-Birmingham (L&N). Whoops! it was only eleven coupons; I must have been thinking about my stopover in Pasco so that I could visit in Boise (by bus: Pasco-Walla Walla-Pendleton-Boise and back; my penultimate trip with overnights by bus). Going, I spent a night in Peoria and a night in Rock Island (bus between the two) so I could ride the remaining available RI lines, two nights in Palos Verde Pen. (before going to San Diego). Coming back, I spent one night in Seattle and one night in Boise.
David P. Morgan's trip, using the same tariff, was west on the North Coast Limited from Chicago, and then south to LA (free side trip to San Diego) and then back by way of Texas, on the Sunset Limited, so he could visit his father (he did have to pay extra to go that way).
Johnny
But does RC get to ask the next question?
The tariff was in effect before the fifties, and the ticket could have been written in the fifties, with the name of one railroad being different. I will admit that one train (with a pre-Amtrak train, with the same name and end points) ran on a different routing before the advent of Amtrak(pre-Amtrak, it would have required two more coupons to go the way I did go)--but the routing did make possible a stopover from which I took a side trip by bus to visit a woman whom I had met the previous year when making my first trip to the Pacific Northwest, and we married the following summer.
At that time, each road used by Amtrak required its own coupon, and one road required a separate coupon for each of two legs (I had thought one coupon would serve, but I was wrong.
The fare basis was Chicago-San Francisco.
If you have access to Trains magazine in the early fifties, you can find the account of a trip which David P. Morgan and another man took, using the Chicago-San Francisco tariff.
I did not have a stopover in Oakland, nor did I go through New Orleans (the entire trip was on Amtrak trains). Also, I was not informed of any limit as to the number of stopovers; I spent two nights in each of two places, one night in one place, and three nights with one of the stopovers.
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter