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Classic Train Questions Part Deux (50 Years or Older)

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Posted by AWP290 on Saturday, October 23, 2010 2:25 PM

Give Mark a box of used clearance cards!

The key was, indeed, the word "into."  The W&A was the first road in the area (there actually was no town called "Terminus", it was just a construction camp, much as the UP men called theirs "End of Track.") but the W&A built out of the area, not into it.

The Georgia Railroad entered Marthasville in September of 1845.  The town was renamed Atlanta several months later.

For bonus points - can anyone tell me who named Atlanta? And where the name was first used?

Over to you, Mark.

Bob

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Posted by KCSfan on Saturday, October 23, 2010 2:03 PM

At that time the full name of the railroad was the Georgia Railroad and Banking Co.

Mark

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Posted by KCSfan on Saturday, October 23, 2010 1:24 PM

KCSfan

I too would have guessed the W&A but in the event Johnny is wrong I'll say the Georgia RR.

Mark

As I think more about it I believe the word "into" is key to this question. If my memory is correct, construction of the W&A was "started" at what later became Atalnta therefore it technically wouldn't have been built "into" there. This makes me feel a little more confident in my answer, the GA RR..

 

 

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Posted by KCSfan on Saturday, October 23, 2010 1:15 PM

I too would have guessed the W&A but in the event Johnny is wrong I'll say the Georgia RR.

Mark

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Posted by Deggesty on Saturday, October 23, 2010 1:02 PM

From what I have found, the Western and Atlantic was the first road into Terminus/Marthasville.

Johnny

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Posted by AWP290 on Saturday, October 23, 2010 12:40 PM

That last question sort of fell into my lap, as I have an interest in older cars as well as in railroads.

Now for the question:

What railroad was the first line to build into Marthasville (later Atlanta,) GA?  Careful, this might be a trick question, but isn't if you read it carefully.  It is a fairly straightforward question, really.

Bob Hanson

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Posted by wanswheel on Saturday, October 23, 2010 11:23 AM

Not to mention the Rocky Mountain Rocket 88, the Orange Buick Special, and the 20th Buick Century Buick Limited.

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Posted by wanswheel on Saturday, October 23, 2010 11:07 AM

Bob, yes your turn.

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Saturday, October 23, 2010 10:02 AM

Oldsmobile should also be mentioned for its ads for the Vista-Cruiser station wagon with the California Zephyr in the background.

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Posted by AWP290 on Saturday, October 23, 2010 7:12 AM

Pontiac built a model called the Super Chief (ATSF) for a couple of years in the 50's.Studebaker built the Champion (ACL) and the Commander (NYNH&H) for years,  Chrysler built a New Yorker (Sou Ry), Nash built the Ambassador (CV), and Hudson built the Pacemaker (NYC).

Oldsmobile should get honorable mention for the 4-4-2 which, as we know, was a wheel arrangement and a Pullman configuration, but not a named train.

Bob Hanson, Loganville, GA

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Posted by wanswheel on Saturday, October 23, 2010 1:50 AM

Dodge Challenger is a car with a name-train name. Name, by train, a certain model of Chrysler, Pontiac, Studebaker, Nash and Hudson

Mike

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Posted by KCSfan on Friday, October 22, 2010 6:57 AM

Bingo we have a winner. The area served by the IC Electric is located west of Peoria. Next question please Mike.

Mark

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Posted by wanswheel on Thursday, October 21, 2010 9:54 PM

"It started in Canton, Illinois, and extended through Fulton County to the towns of Norris, Bryant, Farmington, Fairview, St. David, Lewistown, and Dunfermline."

http://www.lib.niu.edu/1994/ihy941217.html

http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/il/htm/ictc01.htm

 

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Posted by wanswheel on Thursday, October 21, 2010 9:12 PM

Illinois Central Electric Railway

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Posted by KCSfan on Thursday, October 21, 2010 12:16 PM

KCSfan

Everyone is familiar with the Illinois Central, the "Mainline of Mid-America". However at one time there was also a second, much shorter, Illinois Central. What was the route of this "other" Illinois Central?

It looks like some hints will be needed to get an answer to this question.

The "little" Illinois Central was located in west-central Illinois. Its first rails were laid in1903 and it was totally abandoned in 1928 giving it a life span of only 25 years.

Mark 

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Posted by Deggesty on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 3:13 PM

Dave, I checked in the September, 1962 Guide, and it showed that all four cars were still running through. It may be that the day you rode the Slumbercoach was the only through car. I also looked in the January, 1964 (I have none between the two), issue, and only the three revenue cars were then running through.

It was the Royal Gorge; the Panorama, which ran over the Dotsero Cutoff, was discontinued when the California Zephyr was inaugurated.

I am glad you were able to make use of the through service; for many years I longed to take this train and that train, and by the time I was able to travel more there were many fewer trains (and routes) to travel.

Johnny

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 3:40 AM

I am not completely certaind of the date, but it may have been as late as 1962.  The train south from Denver was the Royal Gorge or Panorama or whatever it was called, a Denver-Grand Junction train, combined there with the Prospector for the run to SLCity.  I think it also had some SF equipment to run south from Pueblo to Raton or wherever to connect with the Chief.   My business was in Colorado Springs on that trip.   I had ridden the train northbound from CS to Denver in 1960.

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Posted by Deggesty on Monday, October 18, 2010 10:12 PM

Mark, I have not looked up the schedules for the duration of this service, but to run these cars to Pueblo would have called for a third set. The schedule in May, 1958, shows two and a half hours between the time that #1 arrived in Colorado Springs and # 2 left--but only fifteen minutes in Pueblo was scheduled, which is not quite enough time to service the cars.

In the late thirties, the Southern did operate a diner on the Queen and Crescent (Cincinnati-New Orleans train) between Cincinnati and Markwald (your Wood), Miss. No time is given for the trains at Markwald (just south of Heidelberg and north of Sandersville, which were flag stops for the train) but it must have been the scheduled meeting point for the two trains from their times at Heidelberg and Sandersville, and the diner was taken off the southbound train and put on the northbound train--add a switching move to the meet.

Johnny

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Posted by KCSfan on Monday, October 18, 2010 8:59 PM

Johnny, a question about the Colo Spgs/Chicago service via the "Q" and Rio Grande came to mind. According to my info Pueblo had the second largest population of any Colorado cities up until 1960. Did any of the four cars run on to Pueblo which is only about 45 miles from Colo Spgs? If not, I wonder why they didn't  as it would seem logical to serve that city given its population and the  business travel that I imagine the Colo Fuel & Iron Co. generated.

Mark

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Posted by KCSfan on Monday, October 18, 2010 7:59 PM

You're right Johnny, I would never have guessed there was a sufficent passenger volume to justify running four through cars between Chicago and Colorado Springs. Now on to the next question.

Everyone is familiar with the Illinois Central, the "Mainline of Mid-America". However at one time there was also a second, much shorter, Illinois Central. What was the route of this "other" Illinois Central?

Mark

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Posted by Deggesty on Monday, October 18, 2010 3:37 PM

Dave, when was it that you rode the Denver Zephyr-Royal Gorge? I have not looked at later issues of the Guide, but the May, 1958, issue shows, in the Burlington representation, four through cars as I listed them. It may well be that by the time you rode, the others were not run through because traffic had fallen off.

Originally, all of the cars that were built for the new DZ were to be operated on just that train and the Royal Gorge; in time, the Burlington saw that it was advantageous to not only exchange cars with the North Coast Limited, but also with the American Royal Zephyr.

 

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Posted by daveklepper on Monday, October 18, 2010 5:22 AM

I rode the Denver Zephyr Chicago - Colorado Springs through slumbercoach.   It was a regular for quite a few years.  As far as I remember it was the only such through car on the DZ.  But there may have been a through coach also.  There was no through Pullman on the DZ.   May have  been on other Q trains in the heavywieght era.   The car I rode was an NP car in the regular Chicago-based pool that covered the Blackhawk, the Mainstreeter, the North Coast Limited, and the Denver Zephyr.   The NP and CB&Q both contriputed to this slumbercoach pool, and possibly the SP&S contributed one car, also, but I don't remember seeing it.  That is the reason the NP colors were never applied to the NP's slumbercoaches.

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Posted by Deggesty on Sunday, October 17, 2010 6:42 PM

KCSfan

Johnny,

I don't have an OG for any of the years 1956-1960 so I'll have to guess as to this question. As far as I know the only through cars running between Chicago and Colorado Springs in 1955 were the coaches and a sleeper carried on the Rock Island's Rocky Mountain Rocket. Any through car(s) via the Burlington at a later time were probably carried in trains no. 1&10, the Denver Zephyr between Chicago and Denver  and between Denver and Colorado Springs in Rio Grande trains no. 1&2, the Royal Gorge. The arrival and departure times of these trains at Denver would have made the connection quite feasible. While there may have been a through coach, I think it more likely the only through car in this service was a single sleeper.

Mark

Well, Mark, you have the trains right. I hope I will not strain your credulity by stating that there were four through cars: one coach, one dome lounge, one slumber coach, and one 10-6 Pullman. This service, of course, was impossible with the original Denver Zephyr equipment, but after the Burlington re-equipped the train in the fifties, it was possible.

"Overnight, Every Night"

I'll give you a pass on the equipment, and invite you to ask the next question.

Johnny

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Posted by KCSfan on Sunday, October 17, 2010 6:46 AM

Johnny,

I don't have an OG for any of the years 1956-1960 so I'll have to guess as to this question. As far as I know the only through cars running between Chicago and Colorado Springs in 1955 were the coaches and a sleeper carried on the Rock Island's Rocky Mountain Rocket. Any through car(s) via the Burlington at a later time were probably carried in trains no. 1&10, the Denver Zephyr between Chicago and Denver  and between Denver and Colorado Springs in Rio Grande trains no. 1&2, the Royal Gorge. The arrival and departure times of these trains at Denver would have made the connection quite feasible. While there may have been a through coach, I think it more likely the only through car in this service was a single sleeper.

Mark

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Posted by Deggesty on Friday, October 15, 2010 9:18 PM

For several years, the RG public timetables had a picture of the California Zephyr--powered by an Alco PA-PB-PB.

New question: How did the Burlington participate in Chicago-Colorado Springs through passenger traffic in the late fifties? What cars ran between the two cities, and name the trains that carried the cars.

 

Johnny

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Friday, October 15, 2010 12:04 PM

Deggesty's first thought is correct.  He gets to ask 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 Deggesty on Friday, October 15, 2010 12:02 PM

CSSHEGEWISCH

Rio Grande had two ABA sets of PA1/PB1's on its roster.  What was their initial assignment?

My first thought, as Mark's, was the California Zephyr, but I had a second thought that it was, perhaps, the Prospector.

Johnny

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Posted by KCSfan on Friday, October 15, 2010 11:54 AM

CSSHEGEWISCH

Rio Grande had two ABA sets of PA1/PB1's on its roster.  What was their initial assignment?

Trains No. 1 & 2, The Royal Gorge. This is just a guess.

Mark

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Friday, October 15, 2010 9:59 AM

Rio Grande had two ABA sets of PA1/PB1's on its roster.  What was their initial assignment?

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 daveklepper on Friday, October 15, 2010 5:10 AM

ChewG:   NEXT QUESTION PLEASE

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