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Classic Train Questions Part Deux (50 Years or Older)

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Posted by Deggesty on Monday, November 16, 2009 1:01 PM

adkdivfan
In April 1958 B&O Royal Blue Line service between Baltimore and Jersey City was discontinued, and the B&O station at 24th & Chestnut Streets closed.

Back to Philadelphia, briefly. Has anybody noticed how the pospulation of Philadelphia has changed since the station was closed? 1950--2,071,605; 1960--2,002,512; 1970--1,949,996; 1980--1,688,210; 1990--1,585,577 (I looked in the 1993 World Almanac, so I did not get the 2000 census result).

Johnny

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Posted by KCSfan on Monday, November 16, 2009 12:34 PM

ZephyrOverland

 Did the Southern Railway operate this train?

(5) Yes

Mark

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Posted by ZephyrOverland on Monday, November 16, 2009 11:36 AM

 Did the Southern Railway operate this train?

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Posted by KCSfan on Sunday, November 15, 2009 10:05 AM

daveklepper

I think you may be referring to the named train the Seabord ran between Hamlet and Wilmington, NC, but I forget its name, just remembering the fact that it had a name.

I

(4) Sorry Dave but that's not the train I have in mind.

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, November 15, 2009 9:29 AM

I think you may be referring to the named train the Seabord ran between Hamlet and Wilmington, NC, but I forget its name, just remembering the fact that it had a name.

 

I should have gotten the Phily-B&O answer, since I did ride the B&O between Columbus Circle Manhattan (B&O bus station) and DC.   Air conditioned coaches during WWII and excellent dining car.   Age 13 at the time.

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Posted by KCSfan on Sunday, November 15, 2009 9:19 AM

Henry,

I consider a doodlebug to be either a gas electric or diesel electric motor car, but not a RDC.

Mark

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Posted by henry6 on Sunday, November 15, 2009 8:53 AM
Define "doodlebug".  It could be gas electric car or diesel or RDC, depending on railroad and geography.

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Posted by KCSfan on Sunday, November 15, 2009 8:28 AM

passengerfan

Mark

Did this named doodlebug operate in the Southeastern US?

Al - in - Stockton

(3) Yes

Mark

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Posted by passengerfan on Sunday, November 15, 2009 6:13 AM

Mark

Did this named doodlebug operate in the Southeastern US?

Al - in - Stockton

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Posted by KCSfan on Saturday, November 14, 2009 6:46 AM

passengerfan

Did it operate west of the Mississippi River?

Al - in - Stockton

(2) No

Mark

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Posted by passengerfan on Saturday, November 14, 2009 3:17 AM

Did it operate west of the Mississippi River?

Al - in - Stockton

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Posted by KCSfan on Saturday, November 14, 2009 12:54 AM

adkdivfan

KCSfan

After re-reading adkdivfan's last reply I think I am supposed to ask the next question. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll delete this one.

I'm think of one of the few trains headed by a doodlebug that was named. You have 20 questions to identify the train, its route and the railroad over which it ran.

Mark

Yes, you had the correct city, and thank you for posting the photos. Was Ashland, Wisconsin one of its end points?

Thanks for the photos goes to wanswheel who does a yeoman job locating and posting vintage photos of just about anything we discuss on these forums.

(1) No, It didn't run anywhere near Ashland.

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Posted by adkdivfan on Saturday, November 14, 2009 12:32 AM

KCSfan

After re-reading adkdivfan's last reply I think I am supposed to ask the next question. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll delete this one.

I'm think of one of the few trains headed by a doodlebug that was named. You have 20 questions to identify the train, its route and the railroad over which it ran.

Mark

Yes, you had the correct city, and thank you for posting the photos. Was Ashland, Wisconsin one of its end points?
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Posted by KCSfan on Saturday, November 14, 2009 12:02 AM

After re-reading adkdivfan's last reply I think I am supposed to ask the next question. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll delete this one.

I'm think of one of the few trains headed by a doodlebug that was named. You have 20 questions to identify the train, its route and the railroad over which it ran.

Mark

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Posted by henry6 on Friday, November 13, 2009 7:56 PM

You always come through, Mark...I remember riding through there back about 1959 or 60 when as a high schooler a friend and I rode the B&O Royal Blue from Plainfield to and from Baltimore to visit the Museum.  I was fascinated by the trackage, the river, and the station in Philadelphia. 

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Posted by adkdivfan on Friday, November 13, 2009 7:40 AM

KCSfan

According to the census figures I've seen in both 1950 and 1960 only five cities had populations of one million or more. These were: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Detroit. I'd guess it was Reading Terminal in Philadelphia.

Mark

Reading Terminal did not close until late 1983 or early 1984 with the opening of the Center City Commuter Tunnel. Intercity service ended a couple of years earlier when the through service to Newark NJ was changed to a connection to NJT at West Trenton. As I only asked for the city, Philadelphia is the correct answer. In April 1958 B&O Royal Blue Line service between Baltimore and Jersey City was discontinued, and the B&O station at 24th & Chestnut Streets closed.
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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, November 13, 2009 2:48 AM

Didn't Reading Temrinal close after 1960?  I recall taking a train to Newark, NJ after the Aldene plan had been effected, from Reading Terminal.

One State Capitol lost all its rail passenger service when the Baltimore and Annapolis discontinued rail passenger service during that period, but Annapolis did not have one million residents.

If the census figures are correct then the question is not correct.

 

Did Atlanta lose its downtown stations at the time?    Close to million, fi not actually a million.

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Posted by KCSfan on Thursday, November 12, 2009 10:04 PM

According to the census figures I've seen in both 1950 and 1960 only five cities had populations of one million or more. These were: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Detroit. I'd guess it was Reading Terminal in Philadelphia.

Mark

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Posted by henry6 on Thursday, November 12, 2009 7:48 PM

Syraacuse, NY comes to mind when the downtown NYC station was closed and the ROW given over to the 4 lane highway system; station became Grayhound's!  New stop was at E.Syracuse/Dewitt. 

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Posted by adkdivfan on Thursday, November 12, 2009 6:23 PM

During the 1950s many towns and cities in the U.S. experienced the closure of passenger stations and the loss of intercity service provided at those stations. Which city with a population of over one million people was the only one during that decade to lose a station and the entire loss of service provided there? This applies to a primary downtown station, not peripheral stops.

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Posted by Deggesty on Thursday, November 12, 2009 5:18 PM

daveklepper

Both ran on the NYNH&H, B&M, and CV from Grand Central Terminal to Wells River (and perhaps beyhond?).

In 1943, and in 1950, the Day White Mountains ran between NYC and Berlin (N. H.) In 1943, it also had coaches to Montreal.

The Guides that I currently have near my computer do not list the Night White Mountains, but I do have a memory of having seen the train listed. It also may have gone up to Berlin.

Johnny

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, November 12, 2009 2:27 PM

Both ran on the NYNH&H, B&M, and CV from Grand Central Terminal to Wells River (and perhaps beyhond?).

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Posted by KCSfan on Thursday, November 12, 2009 11:56 AM

adkdivfan

Alleghany, PRR. Shenandoah, B&O. Ozarker, MP. Taconic, NH. Hoosac, B&M. Klamath, SP.

All good answers even though some are really only part of a larger and better known mountain range. e.g. the Hoosac Range which is a part of the Berkshires.

Since you have named six and Henry and Al only five each the tie is broken and the next question is yours adkdivfan.

I know of only two other trains that could be added to the list, the CB&Q's Ozark State Zephyr and one of NH/B&M's White Mountains. While Henry mentioned the White Mountains there were actually two such trains, one named the Day White Mountains and the other the Night White Mountains.

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Posted by adkdivfan on Thursday, November 12, 2009 10:41 AM

Alleghany, PRR. Shenandoah, B&O. Ozarker, MP. Taconic, NH. Hoosac, B&M. Klamath, SP.

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Posted by KCSfan on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 12:57 PM

Right now it's a tie with Al and Henry naming 5 trains apiece. There are at least four more trains that I know of so I'll leave the question open for a while to see if anyone can identify them and hopefully break the tie.

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Posted by henry6 on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 8:13 PM

The White Mountan Express...B&M, MEC from Boston and Portland to Montreal

The Pocono Express...DL&W Buffalo to NY

The Adarondack...D&H Alban-Montreal

The Berkshire HIlls...NH New York City to Pittsfield MA

The Catskill Flyer (?) ..Ulster and Delaware, NYC, Weehawken to Oneonta

Green Mountain Flyer...Rutland, Bennington,VT to Rouses Pt.,NY

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Posted by passengerfan on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 7:48 PM

KCSfan

A number of train names included the name of mountain ranges. Name as many as you can and the RR's over which they ran. 

Let's keep it to US trains that operated sometime between 1945 and 1959. Remember only mountain ranges count not individual mountains like the El Capitan for example.

Mark

Mark.

First I would like to say it certainly is an interesting way to spend a day. All  to soon Tax season will be here once again. I still have about a dozen clients to finish just waiting on the balance of there info.

I came up with five in your latest question.

CASCADE SP Portland Oakland with through sleepers to Seattle.

CASCADIAN GN Spokane - Seattle

LAURENTIAN D&H /NYC New York - Montreal

MINNESOTA & BLACK HILLS EXPRESS C&NW Minneapolis - Rapid City

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROCKET CRI&P Chicago - Denver/Colorado Springs

Al - in - Stockton 

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Posted by KCSfan on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 6:36 PM

A number of train names included the name of mountain ranges. Name as many as you can and the RR's over which they ran. 

Let's keep it to US trains that operated sometime between 1945 and 1959. Remember only mountain ranges count not individual mountains like the El Capitan for example.

Mark

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Posted by passengerfan on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 6:10 PM

KCSfan

Well the Pioneer Zephyr trainset is the obvious one that comes to mind. It originally ran between KC and Lincoln, NE. For a time it was paired with the Mark Twain Zephyr and the duo ran between Chicago and Denver as the Advanced Denver Zephyr. I believe it also saw service for a brief time on the Chicago to Minneapolis/St. Paul route. Its last route prior to being retired was IIIRC between Galesburg, IL and Lincoln.

Mark

We have a winner.

The Pioneer Zephyr was the first streamlined diesel powered streamliner to operate in the United States. The three named services it operated under were as follows:

It first entered service between Lincoln -Omaha - St. Joseph - Kansas City round trip daily as the 9900 ZEPHYR.

It was one of the two trains assigned to the ADVANCE DENVER ZEPHYR between Chicago and Denver between May 31, 1936 and November 7, 1936 operating opposite the MARK TWAIN ZEPHYR as you mentioned.

And the third named assignment of the Pioneer Zephyr was as the OZARK STATE ZEPHYR round trip daily between Kansas City and St. Louis.

Your question Mark

Al - in - Stockton 

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