Trains.com

Classic Train Questions Part Deux (50 Years or Older)

856684 views
8197 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 4:34 AM

Pretty sure it's either Easton or Bethlehem, because Bound Brook is out of the way, good for traffic to Philadelphia, but added overall mileage east-west.

After the all-coach streamliner Pacemaker was folded into the Commodore Vanderbilt, the Central used the Pacemaker name for its hot NYC - Chicago freight service.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 4:40 AM

With the retirement of the long-lived Subway Budd R-32s, what are the oldest passenger multiple-unit electric cars operted by the New York State  MTA?

Hint:  They won't be  around very long.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 10:40 AM

daveklepper
After the all-coach streamliner Pacemaker was folded into the Commodore Vanderbilt, the Central used the Pacemaker name for its hot NYC - Chicago freight service.

Oddly enough, I knew about the Pacemaker LCL service long before I knew about the passenger train -- I was greatly impressed as a child by that publicity shot of what I recall was a late Mohawk trailing a solid string of those snazzy boxcars with their fancy brake arrangement.

But this was never an intermodal train; it was supplanted first by the systemwide 'Early Bird' LCL service, and then in 1957 by the advent of Flexi-Vans, which although certainly intermodal and nominally competitive were never called by or painted with the Pacemaker name.  

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 11:59 AM

B-Division R46 (P-S) 1975-1978.  Ordered just around 50 years ago, similar to the R44 (StLCC 1971-1973).  There may still be active sets of R44s on the Staten Island Rapid Transit.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 3:35 PM

'The question I answered did not use the  word "intermodal."

RC, the second-half of your answer is the correct one.  R44s are still on S. I., but new equipmentvuis arriving, and some have tested in Brooklyn before being sent to S. I.   And R46s are the second-oldest.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 4:50 PM

Most recent info I had on B-Division had R46s as the oldest.  The SIRT ones are very hard to find info on on-line.

SP's partial ownership of Western Greyhound Lines is well known.  On the piggyback side, every SP piggyback trailer from the 1940s on used the reporting mark PMTZ.  What did that stand for?

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 10:08 PM

Aren't there some R42s still on SIRT?  I believe that design dates back to 1971.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 7:09 AM

No R42's on SIRT.  Retired from B-Division in 2020.

  • Member since
    March 2016
  • From: Burbank IL (near Clearing)
  • 13,540 posts
Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 10:10 AM

I'm going to think outside the box and go with M2's on Metro North.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 11:45 AM

PMT was Pacific Motor Transport, an 'associated' truck line.

See also Southwest Motor Transport, and Southern Pacific Transportation (T&NO affiliated)

http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/pmt/pmt_number/index.htm

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, July 13, 2023 4:15 AM

M2s were the first of the high-floor-only quarter-point doors MUs for the New Haven line.  All were retired some time ago.  Some look-a-like newer series are just now being retired.  RC did  give the correct answer overall.  At the moment, some Staten Island R44s have already gone to scrap, and the remainder are in reserve should problems develop with the equipment being delivered and tested now, wth many in service.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Sunday, July 23, 2023 7:43 AM

Overmod is up.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Monday, July 31, 2023 6:05 PM

rcdrye
Overmod is up.

No he ain't.  Not since 2020, as pointed out.  Mr. Klepper himself acknowledged whose turn it is...

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Thursday, August 3, 2023 7:15 PM

I thought Overmod correctly answered the question about PMT on SP.  Oh, well.

Here's a new one:

The first postwar streamliners to enter service bore a color scheme that was adopted by its owner's much larger merger partner.  Name the trains and the railroads.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 3, 2023 9:05 PM

That would be the Pere Marquette's eponymous train, notable for the introductory use of Sleepy Hollow seats.   The blue and yellow came to be used extensively on merger partner C&O, famously on the Yellowbelly Hudsons and the three M-1 turbines.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Friday, August 4, 2023 6:05 AM

Right you are.  C&O had used orange on cars that weren't dark green, though by World War II there weren't many of those left.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, August 6, 2023 7:38 AM

Yes there were, rode in them.  Coachwa, sleepers, and dners, all heavyweight.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 5,017 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 6:23 AM

Overmod is up here, too.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 7:26 AM

I'm working on it.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 24, 2023 8:40 AM

Two weeks later and I still don't have anything that qualifies as quiz-level interesting.  Someone can ask while I'm floundering.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Friday, August 25, 2023 9:43 AM

Working at Bolt Beranek and Newman's NYCity office, 101 Park Avenue, across from GCT, if I did not attend an evening NYCity concert, which would mean a roomette on the Owl, I tried to finish work ib tine to catch the 5pm Merchants, to return to my Canbridge apartment and BBN's main office.  On occasion, I would be delayed, and opt for the 6pm train at Penn that came from Washington.  (Colonial or Senator?)

But I did not go to Penn Sta. to catch it.  What did I do?  

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Friday, August 25, 2023 10:53 AM

Get on something at GCT that went to New Rochelle, and transfer there?

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, August 27, 2023 11:48 AM

Half-right.  Yes, I did board at GCT.   Neither the train I boarded nor the one from Washingtoln stopped at New Rochelle, and the one I boarded  at GCT went a lot farther than New  Rochelle.  And it would havebeen possible to come from Washington or Penn-NYCity and end up at its destination, on the train I left.

The 4-track mainline made this  routing possible, and  I was assured of making the connection, just by looking iout the right-side window!

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Sunday, August 27, 2023 7:42 PM

This is reminding me of something.  When I was very young -- possibly around 5 -- we were going through Grand Central and I thought we were on the platform with the red carpet rolled out.  But the train had something different on the front end -- it had the drum-shaped script GE medallion on the side flanked by the words 'electric' and 'locomotive', and the engineer offered me a cab ride (which I regretfully declined only because I didn't know where to tell my father to come pick me up!)

The only thing I think that could possibly be at that time would be an EP5, on a New Haven probably-named long-distance train out of GCT at what might have been around 6pm departure...

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 9:43 AM

A look at a NYNH&H timetable and my hints can provide the answer.  I believe the train I boarded at GCT also had a name,and  was gthe only train having a name and GCT and another city as its destinations, although other named trains ran its route.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 10:08 AM

Connecticut Yankee, either changing at New Haven or Springfield?

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, August 31, 2023 3:19 AM

The Washington-Boston train did not go through Springfield.   But I'll say you are the winner, becaed the use you did mention New Haven.

I left Grand Central at 6:05 or 6:10, and it was a GCT - Sprigfield train.  It may have been named The Connecticut Yankee, but my memory says The Bankers.  It was a guaranteed Hartford and Springfield connection for the passengers from Washington.  The connection in reverse that I used was not guaranteed, but was normasl.

Look forward to your question.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 31, 2023 7:56 PM

.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 31, 2023 7:57 PM

Well, I get little credit because the meat of the question is in the guaranteed 'reverse' connection.  But I have a related if nowhere near as interesting sort of question that concerns this train.

How can Mr. Klepper and I both be right about the name of the train in question?  Although I can say conclusively that the particular train he described was the Connecticut Yankee?

I can think of at least one other train running between New York and New Haven with this characteristic.  Name it too.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,096 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Saturday, September 2, 2023 2:09 PM

The Montrealler-Washingtonian regularly interchanged passengers (and possibly at times through sleepers with the State-of-Maine at New Haven.  (Rode them both, numerous times, but did not use this transfer,)

The State vof Maine was the long-time-running, possibly to 1966 or 1967, NYCity GCT - Bangor train, via Groton - Worcester - Ayer to get around Boston.  NYNH&H, B&M, MC. There was a Boston Concord B&M connection at Ayer or Lowell that handled a Concord-NYCity sleeper with this train.

SUBSCRIBER & MEMBER LOGIN

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

FREE NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter