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Classic Train Questions Part Deux (50 Years or Older)

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Posted by SD70Dude on Saturday, January 2, 2021 6:49 AM

VV&E is the answer.

Hill was originally part of the CPR syndicate along with George Stephen and Donald Smith, but he ended up leaving (forced out, really) after disagreeing with Van Horne and the others over the proposed route.  Hill never forgot this, and held a lasting hatred of the CPR and its upper management.  The most obvious manifestation of this was a long drawn out 'railroad war' across southern B.C. through the 1890s and early 1900s, as GN fought the CPR for control of the region's rich mineral trade.  

The VV&E was originally intended to build the long dreamed of 'Coast to Kootenay Railway', which the CPR end up doing in the form of the fabled Kettle Valley Railway.  Hill acquired the VV&E's charter to build a competing route, and in doing so spite the CPR even further, but as construction dragged on and Hill aged GN's enthusiasm for its Canadian projects waned.  

GN and CP signed what was known as the Coquihalla Agreement, which allowed both railways to share each other's track between Princeton and Hope.  At the time of signing the route was not complete, and CP agreed to finish the line across Coquihalla Pass.  GN/VV&E owned the track from Princeton to Brookmere, while CP/KVR owned the track from Brookmere to Hope.  The terminal at Brookmere was laid out with space for both railways (including a double spouted water tower),  but the VV&E never used their side.  

GN/VV&E signed a separate agreement with Canadian Northern, obtaining running rights between Hope and Chilliwack in exchange for CNoR being granted running rights on GN's line through New Westminster and downtown Vancouver.  

After the Coquihalla line was completed GN ran a single passenger train across it, an inspection/memorial special carrying their board of directors and executives in honour of Jim Hill, who had died shortly before.  GN never ran another train across Coquihalla Pass.

Greetings from Alberta

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Posted by rcdrye on Friday, January 1, 2021 7:44 PM

Vancouver, Victoria & Eastern?  Associated with the New Westminster & Southern, both GN-owned, which suggests personal attention by James J. Hill.  Never actually reached Victoria, though another GN-owned line, the Victoria Railway and Ferry Co. did, by ferry.  Entrance to Vancouver was eventually over CN via the New Westminster Bridge.  GN built its new line from Blaine WA to New Westminster, opening it around 1909, eventually abandoning most of the earlier companies' trackage.

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, January 1, 2021 5:18 PM

Interestingly you can find some of the answer to this question, including the trackage rights, in a court case about Hill inheritance much later...

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Posted by SD70Dude on Friday, January 1, 2021 12:17 PM

Go west one more Province.  The C&E is dear to my heart, and I had considered asking a question about it, but it was never owned by an American line.  

Many mountains were climbed during the construction of the railway and its competitor, but a Hill ended up being more important than any of them.

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Posted by rcdrye on Friday, January 1, 2021 10:52 AM

Nice! Most Canadian provinces seem to have very few poulation centers.  The only one I came up with that sort of matched the question is the Calgary & Edmonton Railway, which was authorised to construct a "branch" line in the general direction of the U.S. border, but does not appear to have completed it.  The line was constructed from Calgary to Strathcona, across the river from Edmonton, eventually becoming part of the Canadian Pacific. 

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, December 30, 2020 12:02 AM

Excellent question!  Let's see who knows.

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Posted by SD70Dude on Tuesday, December 29, 2020 7:47 PM

Started by local Canadian interests as a competitor to the area's only transcontinental and named for the Province's two largest urban centres (though its rails never did touch one of them), this company's charter was purchased by an American railway, which used it to build a line that did indeed compete with the transcontinental, but whose construction was motivated more by personal reasons than eventual profits. 

Only one through train ever operated across its completed route, which ended up sharing track with two transcontinentals, including the one it was originally intended to compete with. 

What is the original company's name?

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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, December 25, 2020 4:41 AM

Right!    Please ask the next question.

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Posted by SD70Dude on Thursday, December 24, 2020 6:47 PM

Texas Chief?  With the Houston-Galveston portion being the one or two car stub in later years?

The Heartland Flyer now operates on part of its former route, while the Santa Fe mainline from Chicago to Newton has always had passenger service in the the form of the Super/Southwest Limited/Chief.  

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, December 24, 2020 3:29 PM

And the part of the route that still has passengwer service has a train with a new name concocted by Amtrak with the second world the same fleet name.

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, December 20, 2020 2:56 PM

Streamliner name had two words.  The second applicable to the fleet.

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Posted by daveklepper on Saturday, December 19, 2020 3:37 PM

I assume my answer was close enough to allow me to ask the next question:

This streamliner full-service started between to major cities with another along itgs route.  In its evolution, one mpre end-point by a split along its route, and still another by a short estension, often with just une or two cars, of the origibnal route.  But only the uriginal rute lasted until Amtrak, and my memory suggests Amtrak may have oprated it for a while.  A portion of the original has been revived as a state-supported Amtrak service. and another portion has always had Amtrak service.

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Posted by rcdrye on Friday, December 18, 2020 7:27 AM

The seven points I was looking for that B&M trains reached (after 1926, when the B&M's lease of the line north of Wells River VT went to Canadian Pacific) were, east to west:

Vanceboro ME (MEC) joint trains with MEC, CP, CN notably the Gull

Newport VT (CP) Allouette, Red Wing

East Richford and Richford VT CP line dipping into US following Missisquoi River

Highgate Springs VT (CV/CN) St. Armand Sub routing of Ambassador, Montrealer/Washingtonian/New Englander and others

East Alburgh VT (CV/CN) Alburgh/Rouses Point Sub routing of Ambassador, Montrealer/Washingtonian/New Englander

Rouses Point NY (RUT/CN) Green Mountain Flyer, Mount Royal

All of the routes had Boston Pullmans at one time or another, though the Rutland/CN car was dropped pretty early, replaced by a through car to Ogdensburgh.  All but the Vanceboro ME route had New York cars, though the CP/QC Pullman to Quebec City was dropped in the 1930s, with the CP car to Montreal dropped just before the war.  The two CV/CN routes were used at various times, with the Alburgh sub used exclusively for through trains after the late 1940s.  Except for the St. Armand sub at Highgate Springs, all of the rail border crossings are still in use.

Even though B&M was a class I, it was still a regional railroad in the classic sense. MEC was also a Class I by ICC standards while it still had passenger trains.

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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, December 18, 2020 4:38 AM

The B&M entered Quebeck north of Newport, Vermont, and had through cars via the Maine Central to Halifax and St. John cossing between Vanceboro and Calais, and through cars to Montreal via Rouses Point and anther location, and through cars to Toronto via Troy, the NY Central, and Niagra Falls.

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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, December 18, 2020 4:24 AM

Do you consider the Boston & Maine a regional RR?   I don't, but you mightl

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Posted by rcdrye on Thursday, December 17, 2020 6:20 PM

Anyone want to take a stab at this?  What we have so far is -

One border crossing point on the Maine Central but-

The railroad I'm looking for is not the Maine Central (though the MEC is involved)

Both Canadian systems as partners

All I need is the railroad and three more border crossing points out of the remaining six.

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Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 7:05 AM

Two of the seven places the road's trains crossed the border don't really count as the connecting line followed a stream that dipped into the US and then crossed back.  There was a scheduled stop on the US side of the "dip".  Of the other crossing points, three involved one Canadian railroad, two involved the other, touching three different states and two Canadian provinces.

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Posted by rcdrye on Sunday, December 6, 2020 7:39 AM

Close.  You have the green partner.  You want the maroon one.  MEC never participated in through service west of St. Johnsbury VT (at least not as MEC, predecessor P&O offered through cars west to Ogdensburgh NY), though its trains did meet CP's there.  Besides, you've only accounted for one (or at most two) of the seven places trains crossed the border...

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Posted by daveklepper on Saturday, December 5, 2020 4:05 PM

The railroad isd the Maine Cerntral. and its own crossing into Canada was at Beecher Falls. Vermont to Quebec.  International passenger service from Boston to St. Johns asnd Halifax entered Canada between Vanceboro and Calais, if memory is correct.  Additionally, rthere was through service to Montreal via Rouses Point and to Toronto via Niagra Falls. 

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Posted by rcdrye on Saturday, December 5, 2020 11:56 AM

This regional railroad, that at one time had its own cross-border line, later participated in passenger services which crossed the Canadian border in seven different places.  Please name the railroad and at least four of the border crossing points.

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Posted by daveklepper on Monday, November 30, 2020 3:42 PM

Jack discusses and illustrates the Isle-of-Man railways thoroughly on the thread I posted on the Trains Transit Forum:

http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/742/p/269394/3071590.aspx#3071590

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Posted by daveklepper on Monday, November 30, 2020 3:34 PM

It's not a cog rail, but a raised center rail that has brake-shoes clamping on it from both sides.

The dual-gauge track and the mineature passenger-carrying steam railway illustrated earlier are at Laxey.

Please ask the next question.

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Posted by rcdrye on Monday, November 30, 2020 1:50 PM

The Snaefell Mountain Railway uses 550V overhead wire with bow trolleys, and a center Fell system cog rail, now used only for braking on descent.  The line meets the Manx Electric Railway at Laxey.  Among other oddities, the line has a couple of railcars used by the RAF to maintain the aerial masts on top of Snaefell Mountain.

The dynamic brakes used on the Fell rail were not equipped with batteries until recently, making them subject to dropout if the cars lost power.

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Posted by daveklepper on Monday, November 30, 2020 10:55 AM

RC:  The Derby Castle workshop is now pretty much a combined operation to reduce costs and provide room for a different facility, and it also handles the repair on the Island's odd 42-in gauge line, which does not reach the workshop. Those car reach the shop on special shop trucks.

Care to complete the answer and discuss the unusual technology of the 42" gauge line?

Or does Overmod wish to do it?

 

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, November 29, 2020 8:17 PM

daveklepper
I'm certain rc or Overmod can provide the complete answer when either chooses to do so.

Somebody invoked Isle of Man waaaay back Nov. 23 in fact.  Then he psyched himself out.

The answer can be confirmed correct by looking up the Pentahotel (2 stars) and comparing it with Jack May's picture in the thread... strange I couldn't find it when I looked for it before.

 

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Posted by rcdrye on Sunday, November 29, 2020 3:28 PM

Sounds like Steve and William are "employees" of the Isle of man Railways' Douglas Bay tramway, which connects with the Manx Electric Railway at Derby Castle.  Both lines use historic wooden vehicles, including a double-deck tramcar.  The workshops and sheds for both lines are at Derby Castle.  There is also a steam operated railway on the island, but it doesn't connect with the other two.  All lineas are 36" gauge.

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, November 29, 2020 10:51 AM

I*'m certaon rc or Overmod can provide the complete answer when either chooses to do so.  Meanwhile, meet William:

 

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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, November 27, 2020 2:06 AM

Meet Doug:

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, November 25, 2020 7:07 AM

Meet Steve:

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, November 24, 2020 3:59 PM


"Once common worldwide, and still is in sport in developed countries."

 I'd say we're all the south end of the northgoing part of the answer not to have seen it...

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