The diners and parlors were straight trailers without pantographs. South Shore's latest trailers (the current 200 series) are the first on the road that have pantographs.
Hint: Think at the bottom of the car.
Six-wheel trucks?
daveklepper Six-wheel trucks?
We have a winner!! South Shore diners 301-302 and parlor cars 351-352 were the only interurban passenger equipment to ride on Commonwealth six-wheel trucks.
Daveklepper, your question.
What was the popular name of the route that took the original Denver and Salt Lake over the Rocky Mountains before the building of the Moffat Tunnel, and what the features that gave it that name.
(Vestiges of the route were still to be seen when I first rode the CZ in 1960, but they disapeared years ago.)
Hint: The name for the route was the title of a book having as its main subject one of my personal heroes.
Hi Dave,
The name Rollins Pass comes to mind - but that is most likely not the answer. Anyway at least it proves that I read the Forum.
Alan, Oliver & North Fork Railroad
https://www.buckfast.org.uk/
If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. Lewis Carroll English author & recreational mathematician (1832 - 1898)
Wasn't that "The Giant's Ladder"?
It was known as the "Moffat Road," but that, of course, makes no reference to any of the features found along the way.
Johnny
I was not looking for the official name of the pass, which was seldom used, but for the visual description, which was the common term used for the route. So Garyla is correct, "Giants Ladder", and there is a wonderful book that is the biography of David Moffat and the history of the Denver and Salt Lake Railroad by that name. The route was a series of switchbacks on both sides, more on the east side, and looking from the base, it truly looked like giant ladder!! Next question please?
Again Garyla, we are waiting for your question!
daveklepper Again Garyla, we are waiting for your question!
-Maybe you should PM him? - al
Since it's been over a week and still no question from garyla I'll throw one out to keep the thread alive while we're waiting for him.
What railroad ran two trains whose names were inspired by the 1933-34 Chicago Worlds Fair? Name the trains, their routes and the advertising slogan used by the railroad at that time.
Mark
KCSfan What railroad ran two trains whose names were inspired by the 1933-34 Chicago Worlds Fair? Name the trains, their routes and the advertising slogan used by the railroad at that time. Mark
Century of Progress and Spirit of Progress
C&EI - Chicago-Pana, IL
B4 - Pana - St. Louis
The C&EI slogan at this time was "The Noiseless Route."
ZephyrOverland KCSfan What railroad ran two trains whose names were inspired by the 1933-34 Chicago Worlds Fair? Name the trains, their routes and the advertising slogan used by the railroad at that time. Mark Century of Progress and Spirit of Progress C&EI - Chicago-Pana, IL B4 - Pana - St. Louis The C&EI slogan at this time was "The Noiseless Route."
By the way, was one of them an overnight train?
ZephyrOverland Century of Progress and Spirit of Progress C&EI - Chicago-Pana, IL B4 - Pana - St. Louis The C&EI slogan at this time was "The Noiseless Route."
Those are the two I had in mind so the next question is yours ZO. I have no idea where the C&EI came up with the slogan "The Noisless Route" since I'm sure their trains were just as noisy inside and out as those on any other railroad of the time.
Johnny, you're right they were C&EI trains all the way between Chi and StL and the Pana-StL part of their route was on trackage rights over the Big Four. The Spirit of Progress was the night train leaving both Chi and StL about midnight and arriving at their destinations about 7 in the morning. I have a 1937 OG showing its consist as reclining seat chair cars, two Pullmans and a cafe lounge car. Interestingly, the latter was unusal in that it served a midnight supper as well as a club breakfast in the morning.
The day train, The Century of Progress, left around Noon and arrived around 5pm. It ran on a 5-1/2 hour schedule southbound and a 5 hour flat schedule northbound. The consist was reclining seat chair cars, a cafe-lounge car and a drawing room/parlor/observation car.
http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/u?/uic_cop,821
KCSfanThose are the two I had in mind so the next question is yours ZO. I have no idea where the C&EI came up with the slogan "The Noisless Route" since I'm sure their trains were just as noisy inside and out as those on any other railroad of the time.
I have a suspicion that C&EI tried to make lemonade out of lemons by referring itself as "The Noiseless Route" due to the fact that their St. Louis route did not pass through any larger population centers and did not carry any set-on or set-off sleepers. So, in theory, you could get a better nights sleep on board a CEI train. While this was a usable selling point during the time it was used, it also glossed over the lines greatest weakness - the lack of substantial intermediate traffic. This weakness was the primary cause of C&EI exiting the Chicago-St. Louis market in 1949.
As for the next question:
The Milwaukee Road briefly ran a train named after a nocturnal creature. Name the train and the route.
ZephyrOverland As for the next question: The Milwaukee Road briefly ran a train named after a nocturnal creature. Name the train and the route.
DeggestyZephyrOverland As for the next question: The Milwaukee Road briefly ran a train named after a nocturnal creature. Name the train and the route. In January of 1930, the Milwaukee was operating The Bat between Chicago and Minneapolis. Westbound, it had a Milwaukee to LaCrosse setout sleeper, and eastbound it had a St. Paul to Chicago setout sleeper.
That's the train I was looking for. Next question is yours, Johnny.
ZephyrOverlandNext question is yours, John
Now, to day trains on the Milwaukee, also in early 1941.
What equipment did the following trains have in common that was not operated on any other train, according to the MILW representaion in the Guide?
Morning & Afternoon Hiawathas (Chicago-Minneapolis), Midwest Hiawatha (Chicago-Sioux Falls), Chippewa (Milwaukee to Channing & Channing to Chicago; the listing does not show how the car was returned to Milwaukee).
Who built these cars?
Why were they given their distinctive name? (I have never been able to figure this one out.) Whoever can give this answer deserves a box of $15.00 cigars and a case of the best champagne.
It's about 11:15 pm and I am too tired to look up my references so I'll take a stab at this question strictly from memory. Would these be the beaver tail observation cars? I seem to recall reading they were built by the Milwaukee Road in their own shops which I think were in Milwaukee or maybe West Allis. The name derived from their distinct sloped backs which bore a faint resemblance to a beaver's tail - broad, thick at the base and sloping back somewhat to a thin tip.
I will suggest that these trains were equipped with Tip Top Tap Cars. My guess is that they drew their name from the tavern-lounge at the Allerton Hotel in Chicago.
KCSfan It's about 11:15 pm and I am too tired to look up my references so I'll take a stab at this question strictly from memory. Would these be the beaver tail observation cars? I seem to recall reading they were built by the Milwaukee Road in their own shops which I think were in Milwaukee or maybe West Allis. The name derived from their distinct sloped backs which bore a faint resemblance to a beaver's tail - broad, thick at the base and sloping back somewhat to a thin tip. Mark
So, you have the privilege of asking the next question.
CSSHEGEWISCH I will suggest that these trains were equipped with Tip Top Tap Cars. My guess is that they drew their name from the tavern-lounge at the Allerton Hotel in Chicago.
During WW2 the construction of passenger cars for America's railroads was suspended as men. material and machines were diverted to building only those things essential to the war effort. What were the last sets of streamlined equipment to be completed after the US entered the war? Name the railroad, the train and the date this equipment went into service.
Illinois Central, The Panama Limited, May 1, 1942, unless I'm mistaken.
Bob Hanson, Loganville, GA
AWP290 Illinois Central, The Panama Limited, May 1, 1942, unless I'm mistaken. Bob Hanson, Loganville, GA
Wow, that was quick. No mistake about it. You are right on all counts so the next question is yours Bob.
This one shouldn't be too difficult:
In the 1960's, under President D. W. Brosnan, Southern Railway entered into what amounted to a holy crusade to discontinue passenger trains (some of which were actually still earning a small profit!)
In a spectacularly bad public relations move, Brosnan ordered a name train discontinued before the end of its run and had its passengers detrained literally in the middle of a swamp and bussed to the train's terminal.
Question: What was the train? And for extra credit, what was the name of the town (and I use the term loosely) where this event occurred?
As I said, this one shouldn't be too difficult as there are a number of guys on this list who probably recall the event as it received an inordinate amount of publicity (much to the chagrin of SR.)
AWP290 This one shouldn't be too difficult: In the 1960's, under President D. W. Brosnan, Southern Railway entered into what amounted to a holy crusade to discontinue passenger trains (some of which were actually still earning a small profit!) In a spectacularly bad public relations move, Brosnan ordered a name train discontinued before the end of its run and had its passengers detrained literally in the middle of a swamp and bussed to the train's terminal. Question: What was the train? And for extra credit, what was the name of the town (and I use the term loosely) where this event occurred? As I said, this one shouldn't be too difficult as there are a number of guys on this list who probably recall the event as it received an inordinate amount of publicity (much to the chagrin of SR.) Bob Hanson, Loganville, GA
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