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Classic Train Questions Part Deux (50 Years or Older)

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Posted by Texas Zepher on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 9:48 PM

FlyingCrow
Name of Train and Railroad:    Whose prewar speedster featured a fireplace (albeit decorative only) in the lounge car?

Hmmm I can find several pre-war heavyweights that had fireplaces including the railcar Alabama.  So I'll guess   The B&O's  Royal Blue.

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Posted by Texas Zepher on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 9:51 PM

FlyingCrow
Name of Train and Railroad:    Whose prewar speedster featured a fireplace (albeit decorative only) in the lounge car?

Hmmm I can find several pre-war heavyweights that had fireplaces including the railcar Alabama.  So I'll guess   The B&O's  Royal Blue.

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, January 27, 2011 4:31 AM

Great Northern's Empire Builder with the lounge car having ranch motive.

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Posted by FlyingCrow on Thursday, January 27, 2011 11:44 AM

No winners yet!     Read the question carefully because I put a hint word in there.

 

Wink

AB Dean Jacksonville,FL
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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, January 28, 2011 3:39 AM

If not the EmpireBuilder, then definitely the original articulated Denver Zephyr twin trainsets.

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, January 28, 2011 9:00 AM

I'll take a WAG at the City of Los Angeles and it's Copper Lounge Car with the train being operated over the CNW-UP routing.

FlyingCrow

I'll do it.....

Name of Train and Railroad:    Whose prewar speedster featured a fireplace (albeit decorative only) in the lounge car?

 

Is anyone else seeing the forum in WIDE screen now like I am?

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by FlyingCrow on Friday, January 28, 2011 9:46 PM

Truly, the trains mentioned here had some "unusual" decor in their lounge and dining cars.  

BUT

Not what I'm looking for.

HINT TIME!!!

It's time between two plains states cities in a somewhat circuitous route was only off the more direct (and more affluent) competition by less than an hour.    Consequently, when you settled into a comfy seat next to that fireplace...you stayed there !

 

AB Dean Jacksonville,FL
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Posted by wanswheel on Saturday, January 29, 2011 6:41 PM

Excerpt from Railway Age (1936)

In 1934, the St. Louis-San Francisco built, at its own shops at Springfield, Mo., two all-welded, modern steel lounge cars which attracted the favorable attention of railroad men as well as passengers and are now in service on the Meteor, operating between St. Louis, Mo. and Oklahoma City, Okla. The lounge room is furnished with deep and comfortable easy chairs, love seats, magazine tables, writing desk, rubber-cushioned carpet and a cozy fireplace.

http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/frisco/friscoline/images/photos/p01614.jpg

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Posted by FlyingCrow on Saturday, January 29, 2011 7:30 PM

Wans...you got it, but the fireplace and the lounge cars didn't stay in service on the Meteor...instead being transferred to service on the Firefly, which made it from KC to Oklahoma in only 30 minutes longer than competitor Santa Fe.     The Firefly (actually the name of a pre-Frisco System breakup train on the Rock Island) arrived in Tulsa and OK City via Joplin.  This required some backtracking.

Take it away...the question's all yours.

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, February 3, 2011 2:26 AM

Still waiting for the next question!

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Posted by wanswheel on Friday, February 4, 2011 4:15 AM

What railroad named a locomotive for Seabiscuit?

Seabiscuit at Elmont, NY (Belmont Park) in 1938

Mike

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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, February 4, 2011 5:04 AM

Since the Long Island Rail Road served Belmont Park, that would ordinarily be my first choice.   However, | doubt the LIRR ever named locomotives.   In that respect, they followed PRR practice.  I think, however, that both the Florida East Coast and the Kansas City Southern at one time or another named locomotives, diesels as well as steam,, after race hourses.   I will choose the latter, for the present.   Possibly the Louisville and Nashville did also.   But I will stick with KCS for the moment!

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Posted by wanswheel on Friday, February 4, 2011 5:50 AM

Nope.

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Posted by K4sPRR on Friday, February 4, 2011 7:52 AM

Frisco.

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Posted by al-in-chgo on Friday, February 4, 2011 10:25 AM

Southern Pacific?

 

al-in-chgo
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Posted by Deggesty on Friday, February 4, 2011 10:38 AM

Since Mike has not responded, I will go with K4sPRR since the Frisco named many of its diesel locomotives after race horses.

Johnny

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Posted by wanswheel on Friday, February 4, 2011 3:40 PM

K4sPRR, yes your turn.  Frisco thought Seabiscuit was two words.

http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/frisco/friscoline/images/photos/p00880.jpg

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Posted by K4sPRR on Friday, February 4, 2011 4:15 PM

Ok, here's the next one.  Two major US railroads shared a passenger facility in a large industrial city.  This particular depot was in such deplorable condition that local business's erected a bill board near the depot asking visitors not to judge their city by the condition of the passenger station.  What was the city, and who were the railroads involved?

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Posted by ZephyrOverland on Monday, February 7, 2011 12:26 PM

K4sPRR

Ok, here's the next one.  Two major US railroads shared a passenger facility in a large industrial city.  This particular depot was in such deplorable condition that local business's erected a bill board near the depot asking visitors not to judge their city by the condition of the passenger station.  What was the city, and who were the railroads involved?

I'm going to guess - Pittsburgh with the PRR and PRR West Lines concerning their "temporary" station - the one built after the railroad riots in the 1870s(?), not the one that is currently standing.

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Posted by K4sPRR on Monday, February 7, 2011 3:03 PM

Congratulations you got one of the three.  As to the city it was not Pittsburgh.  The station I am refering to was permanent facility that was around for quite some time before finally being put to rest.

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 3:50 AM

The old PRR station in Newark before the present Penn Station, used by PRR and LV?

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Posted by henry6 on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 7:32 AM

I hope you're right Dave, because that thought passed through my mind too!

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Posted by K4sPRR on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 9:02 AM

Good guess, but I don't think they put up quite the stink about things as this city did.  In addition to the billboard was a postcard asking for the same consideration.  Clues;

1.  The involved railroads, when they moved in together were definately the Odd Couple.

2.  If this city had a billboard today it would probably ask visitors not to judge them by their sport teams.

 

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Posted by AWP290 on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 11:19 AM

Are you thinking about Cleveland?  The NYC and NKP had a joint depot that was definitely in the urban blight category.

I believe I read somehwee that when it caught fire a crowd gathered and cheered.

Bob Hanson, Loganville, GA

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Posted by AWP290 on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 12:05 PM

Previous post should read "I read somewhere..."

I just washed my hands and can't do a thing with them.

Bob Hanson, Loganville, GA

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Posted by K4sPRR on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 7:28 AM

You guys are moving in on the answer.  The city and the involved railroads have all been mentioned, now just put the right combination together.

 

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Posted by ZephyrOverland on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 12:38 PM

Based on what was said in earlier posts, could the answer be Cleveland Union Station (not Terminal) what was used by the PRR and the NYC (at least the Big 4 and Lake Shore and Michigan Southern) and was torn down in 1959?

 

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Posted by K4sPRR on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 2:17 PM

Congratulations Zephyr, your are correct!  The Old Union Station as it bacame known after the opening of Cleveland Union Terminal, was located on Clevelands lakefront off W 6th St.  Shared by the PRR (owner) and the NYC until the NYC finally decided to move to the new CUT built by the VanSweringin brothers.  Passenger service remained until September 1953 then eventually it was tore down in 1959.

It was built in 1866 after the original 1854 station burnt down.  It was ugly when it was new, and got even uglier.  Cleveland was the home to 60 business that called the city their world headquarters and they were embarrased about what was, for many years, Clevelands main passenger facility used by the two biggest railroads.

Today Cleveland is home to only a handful of business headquarters.  So, GO Tribe, Go Browns, Go Cav's...go somewhere.  Thats what I like about following this thread, everyone can teach one another about their local knowlegde or favorite railroad's interesting past.

So, the next ones yours...go at it!!

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Posted by ZephyrOverland on Friday, February 11, 2011 5:59 PM

For a brief period, the B&O had a "mini-fleet" of sorts, in that they ran several "regional" trains on the Royal Blue Line that had similar names.  One of the train names was reused on a B&O long-distance train several years later.   What were the name of the three trains? 

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