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Classic Train Questions Part Deux (50 Years or Older)

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Posted by narig01 on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 7:16 PM

daveklepper

Was not aware that Sacramento Northern had any branch lines, but maybe you just mean further north, so possibly Oregon Electric.

 

The SN had bunches of branch lines. 

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Posted by Deggesty on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 1:53 PM

Oh, yes, Amtrak also operates a Boston-Roanoke train, with coach and business accommodations, through here

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Posted by Deggesty on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 1:50 PM

I had looked at the Amtrak map, trying to see what place it could be--and did not look at the Virginia map until this morning--and then I knew.

My first time in Charlottesville was in July of 1959; I took the Peach Queen down tp Charlotte. While waiting, I saw a mother possum with her young walking near the station. I had hoped to see a C&O train go by on the south side, but none came by to gratify my desire.

Once, I changed from the wb George to the sb Southerner, and once I changed from the nb Southerner to the wb George--and had to change stations both times. I took advantage of my time there the second time to walk out to Monticello and back, stopping at the Henry family's inn on the way back.

Now: what railroad, which ran between the end points indicated in its name,  (we'll call it #1) built a short line from A to B, where it connected with #2, and then, with trackage rights, gained access to C. In later years #1 built its own line to C--and sold that short line to #2, which used it to gain access to D, using trackage rights on #1?

Name #1, #2, A, B, C, and D.

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 12:24 PM

Deggesty
The University of Virginia is in Charlottesville.

And Monticello is nearby.

I spent happy years on High Street in Charlottesville, and very, very nearly wound up living in Keswick, and it was pretty clear to me from the outset that C'ville was the city in question.  But since I knew none of the historical operating detail I left it for better heads to answer in detail.

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Posted by Deggesty on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 11:57 AM

Way back when, some of the C&O's trains stopped at the Southern's Charlottesville, and all stopped at the C&O's station.  The Southern operated more than twice as many trains through Charlottesville than the C&O did.

Now, both the Crescent and the Cardinal use the station that is there, just northeast of the crossing of the NS and the CSX (each line has its own door in the station). There are two trains a day, each way, on the NS, and one train each way three days a week on the Buckingham Branch, which operates on the CSX here.

The University of Virginia is in Charlettesville.

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 7:49 AM

Home to an important university, still served by Amtrak (with sleeping cars) on both railroad lines, still different owners, but both affected by mergers.

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Posted by daveklepper on Saturday, November 10, 2018 11:03 AM

OK, aplogies.  I see the little squiggles at the lower left-hand corner indicating something did not make it to the screen because of the narrow-band nature of the Yeshiva's server (and sometimes I get the same lack of server cooperation my own pictures posted), so I'll pull up the URL when, hopefully, I'll have a chance at the HU Library tomorrow, with their wideband server.

Or it might not be the narrow-band effect but a block.  The latter would be true for U-Tube.  Again, the HU Library would come to the rescue.

Meanwhile:

A particular well-known rather pretty small city has or had during the classic era two railroad stations, one used by one of two railroads, and the other by both, where they crossed with one interchange track  Yet, in at least two respects, the station used by one was more important.  Why and which city, and which railroads.  Please be as thorough as you can in the he description, even describing the passenger trains operated if you know them.  And what features distinguish the city, including nearby historic landmarks.

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Posted by rcdrye on Friday, November 9, 2018 11:23 AM

daveklepper
Possibly you can post a map?

Link to map was in previous post.

https://localwiki.org/oakland/Sacramento_Northern_Railway/_files/route%20map.jpg

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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, November 9, 2018 8:16 AM

Thcn if i was close with CTT, it must be the SN.  Possibly you can post a map?  I was only familiar wih the main line through Pittsburg, Sacramento, the Ramon car ferry, and north to Chico, where there was an extension to an airforce base during WWII and where the last passenger service, Birneys, 5-cent fare, operated.

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Posted by rcdrye on Friday, November 9, 2018 6:22 AM

daveklepper
Was not aware that Sacramento Northern had any branch lines, but maybe you just mean further north, so possibly Oregon Electric

SN had quite a few, both in former OA&E and former Northern Electric territory.  Take a look at a map of SN.

https://localwiki.org/oakland/Sacramento_Northern_Railway/_files/route%20map.jpg/_info/

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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, November 9, 2018 1:14 AM

Was not aware that Sacramento Northern had any branch lines, but maybe you just mean further north, so possibly Oregon Electric.

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Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 11:49 AM

daveklepper

Central California Traction?

 

Closer...

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 10:28 PM

Central California Traction?

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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 4:24 PM

TM's line to the lakefront power plant (its only freight-only trackage) was about 2 miles ling.  This fifteen mile long segment was built in 1929 to connect an isolated segment to the rest of the interurban. Of some interest, the voltage systems on either end were different.

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 11:00 AM

TMRE&L (Milwaukee), which operated both streetcars and interurbans.  Possibly the power plant electrified switching operation originally connected only to steam railroads, with the Belt Line constructed in 1929 to connect it to the interurban and streetcar network?

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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 8:14 AM

Not PE.  PE did do a couple of late line relocations (including the first freeway median line) but none of them were built-new freight only.

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 7:45 AM

I don't remember all the particulars, but I think this was SP's Pacific Electric.

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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 6:20 AM

A western interurban built a 15 mile connecting line in 1929 to connect to a formerly isolated section.  The new line never offered passenger service. Name the interurban.

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Posted by Miningman on Saturday, November 3, 2018 12:24 PM

5822 Welland 1/1971 Paul Mc Grane Collection 


The NYC (MCRR) used to have an engine based in Welland to handle their industrial work and freight shed. In fact, during the steam era, the NYC engine was kept at the TH&B roundhouse at Coyle Yard.

The NYC also used to have their own tracks in the TH&B's Coyle Yard, but they were removed in the early 1930's. Beginning in January 1931, the TH&B and NYC combined their night Welland assignments into one joint assignment that lasted until 1956.

Like all other joint TH&B-NYC assignments, crewing was done on an equalization basis with the equalization being carried out every six months. Records were kept as to the number of hours the assignment spent performing work exclusive to either the TH&B or NYC. At the end of the six month period, the hours would be calculated to determine the number of days a NYC crew would handle the assignment. 

As the bulk of the work was exclusive to the TH&B, the equalization for the NYC men typically varied between 30 to 50 days every six months with the remainder of the six month period being worked by TH&B men.

After the relocation of the Welland Canal in 1972, the PC Welland Assignment was relocated to the new joint TH&B-PC yard in Wainfleet.

Niagara St Catherine's and Toronto would have wait at times for this fella to zip by. 

NYC 4042 EMD E8A leads TH&B 372 from Hamilton to Welland and Buffalo enroute to New York City. This equipment ran through from Buffalo to Toronto over the NYC to Welland, TH&B to Hamilton and CPR CNR Joint Section although the diesels were changed at Hamilton. Stoney Creek, Ont. 8/21/1963 Peter Cox

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Posted by SD70Dude on Saturday, November 3, 2018 2:05 AM

I got the photos from here:

https://hickscarworks.blogspot.com/2018/10/schmidt-niagara-st-catherines-and.html?m=0

Today the area in those photos is a combination of forest, swamp and residential housing.  The only railroad remnant is a industrial spur with one customer that sees a couple cars moved once or twice a week.

Rcdrye gets the next question.

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, November 2, 2018 12:28 PM

Was the picture out of the Andrew Merrilees collection?  (And does anyone have a current link to Churcher's finding aid?)

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Posted by rcdrye on Friday, November 2, 2018 6:33 AM

It looks like Niagara St. Catherines & Toronto at Welland.  NStC&T's Welland Division crossed the TH&B and MC there.  Colors on the car are right, too.

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Posted by SD70Dude on Thursday, November 1, 2018 6:05 PM

The initials are written in pen on the top of the first photo.

MC on the left, TH&B on the right, with arrows pointing down.

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, November 1, 2018 6:58 AM

Without looking at the picture, since I am at a narrow-band server at the moment, I would like to know if the initials TH&B are on a car or a structure?

The London and Port Stanley had a diamond with the Michagan Central's Canada Southern at Saint Thomas, and TH&B equipment could show up on the MC's CS.

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Posted by SD70Dude on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 9:31 PM

I figured you would know right away, even without the initials. 

An interurban crossing a diamond like that is pretty distinctive.  But the triple track ends almost immediately, at a structure with a relatively rare design for its type.  

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 9:23 PM

I hereby disqualify myself but if it isn't answered in a week or less then I will give the answer. 

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Posted by SD70Dude on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 9:14 PM

I had forgotten that I was up.

A quick and simple one, with a visual aid.  The somewhat blurry intials are MC and TH&B. 

Where is this?

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SYvH7crEAcM/W847_eKUyUI/AAAAAAAAf8A/oT-MlvaeglAOjkJ8W7HvYLgubWKTPHFTwCLcBGAs/s1600/N12.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tOeGl1oLfpQ/W847-9DDWwI/AAAAAAAAf74/4ESt687mQ3UV6sE3F73r7QzQIplzNchmACLcBGAs/s1600/N11.jpg

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 2:12 AM

Still waiting for the question.

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Posted by Miningman on Sunday, October 28, 2018 1:47 AM

SD70DUDE -- Batter up! Question goes to the Alberta Clipper! Knock it outta the ballpark. 

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Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 10:45 PM

More fascinating information on the Lidgerwood and the Company. 

1966 article "The Birth of an Enterprise: Baldwin Locomotive, 1831-1842" by Malcolm C. Clark, explains Vail's involvement. Not too boring. Takes 2 clicks to get it. 
 
 
Mike writes:
 
Vince, thanks for the Question. I had fun reading about the Vails and Baldwin. The Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty were still fairly new when the Lidgerwood plant in Brooklyn was built.
 
 
 Lidgerwood 

 

Note: No automobiles in the above picture/ depiction of the Lingerwood Works
 
Old buildings still exist. This is fabulous and unbelievable! 
 

 

 

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