I'll guess Calvin Coolidge.
Mark
Mark, yes your turn. I had thought it was Herbert Hoover at Elko, Nevada on the eve of the 1932 election. But today's research brings to light...
Excerpt from Boys' Life, June 1932
Radio and the Presidents
This is a Presidential year. It is a big year for radio, because the microphones will be busy at the national conventions in June, when the two candidates for the White House race are chosen. Then, in the late summer there will be hundreds of political speeches crisscrossed through the air, and finally on Election Night radio will announce the winner.
A number of names are mentioned, prominent among them President Hoover for a second term under the Republican banner, while the Democrats may select John N. Garner, Speaker of the House, Governor Albert C. Ritchie of Maryland, Owen D. Young, Newton D. Baker or Franklin D. Roosevelt, Governor of New York. It is anybody's guess right now. Even a so-called "dark horse" may win. Anyway, there is going to be plenty of excitement on the radio.
Little did they realize during the Civil War period that some day radio broadcasting would take the place of the soap-box orator. In Lincoln's time scientists were just beginning to get a peek at wireless.
James Clerk Maxwell of the University of Edinburgh outlined theoretically and predicted electromagnetic waves as used in radio today. That was in 1867. It was a number of years later that Heinrich Hertz proved Maxwell's theory was correct, and it was not until 1891 that Guglielmo Marconi signaled by wireless across his father's estate at Bologna, Italy. Few, if any, foresaw the day ahead when radio would play an important role in the campaign for the Presidency; when Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays would be the theme of broadcast entertainment; when the voice of the nation's Chief Executive would be heard around the world, while millions listened in.
The Presidential broadcasts of 1932 are quite a contrast with the addresses of Lincoln and the Presidents who were in the White House before him. Lincoln's Gettysburg speech was heard by only a few hundred who gathered at the famous battlefield on November 19, 1863. Print recorded his words for future generations. Radio would have enabled millions to hear him, but the words would have traveled in the twinkling of an eye off into the emptiness of space.
After Lincoln's day several Presidents were elected before wireless became practical. Theodore Roosevelt sent radiograms. He was the first President to greet the King of England by wireless. But to President Wilson goes the distinction of being the first Chief Executive to have his voice broadcast. It was on Memorial Day in 1919, when the President was at sea on board the SS George Washington, that his voice traveled through space on the wings of radio.
He addressed the crew shortly after noon that day, while the ship was bringing him home from the Peace Conference in France. At Otter Cliffs, Bar Harbor, Me., where the Naval radio station NBD was located, the sailor operators clamped an earphone to the mouthpiece of a telephone transmitter so that those at the White House might be able to hear the President. But the words were not clear. They faded. The ship was rolling in a heavy sea, and that was blamed for the waxing and waning signal. Nevertheless, it was a historic broadcast, the first by a President of the United States.
Several times later President Wilson used the facilities of the then infant radio network which comprised two or three stations. There was no transcontinental chain of broadcasters in those days.
President Harding was the first to employ radio to carry matters of national importance to his countrymen. On the trip into the West that ended in his death at San Francisco, he used the microphone when he spoke at St. Louis and again at Vancouver. The St. Louis speech was brought to New York by telephone line for broadcasting over WEAF. It was heralded as a remarkable achievement. It revealed the possibilities that lurked in network broadcasting on a national scale.
When Calvin Coolidge entered the White House he found national radio facilities at his disposal. Practically all of his public addresses were on the air, and he participated in a number of special programs. When he left Washington at the conclusion of his term, a microphone was held up at the rear platform of the train so that the nation could hear him say good-bye to Washington, as he and Mrs. Coolidge waved farewell at the Union Station. In his several years as President, Mr. Coolidge spoke thirty-seven times on the radio.
President Hoover in 1930 used radio twenty-seven times and twenty-nine in 1931. He spoke over a network of stations which is believed to reach every radio-equipped home in the land.
And now there are those who are wondering if the inaugural ceremonies in 1933 will be televised! One thing is certain - it will be a record-breaking broadcast. Who will be the main speaker?
Mark, still your turn but my mistake. Coolidge wasn't actually President anymore when he said good-bye on the radio from the train. Therefore it was Hoover after all. Oh well.
Next question please?
I guess I'm at bat so here's a new question.
As the Mayo Clinic gained fame for its excellent staff and facilities an increasing number of patients travelled there for medical treatment. In the late 1930's, largely as a result of this demand for passenger service, a new through Pullman route was established to serve passengers travelling to the Mayo from two large mid-western cities. What was the route of this sleeping car, over what railroads did it run and what trains carried the car?
I suspect it was Detroit - Chicago - Rochester, and it may have been NYC (MC) - Milwaukee or GTW - Milwaukee. But frankly, wihout OG's, I'm guesing.
Well, the Chicago Great Western has to be in the mix somewhere. In those days "The Maple Leaf Route". (before they became the Corn Belt Route).
Dave,
Rochester of course was one end point of this route but neither of the other cities nor the railroads you mention are correct.
Sorry Buck but the CGW did not figure in this route.
Could it be the Twin Cities to Rochester via the CB&Q and the Rock or the C&NW?
The CNW was one of the two roads over which this sleeper was routed but the Rock Island was not the other. The Twin Cities were not on this route - Think a bit further south.
St. Louis, Kansas City, Wabash and C&NW to Rochester?
daveklepper St. Louis, Kansas City, Wabash and C&NW to Rochester?
You're getting warmer with this answer Dave.
Kansas City and Rochester were the end points of this Pullman route and access to Rochester was via the CNW. But St. Louis was not served and no part of this route was over rails of the Wabash.
I'll say that this was an extension of the Rochester (switch in Mankato)-Omaha sleeper, but I am not sure whether it would have been Burlington or MoP between Omaha and KC. Looking at the January, 1930, representation in the Guide, Burlington would have had the better connection northbound, and MoP would have had the better connection southbound.
By the time this service was inaugurated, one of the two roads may have had a good connection both ways.
Since this line is not in the 1930 Guide, or in the November, 1937, issue that I have, it apparently was short-lived.
Dave guessed at Kansas City, so he got the hardest part.
Johnny
I would think that the C&NW was "friendlier" with the MoPac than with the Q (not a direct competitor on several routes), so suspect the MoPac probably handled the sleeper both ways, and either Lincoln or Omaha could then be the other city, probably Omaha.
I'll throw in the concept of there possibly being a patch between two Class one's here someplace?
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The sleeper ran between Kansas City and Rochester via Omaha. It was carried in MoPac trains No's 105 & 106 between KC and Omaha and CNW trains from there to Rochester. It is shown in the March 1937 OG which I believe is about the date the service was started. I have no idea how long this operation continued to run and Johnny has suggested it was short lived.
In reviewing the replies it appears to me that Dave should be declared our winner so the next question is his.
Mar
There were probably around 10,000 turntables in North America. But as far as I know, only one:
DOUBLE-TRACK TURNTABLE!!!!
Exactly where was it located? What was very unique about it? What put it out of operaton and when? What if anything replaced it? What if anything of rail interest is at the pricise location now?
What turntables in North America share some of its characteristcs and where are the located exactly and what function to they perform today ----if anything.
Hint: There are two turntables having similar characteristcs but only single track in operation today. And one of these two was installed after WWII!
Correction, three turntables, not two. And the one installed in its present locaton some years after WWII was probably just relocated from another location. Further hint, I would guess the length of all these turntables, including the double-track one, is only about 40 feet, possibly less for the three extant.
More hints. The three turntables in use are in use on two routes that have passenger service that is very heavily used. The double-track turntable was used on routes even more heavily used in pasenger service.
OK, I'll take a long shot stab at this, Oyster Bay on the LIRR.
Oyster Bay's turntable was short. Would not take a K-4, only a G-5 4-6-0 or a H-8,9,10 2-8-0 Consolidation. But it was a conventional single-track turntable, nothing really unusual about it.
Think for a moment about WHY a turntable must be double-track to do its job. And again there are three turntables like it with all its unual features except double-tracking that are now in service, and one was either new or relocated after WWII.
Another hint. The famous tenor, Enrico Caruso, was forced to arise from sleep and leave his hotel for the same reason the doiuble-track turntable stopped being used.
My best guess would be the turntable in Alamosa Co. Duel gauge 3' and standard gauge. probably removed when D&RGW went deisel. replaced later by a 3' gauge table for the C&T tourest line....Mike
I was not aware the Enrico Caruso ever visited Alamosa nor that he in any way was affected by D&RGW's dieselization. Le alone forced to leave his hotel room bed and leave the hotel . Very quickly. I think Caruso was serenading the Eternal in Heaven before D&RGW dieselization.
Remember, I said the line had very intensive passenger service.
daveklepper Another hint. The famous tenor, Enrico Caruso, was forced to arise from sleep and leave his hotel for the same reason the doiuble-track turntable stopped being used.
My guess is Caruso had to leave his hotel because of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and based on your clue, the turntable that you are looking for was disabled for the same reason. Therefore I'm guessing that the turntable would be in San Francisco on the SP.
Zephyr, you got part of the answer but an SP turntable would not have been double track . Look at the geometry and you will see that there is absolutely no way a double track, two really independent tracks and not gauntlet or dual-gauge, can work with a regular fan-track roundhouse. Remember, I said there was a very intensive passenger service. Indeed it would have been even more intense if it had taken less time for the simultanous loading and unloading (one track being loaded while the other was unloaded) of the turntable and the time required to turn it 180-degrees. But on Sundays and nights they probably could have gotten by with only one track on the turntable, and maybe at times they did. Usually, when the turntable was being rotated 180-degrees, only one of the two tracks was occupied. However, if incoming equpment order absolutely had to swapped for the correct outgoing order, it would be possible to rotate one piece of equpment 540-degreew, and the two tracks would be occupied for two spins.
Since the SF 1906 fire there has not been a turntable at this location. But one of the similar single-track turntable is not too far away, easy to reach by either walking or the best transit ride option in the USA.
Was the double track turntable at the ferry building? Thx IGN
Yoo got the next step. Now explain just what the turntable was, what happened after the earthquake and fire that made the turntable unnecessary, and as much history of the site up to the present, which sees passenger service on the very spot today. Note the connection to the SP, since it was, after all. SP's Ferry Building even if they did not own or operate the turntable.
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