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Classic Train Questions Part Deux (50 Years or Older)

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Posted by rcdrye on Friday, September 8, 2023 7:30 AM

End of NYC service on the "Put".

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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, September 8, 2023 4:50 AM

An event before the Giants' miove and rail related.

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 3:06 PM

I always thought it was the Giants decamping to Frisco, followed by the great urban-renewal slum construction project on the site of the Polo Grounds.

The "Maj Deegan Expressway" also had something to do with it.

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 2:42 PM

Anyway, here is the next Question. 

Nate Gerstein reported (via my posting) on a different thread, I think on the Trains  Transit Forum, about the last days of the remnant of the 9th Avenue Elevated, the Polo Grouds Shuttle.  One morning he woke up, looked out vhis  ewindow, and behold the Shuttle had been made sunglke-track, with the two-car train changing ends at the northbound 167th street side-platform, instead of reversingb om the middle track north of the station.  This meant, of course one train only, a 20-minute instead of 12-minute headway.

Then Jehova's Witness held a Convention using both the Polo Gronds and Yankee Stadium.  Multiple thousands attended. Service was increased on the  D and C (or CC) and the Lexington Avenue Woodlawn service,  The single Shuttle train was increased to four cars, and the Jerome Avenue entrance of the Shuttle's Jerome-Anderson Station was reopened for the time of the Convention.  About two months later the Shuttle was abandoned.

What event (eventually) prompted the Shuttle's reduction in service, with plans for eventual abandonment?

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 8:50 AM

Reference I saw said that, at least at the time in question, the Bankers was the counterpart to the Connecticut Yankee as the Washingtonian was to the Montrealer.  If that is not so, the entire premise of my question falls to the ground.

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Posted by rcdrye on Monday, September 4, 2023 8:59 AM

Connecticut Yankee's southbound counterpart was un-named train 79, which carried the Springfield-New York parlor car and the Sunday-only through coach from White River Junction.

The "Washingtonian" name was mainly at the request of the New Haven.

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, September 3, 2023 8:06 AM

I'm chuckling because you essentially answered the question and don't even recognize it!

Why is the Montrealer/Washingtonian not just the 'Montrealer'?

Find me a schedule for a south/westbound Connecticut Yankee.

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, September 3, 2023 4:36 AM

One of the Washington - Boston day trains was the Senator, and the other the Colonial.  You can tell me which name was assigned to the train arriving at Boston (or Washington going the other way) late  evening.  I should assume the other, passing throlgh New Haven in the afternoon, had a similar Hartford & Springfield connection, and, if the train I rode was the Connecticut Yankee, then that train must have been The Bankers.

I might add that I waited until making the transfer before using the dining car, to avoid rushing through my dinner.

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, September 2, 2023 5:44 PM

But what about the Bankers?

Note that 81 and 82 did not have this characteristic, probably since their understood purpose was service to and from Maine.

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Posted by daveklepper on Saturday, September 2, 2023 2:09 PM

The Montrealler-Washingtonian regularly interchanged passengers (and possibly at times through sleepers with the State-of-Maine at New Haven.  (Rode them both, numerous times, but did not use this transfer,)

The State vof Maine was the long-time-running, possibly to 1966 or 1967, NYCity GCT - Bangor train, via Groton - Worcester - Ayer to get around Boston.  NYNH&H, B&M, MC. There was a Boston Concord B&M connection at Ayer or Lowell that handled a Concord-NYCity sleeper with this train.

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 31, 2023 7:57 PM

Well, I get little credit because the meat of the question is in the guaranteed 'reverse' connection.  But I have a related if nowhere near as interesting sort of question that concerns this train.

How can Mr. Klepper and I both be right about the name of the train in question?  Although I can say conclusively that the particular train he described was the Connecticut Yankee?

I can think of at least one other train running between New York and New Haven with this characteristic.  Name it too.

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 31, 2023 7:56 PM

.

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, August 31, 2023 3:19 AM

The Washington-Boston train did not go through Springfield.   But I'll say you are the winner, becaed the use you did mention New Haven.

I left Grand Central at 6:05 or 6:10, and it was a GCT - Sprigfield train.  It may have been named The Connecticut Yankee, but my memory says The Bankers.  It was a guaranteed Hartford and Springfield connection for the passengers from Washington.  The connection in reverse that I used was not guaranteed, but was normasl.

Look forward to your question.

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 10:08 AM

Connecticut Yankee, either changing at New Haven or Springfield?

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 9:43 AM

A look at a NYNH&H timetable and my hints can provide the answer.  I believe the train I boarded at GCT also had a name,and  was gthe only train having a name and GCT and another city as its destinations, although other named trains ran its route.

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, August 27, 2023 7:42 PM

This is reminding me of something.  When I was very young -- possibly around 5 -- we were going through Grand Central and I thought we were on the platform with the red carpet rolled out.  But the train had something different on the front end -- it had the drum-shaped script GE medallion on the side flanked by the words 'electric' and 'locomotive', and the engineer offered me a cab ride (which I regretfully declined only because I didn't know where to tell my father to come pick me up!)

The only thing I think that could possibly be at that time would be an EP5, on a New Haven probably-named long-distance train out of GCT at what might have been around 6pm departure...

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, August 27, 2023 11:48 AM

Half-right.  Yes, I did board at GCT.   Neither the train I boarded nor the one from Washingtoln stopped at New Rochelle, and the one I boarded  at GCT went a lot farther than New  Rochelle.  And it would havebeen possible to come from Washington or Penn-NYCity and end up at its destination, on the train I left.

The 4-track mainline made this  routing possible, and  I was assured of making the connection, just by looking iout the right-side window!

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, August 25, 2023 10:53 AM

Get on something at GCT that went to New Rochelle, and transfer there?

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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, August 25, 2023 9:43 AM

Working at Bolt Beranek and Newman's NYCity office, 101 Park Avenue, across from GCT, if I did not attend an evening NYCity concert, which would mean a roomette on the Owl, I tried to finish work ib tine to catch the 5pm Merchants, to return to my Canbridge apartment and BBN's main office.  On occasion, I would be delayed, and opt for the 6pm train at Penn that came from Washington.  (Colonial or Senator?)

But I did not go to Penn Sta. to catch it.  What did I do?  

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 24, 2023 8:40 AM

Two weeks later and I still don't have anything that qualifies as quiz-level interesting.  Someone can ask while I'm floundering.

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 7:26 AM

I'm working on it.

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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 6:23 AM

Overmod is up here, too.

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, August 6, 2023 7:38 AM

Yes there were, rode in them.  Coachwa, sleepers, and dners, all heavyweight.

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Posted by rcdrye on Friday, August 4, 2023 6:05 AM

Right you are.  C&O had used orange on cars that weren't dark green, though by World War II there weren't many of those left.

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, August 3, 2023 9:05 PM

That would be the Pere Marquette's eponymous train, notable for the introductory use of Sleepy Hollow seats.   The blue and yellow came to be used extensively on merger partner C&O, famously on the Yellowbelly Hudsons and the three M-1 turbines.

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Posted by rcdrye on Thursday, August 3, 2023 7:15 PM

I thought Overmod correctly answered the question about PMT on SP.  Oh, well.

Here's a new one:

The first postwar streamliners to enter service bore a color scheme that was adopted by its owner's much larger merger partner.  Name the trains and the railroads.

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Posted by Overmod on Monday, July 31, 2023 6:05 PM

rcdrye
Overmod is up.

No he ain't.  Not since 2020, as pointed out.  Mr. Klepper himself acknowledged whose turn it is...

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Posted by rcdrye on Sunday, July 23, 2023 7:43 AM

Overmod is up.

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, July 13, 2023 4:15 AM

M2s were the first of the high-floor-only quarter-point doors MUs for the New Haven line.  All were retired some time ago.  Some look-a-like newer series are just now being retired.  RC did  give the correct answer overall.  At the moment, some Staten Island R44s have already gone to scrap, and the remainder are in reserve should problems develop with the equipment being delivered and tested now, wth many in service.

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 11:45 AM

PMT was Pacific Motor Transport, an 'associated' truck line.

See also Southwest Motor Transport, and Southern Pacific Transportation (T&NO affiliated)

http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/pmt/pmt_number/index.htm

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