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Classic Train Questions Part Deux (50 Years or Older)

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, September 14, 2024 7:15 PM

Bump: it looks like CSSHEGEWISCH is up!

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Posted by Backshop on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 2:14 PM

That's who I was thinking of.  They all had combos of non-turbocharged SDs--SD7/9/18/28/38.  You're up!

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 1:53 PM

Take Two.  I will go with Chicago & Illinois Midland and Reserve Mining Company.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Backshop on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 11:44 AM

Incorrect.  The B&LE and DM&IR didn't have many switchers.  Think of what they did have a lot of... The two roads in the question had these same models...

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 10:10 AM

I would consider the IHB (EMD switchers from NW2 to SW1500 almost exclusively) as one of the roads.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Backshop on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 10:34 AM

This thread sorta died, so here's a question to get it going again.  The US Steel/Transtar linehaul roads (DM&IR-EJ&E-B&LE) were known for a certain type of diesel power.  Not just one model, but a succession of different models.  There were two other lines, one of which could be considered an "industrial", that followed the same concept.  Who were they?

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Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, May 29, 2024 8:33 AM

Overmod

Dual controls.

 

Unlike N&W and Southern, SP really didn't like dual controls.  EMD SD7 demonstrator 990 (SP 5308) came with them, but they were rarely used.  Some of the Texas Lines passenger GP9s were single-ended (on SP, short hood forward).  The dual control units were all moved to Pacific lines as Texas locals were discontinued.  All of the single enders and one of the Texas dual control units lost their steam generators in the early 1960s.  By the late 1960s, the dual control units were assigned to the San Francisco Commute pool, except for one unit based in Sacramento.  Long-hood forward operation was rare, except for the Del Monte.  Only a runaround track was available at Monterey (steam had been turned at Pacific Grove), so the "westbound" Del Monte usuall operated long-hood forward, except for the rare occasions (like April 30, 1971) where two GP9s were assigned to the train.  The Sacramento Daylight connection to the San Joaquin Daylight at Tracy, south of Sacramento, got the single GP9 and a streamlined combine on most days.  The Wye at Tracy meant that long hood forward operation was rare.

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 7:43 PM

Dual controls.

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Posted by rcdrye on Monday, May 27, 2024 7:45 AM

Southern Pacific had two groups of boiler-equipped GP9s. The Pacific Lines group (and a couple of the Texas lines group) had one other feature that made them unique on the Southern Pacific, and led to their long service lives.  This feature was removed during 1970s rebuilds.  They remained in passenger service until CalTrain F40s took over in the 1980s.

The other feature was essential for their use on one of SP's name trains, and handy for use on another that was essentially a connecting train to another name train, both of which lasted until April 30, 1971.  Describe the feature.

(SP did have one SD7, a former EMD demonstrator, that also had this feature).

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Posted by daveklepper on Monday, May 27, 2024 6:24 AM

How about a question here, RC?   nOr would you rather defer?

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 6:41 AM

The smaller voperation was the the whole Revere Beach and Lynn,,

Wynthrop is the only town served by the BRB&L that does not see  some kinfd of passenger rail service.  At the cessation of RBB&L service, a private bus company provided service to the Boston Elevated's Rsdt Boston Tunnel's Maverick Station, and this  became an MTA busw, then shortened to run to Orien Heughts Station, when the Blue Line began runhningv to Orient Heights.

The two ex-Eastern Massachusetts streetcars were bought and  converted  to narrow-gauge  primarily for "owl" service.

 

But by all means adk the next question.

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 6:17 AM

The smaller voperation was the the whole Revere Beach and Lynn,,

Wynthrop is the only town served by the BRB&L that does not see  some kinfd of passenger rail service.  At the cessation of RBB&L service, a private bus company provided service to the Boston Elevated's Rsdt Boston Tunnel's Maverick Station, and this  became an MTA busw, then shortened to run to Orien Heughts Station, when the Blue Line began runhningv to Orient Heights.

The two ex-Eastern Massachusetts streetcars were bought and  converted  to narrow-gauge  primarily for "owl" service.

 

But by all means adk the next question.

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Posted by rcdrye on Monday, May 13, 2024 6:10 AM

The smaller operation was the Winthrop Loop, which is where the streetcars were used.

And, of course, the Blue Line only got as far as Revere, though everything I said about Lynn was actually true of Revere.

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Posted by Overmod on Monday, May 13, 2024 4:20 AM

See what rcdrye said on the other thread.

Lynn, MA (with the 3' narrow-gauge BRB&N and the Eastern Massachusetts ex-Bay State ex-Boston &Northern).  BRB&N in financial trouble by 1937 and abandoned in late January 1940, which might account for this expedient to extend service a bit.

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, May 5, 2024 7:55 AM

In the early 1939s, a city and several suburban towns were served by two electricrailway systens and a steam railroad.  Both the steam railroad and one of the two electric railways served a much wider area, and were  far larger operations.

To reduce the operating expense of all-night nervice, the smaller electric operation bought two electric cars from the larger.  Modifications definitely included the trucks. The smaller ioperation was unique in important characteristics.

You should be  able to name all three systems and dexcribe them.

 

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, May 3, 2024 9:34 PM

That was the reason I posted the picture of the car, to show that there were two very different trucks under it, each with its own wheel size.

You got that it was an artifact of the car being motored, and it would not have taken long for you to confirm how the NYW&B motored their cars, so go ahead with an interesting question.

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Posted by daveklepper on Friday, May 3, 2024 6:41 AM

Overmod, if you had correctyed me by telling me that the NYW&B cars had one (2-motor) truck and ione trailer truck, not two one-motor trucks, then I would have given you the right answer.

Will you ask another question.

 

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, May 2, 2024 10:05 AM

Since there's a question how long this forum will stay running: 

The New Haven cars retained the two extremely different wheel sizes on the NYW&B cars.  Both wheelsets in the 'motor truck' had 42" wheels (which is a substantial diameter for any passenger car!) while the visibly-different truck at the other end had only 36" wheels.  

There is a good side-view diagram of one of the New Haven rebuilds that clearly dimensions the two sets of wheels.  Once you know what you're looking at, it's pretty obvious, if not exactly something that would be expected...

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, May 2, 2024 1:52 AM

What is left?  Wider than usual, possibly for smoother rides over switch and crossing frogs?

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 1:19 PM

No.  But you're all around the answer.  I'm not sure how you've avoided it so completely in detail!  Whistling

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 9:47 AM

The trucks, not obvious from the views I have, were similar to streetcar "maximum-traction" one-motor-per-truck, two-motored cars, with the wheels of the powered axle larger than usual.

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 9:23 AM

Nope... hee hee hee, it's the opposite.  But only in part...

I did not think this question would be nearly this fun, or take this long to answer.

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 1:58 AM

OK   I recall that when the cross-bay Far Rockaway and Rockaway Beach lines were moved from LIRR to  NYCTA use, tracks at the stations, all high-platform, had to be raised several inches to match the lower height of subway-car floors.  I don't think this was done on the Dyre Avenue Line, just thin wood strips added because of the narrower width of IRT equipment.

So the wheels of the NYW&B cars must have been smaller in diameter.  And this was not changed when moved to NYNH&H Boston suburban service, which had no high-plotform stations at the time. Today they do.

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 4:52 PM

Keep looking.  Both your implied answers are wrong for these cars.

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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 4:36 PM

Best I can come up with from photos is maybe 40" diameter (36" was more standard size for MU cars).  I haven't found the drawing with dimensions.

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:21 PM

There's a BIG difference if you appreciate what you're looking at...

There is at least one elevation drawing of a New Haven Stillwell on the Web that clearly shows the issue with the wheels.

Clearly.  With dimensions.

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 9:32 AM

Either the pictures aren't detailed enough or there isn't any real difference visually from trackside.

In the latter case:

When the NYW&B was built, the CNS&M had the reputatioin of having very advanced technology for an MU electric passenger line, and the NYW&B possibly adopted this feature:  Almost cylidrical wheel treads, with only a tiny bit of taper, much less than standard for most passenger rolling stock, which itself is usually a bit less than freight.

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Posted by Overmod on Monday, April 29, 2024 6:28 PM

But what about the wheels?

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Posted by daveklepper on Monday, April 29, 2024 6:04 PM

The "New Haven Stillwells" were originally MU New York Westchester & Bostion cars with motors.  Unlike most passenger-car truvks, they employed both coil and leaf springs in the truck, from photos it seems thatb the bolster was connected to each truck frame by a leaf spring and the two frames to fhe four journal-boxes bu coil springs. The motors had been removed.  They had the wheel-barrow-suspended AC-commutator type as used on the then-current New Haven MUs.

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