Nickel Plate Blue Arrow

[Indy Rail]

What was the usual consist of heavyweight coaches on Nickel Plate's Blue Arrow from Cleveland to St. Louis in the 1930's hauled by a Hudson?
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[ROBERT WILLISON]

Heavy weight baggage car, coaches and 12/ 1 sleeper.  In later years a 10/6 sleeper. 

Prior to 1956 it was an unnamed train. It made connections in Cleveland with another nkp train and had a through buffola to Lima cafe parlor car. The train became the blue dart  ( nkp # 9 )and  blue arrow ( nkp # 10 ) in 1956. It was quietly discontinued in 1959. The last stl- cle train was pulled by nkp's gp 9.

 Goggle it for more information.

[Convicted One]

 Nickel Plate Cleveland - St Louis passenger service trains #9 & 10  Began  service  Feb 19, 1928, and were not named until October 28, 1956 when the westbound #9  was named “Blue Arrow” and the eastbound  #10  named the “Blue Dart”.

 

This was the only Nickel Plate passenger train to operate over all three predecessor (NKP, Lake Erie  & Western,  Cloverleaf) railroads ...running on the NKP  from Cleveland to Arcadia OH, on the LE&W from Arcadia to Frankfort  IN, and  on the Cloverleaf from Frankfort IN.  to St Louis.

 

Originally, the #9 dropped off a parlor-café car in Lima Oh to be picked up by the #10, which had dropped it’s diner off at Charleston to be picked up by the #9.  These trains were (typically) pulled by Pacifics  east of Frankfort, and by Baldwins west of Frankfort.

 

In Sept 1930 the #9  began running Buffalo to St Louis, but the #10 eastbound was never extended to Buffalo. The Buffalo-Cleveland segment of #9 was eliminated in May 1942.

 

Originally the trains both carried a 12-1 sleeper, but within a year this was changed to a 10 section lounge-observation car.  The trains were assigned  buffet-lounge-sleepers from 1939 until 1949 when  a pair of Pullman 10 section one-compartment, one-drawing room heavyweight sleepers with diner-lounges were put in service.

 

In March 1948, Alco PAs replaced the Pacifics, and  new 10-6 heavyweight sleepers were assigned in the early 1050s.  thereafter  a typical consist would be a Bluebird diesel, a RPO/express, a coach, a sleeper and a diner-lounge

Operation of the Diner-Lounge was restricted to Cleveland-Lima in June 1957, and food service eliminated altogether in  April 1958.

 

In Spring 1958 NKP proposed discontinuance,  and railroad union leaders accused the NKP of discouraging ridership by ending food service and replacing modern lightweight cars with  heavyweight coaches.

 

The last Blue Arrow arrived in St Louis on March 14, 1959, the last Blue Dart left St Louis that night behind a GP-9 diesel, comprised of 4 deadhead baggage cars, an RPO/express car, a 10-6 sleeper (City of Painsville) and a coach.

[ACY Tom]

The explanation by Convicted One reaffirms my understanding that the Hudsons were used on the Buffalo - Chicago trains, and not on the St. Louis line.  I am confused by the comment that 9 & 10 was handled "by Baldwins west of Frankfort."

Tom 

[ROBERT WILLISON]

I thought the pa's were assigned to the city trains. But stand corrected.

[Convicted One]

ACY

I am confused by the comment that 9 & 10 was handled "by Baldwins west of Frankfort."

 

I don't know "why" that was, I was merely quoting a published source.

 

I could speculate that since Frankfort was a transition point from former LE&W lines to former Cloverleaf lines, that the infrastructure differed west of Frankfort, but I must be honest and admit that is pure speculation on my part.

[ACY Tom]

No's 9 & 10 used one PA per consist; the Buffalo-Chicago trains used two.

Tom

[Convicted One]

If you like, you can read my source here, scrolling down fom the section specific to the commercial traveler, down to "Cleveland-St Louis" service

[rcdrye]

In one of Lucius Beebe's books he noted that the Nickel Plate used Hudsons to Chicago, Pacifics to St. Louis, and 10-wheelers to Peoria.