Trains.com

Railroad History Quiz Game (Come on in and play) Locked

101117 views
2075 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: MP CF161.6 NS's New Castle District in NE Indiana
  • 2,148 posts
Posted by rrnut282 on Friday, March 14, 2008 7:26 PM

Brian,

I love guessing more than making up questions, go ahead.

 

Al,

CRS is airline speak for Computer Reservation System.  The fastest trips are displayed first.

Mike (2-8-2)
  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: S.E. South Dakota
  • 13,569 posts
Posted by Murphy Siding on Friday, March 14, 2008 7:13 PM

 blhanel wrote:
If rrnut doesn't have one, I've got an interesting question related to the previous one that will have members shaking their heads when they hear the answer...

Heck, I shake my head just reading most of the questions!Shock [:O]

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: Atlanta
  • 11,971 posts
Posted by oltmannd on Friday, March 14, 2008 2:08 PM
 al-in-chgo wrote:
 rrnut282 wrote:

I'll say 3hrs 55 minutes to just beat the four hours so it appears on the first CRS screen. 

OOPS wrong transportation mode, wrong era.

 

I'm not quite sure what your abbreviation "CRS" as in "CRS screen" means.  In my day, pre-Internet, "CRS" stood for a syndrome I had and still have:  "Can't Remember S[tuff]."  Do you mean instead, that you knew you'd get to be at the head of this page, no. 31, of the Quiz? 

At any rate, YES!  You are the winner.  Scheduled departure of NB PRR  (NYNH&H) no. 170, "The Colonial," sked. arr. at NY/Penn 10:55 a.m.**  Just under four hours to travel 226.6 miles; if my math is correct the run averaged 57.85 mph -- not blindingly fast for varnish hauled by a GG-1. (And the only faster scheduled runs for that line come in at only five or ten minutes earlier.)   Consider that in that era, the IC Chgo - Champaign "corridor" haul as well as (then) CN Montreal - Toronto trains averaged above 60 mph, and they were both hauled by diesel-electrics.  

__________________________________ 

     **  Source Authority:  Official Guide of the Railways, March 1967,  p. 119.  

So take it away, "rrnut"!  - a.s.

 

Little know fact: The PRR corridor was only good for 80 mph!  (never mind I clocked GG1s at 90+ time and time again)  Metroliners were allowed faster and the NECIP (phase 1) plus AEM7s raised the speeds for all trains.

-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    January 2002
  • From: Cedar Rapids, IA
  • 4,213 posts
Posted by blhanel on Friday, March 14, 2008 1:14 PM
If rrnut doesn't have one, I've got an interesting question related to the previous one that will have members shaking their heads when they hear the answer...
  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Chicago, Ill.
  • 2,843 posts
Posted by al-in-chgo on Friday, March 14, 2008 1:08 PM
 rrnut282 wrote:

I'll say 3hrs 55 minutes to just beat the four hours so it appears on the first CRS screen. 

OOPS wrong transportation mode, wrong era.

 

I'm not quite sure what your abbreviation "CRS" as in "CRS screen" means.  In my day, pre-Internet, "CRS" stood for a syndrome I had and still have:  "Can't Remember S[tuff]."  Do you mean instead, that you knew you'd get to be at the head of this page, no. 31, of the Quiz? 

At any rate, YES!  You are the winner.  Scheduled departure of NB PRR  (NYNH&H) no. 170, "The Colonial, 7:00 a.m.," sked. arr. at NY/Penn 10:55 a.m.**  Just under four hours to travel 226.6 miles; if my math is correct the run averaged 57.85 mph -- not blindingly fast for varnish hauled by a GG-1. (And the only faster scheduled runs for that line come in at only five or ten minutes earlier.)   Consider that in that era, the IC Chgo - Champaign "corridor" haul as well as (then) CN Montreal - Toronto trains averaged above 60 mph, and they were both hauled by diesel-electrics.  

__________________________________ 

     **  Source Authority:  Official Guide of the Railways, March 1967,  p. 119.  

So take it away, "rrnut"!  - a.s.

 

al-in-chgo
  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: MP CF161.6 NS's New Castle District in NE Indiana
  • 2,148 posts
Posted by rrnut282 on Friday, March 14, 2008 12:05 PM

I'll say 3hrs 55 minutes to just beat the four hours so it appears on the first CRS screen. 

OOPS wrong transportation mode, wrong era.

Mike (2-8-2)
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 2,535 posts
Posted by KCSfan on Friday, March 14, 2008 10:56 AM

3 hours and 50 minutes arriving Penn Station at 10:50 am.

Mark

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Chicago, Ill.
  • 2,843 posts
Posted by al-in-chgo on Friday, March 14, 2008 10:20 AM

 blhanel wrote:
Alright, I'll adjust my estimate to 3 hours 45 minutes.

 OOPS!  I have to thank you all for phrasing your answers as elapsed time, not clock time.  I discovered late yesterday (and have amended the original question accordingly) that NB PRR train no. 170, the Colonial, was scheduled to depart D.C./Union Station at 7:00 a.m. each day, not 10:00 a.m. as previously stated. 

It hasn't made any material difference, but of course I want to set the record straight Banged Head [banghead]

^^^Brian, you're a little too low but yours is the most accurate answer to date.  - a.s. ^^^  

 

al-in-chgo
  • Member since
    January 2002
  • From: Cedar Rapids, IA
  • 4,213 posts
Posted by blhanel on Friday, March 14, 2008 7:24 AM
Alright, I'll adjust my estimate to 3 hours 45 minutes.
  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Chicago, Ill.
  • 2,843 posts
Posted by al-in-chgo on Friday, March 14, 2008 1:16 AM

 ShopsYardMaster wrote:
I'll go with 4 hrs even.Whistling [:-^]
 

Sorry, Dude, you're over the limit.  Your best stragegy now is to sit tight and not make any more bids -- I can let slip that you could win anyway depending on circumstances. 

Your virtual "consolation prize" is that you can research the answer if you promise not to share it with anyone else -- and as said, don't post any more; it's not in your best interests anyway. - a.s.

If you get really frustrated, feel free to PM me. But I doubt I'll see any posts before late tomorrow (Friday) morning. 

 

al-in-chgo
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: N. Fond du Lac WI
  • 81 posts
Posted by ShopsYardMaster on Friday, March 14, 2008 12:59 AM
I'll go with 4 hrs even.Whistling [:-^]
Jim North Fond du Lac WI Home of the late, great Wisconsin Central
  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Chicago, Ill.
  • 2,843 posts
Posted by al-in-chgo on Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:47 PM

Even though both of you are on the conservative side, you're heading in the right direction.  IOW your two first "guesstimates" are a good pushing-off area.   

Keep playin'!  Anyone else want to join the fun? (Please read the rules in my first post of this question above, esp. below where the question is put down.)   a. s.

 

al-in-chgo
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Ely, Nv.
  • 6,312 posts
Posted by chad thomas on Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:25 PM
I'll take 3 hrs 31 min Bob......Oh wait... what gameshow is this?Big Smile [:D]
  • Member since
    January 2002
  • From: Cedar Rapids, IA
  • 4,213 posts
Posted by blhanel on Thursday, March 13, 2008 10:02 PM
Hmmm... I'll start the bidding at 3 hours 30 minutes.
  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Chicago, Ill.
  • 2,843 posts
Posted by al-in-chgo on Thursday, March 13, 2008 9:51 PM

 snagletooth wrote:
Neat, 2 for something or other. And by a nose hair. I don't have a question right now, so if anyone wants to pop one up to keep things rollin', go ahead. I'll keep thinking of one in the meantime.
 

 

Just happened to stumble on this thread just now, but I guess 12 hrs. is enuf.  Here's another of my queries for good guessers and, I hope even more so, for knowledgeable good guessers:  

According to the March, 1967, Official Guide of the Railways," in PRR passenger timetables, NB passenger train no. 170, "The Colonial," ran daily from Wash. D.C. (Union) to Boston (South) via New York (Penna), sched. dep. from D.C. 10:00 a.m. 7:00 a.m.*  It was operated by PRR to NY and then New Haven timetable shows the run up to Beantown under the same number, 170.  Consist listed in addition to coaches specifically states that it includes [at least under Pennsy's  operation] "Parlor Car, Parlor Car Lounge, Snack Bar Coach (Hot-Cold Food and Beverages)."  It's probably safe to assume it was normally hauled by a GG-1, at least part of the way (pls advise if I'm wrong).  *[Oops!  My mistake.  But it hasn't made a material difference thus far, as the times given have been elapsed times, not time of day. - a.s.] 

QUESTIONAccording to the O.G.R., what was the scheduled arrival time of this train, NB daily Train no. 170, at Pennsylvania Station in New York?  

TWO SMALL HINTS:  (a) the Metroliners were not running yet, and the running time of this train is very similar to other PRR runs daily departing DC for NY/Penn or beyond -- in many cases the same elapsed time or a five- or ten-minute scheduled difference. 

(b) [more of a reminder than a hint]: Mileage given between D.C. Union and NYC/Penna is 226.6 miles. 

Answer, please, should be phrased as hours and minutes.  E.g.:  "Two hours and five minutes" but of course that's way too low. 

Also, if you go over -- give too many hrs. and mins. -- that's grounds for disqualification.  (Occasionally an overestimator can win, though, esp. if s/he is REALLY close to the right answer and those estimates beneath correct answer are REALLY off.) But if you overguess, even by a minute, you are not supposed to post again. 

Otherwise, please feel free to guess more than once.  However, I will not be monitoring this thread for hours at a time or for 18-hour days (unlike some of my prior excesses!). 

Lastly, as always, don't research, neither HC nor online.   

All aboard the nostalgia train!  If I have enuf 1967 dollars, I'll take a Parlor Car (just missed it in real life, Sigh [sigh] ).  -  al smalling 

  

al-in-chgo
  • Member since
    January 2007
  • 724 posts
Posted by snagletooth on Thursday, March 13, 2008 8:34 AM
Neat, 2 for something or other. And by a nose hair. I don't have a question right now, so if anyone wants to pop one up to keep things rollin', go ahead. I'll keep thinking of one in the meantime.
Snagletooth
  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: Nanaimo BC Canada
  • 4,117 posts
Posted by nanaimo73 on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 12:46 PM

Good job, Snaggle. Now you are two for nine?

Got a question for us?

Dale
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Central Iowa
  • 6,901 posts
Posted by jeffhergert on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 12:43 PM
 snagletooth wrote:

"Iowa, The Gateway to Nebraska!" Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]

I'm sorry, that's not a guess, just an old family joke...

Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]...... gateway to NEBRASKA! Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]...ooh boy, I'll get it under control..hang on a second...Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D].... OK, I think I got it under control now..hahaha.

Wow, Okay. Was it a buffalo? 

I'll accept that and give it to Snaggletooth.  It was a Buffalo head, like Nanaimo said was on a Trains cover.  I don't have that issue, but I would guess that buffalo head is the one in question.

Jeff     

  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: S.E. South Dakota
  • 13,569 posts
Posted by Murphy Siding on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 12:28 PM
     Something to do with a covered wagon perhaps?

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

  • Member since
    August 2002
  • From: Turner Junction
  • 3,076 posts
Posted by CopCarSS on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 10:49 AM
How about Grenville Dodge? I think he lived in Council Bluffs at one point, and obviously he had something to do with opening the "Gateway to the West."

-Chris
West Chicago, IL
Christopher May Fine Art Photography

"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: Nanaimo BC Canada
  • 4,117 posts
Posted by nanaimo73 on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 10:37 AM
 snagletooth wrote:

Wow, Okay. Was it a buffalo? 

Was that a guess? There is a picture of the large buffalo head in the May 1969 Golden Spike issue of Trains.

Dale
  • Member since
    January 2007
  • 724 posts
Posted by snagletooth on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 7:15 AM

"Iowa, The Gateway to Nebraska!" Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]

I'm sorry, that's not a guess, just an old family joke...

Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]...... gateway to NEBRASKA! Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]...ooh boy, I'll get it under control..hang on a second...Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D].... OK, I think I got it under control now..hahaha.

Wow, Okay. Was it a buffalo? 

Snagletooth
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Central Iowa
  • 6,901 posts
Posted by jeffhergert on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 7:09 AM

Sorry Brian, but a good guess.

Jeff 

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: MP CF161.6 NS's New Castle District in NE Indiana
  • 2,148 posts
Posted by rrnut282 on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 7:09 AM
Another WAG:  a hawk for the hawkeye state.
Mike (2-8-2)
  • Member since
    January 2002
  • From: Cedar Rapids, IA
  • 4,213 posts
Posted by blhanel on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 7:02 AM
I'll take a SWAG- a statue of Lewis and Clark?
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Central Iowa
  • 6,901 posts
Posted by jeffhergert on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 6:59 AM

Well, if you all insist.  I have another question involving a bridge.  This time we are on the west side of Iowa, at Council Bluffs/Omaha, NE.  At one time on the Union Pacific bridge there was a statue/figure, made out of bronze IIRC, on the Iowa side over the tracks.  This figure simbolized the gateway to the West.  It was removed during WWII and melted down for the war effort.  What was this figure? 

Hint:   It wasn't an ArchSmile [:)]. 

Jeff

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Chicago, Ill.
  • 2,843 posts
Posted by al-in-chgo on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 9:51 PM
 CShaveRR wrote:
 Murphy Siding wrote:
      Well, I'm not Jeff, but I *did* sleep at a Holiday Inn last night!Tongue [:P]

     Keeping things rolling:

     What were the top five ALCO/MLW diesels, based on numbers produced? 

I think it should be Jeff's turn again, if he's available.

 

I agree. 

 

al-in-chgo
  • Member since
    June 2001
  • From: Lombard (west of Chicago), Illinois
  • 13,681 posts
Posted by CShaveRR on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 3:18 PM
 Murphy Siding wrote:
      Well, I'm not Jeff, but I *did* sleep at a Holiday Inn last night!Tongue [:P]

     Keeping things rolling:

     What were the top five ALCO/MLW diesels, based on numbers produced? 

I think it should be Jeff's turn again, if he's available.

Carl

Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)

CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • 724 posts
Posted by snagletooth on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 2:39 PM
Boy, what am I. Like 1 for 8 or somethingPirate [oX)]Laugh [(-D] I thought they got there before that, Oh well... next question.
Snagletooth
  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: Nanaimo BC Canada
  • 4,117 posts
Posted by nanaimo73 on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 2:35 PM

Thanks.

I don't have another question. Anyone else have one?

Dale

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy