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THE HISTORY QUIZ CONTINUES . . . newcomers welcome!

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Posted by al-in-chgo on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 8:12 PM

moelarrycurly4 answered "Illlinois Central."  Is that the correct answer and if so, does he get credit for being the first to answer it?

I'd rather not this thread get cluttered with multiple topics.  If there are outstanding questions on this particular thread  (note that we're in Gen.Disc., not Classic), let's try to clear them up and move on, okay?  - a.s.

 

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Posted by Deggesty on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 9:31 PM

al-in-chgo

moelarrycurly4 answered "Illlinois Central."  Is that the correct answer and if so, does he get credit for being the first to answer it?

I'd rather not this thread get cluttered with multiple topics.  If there are outstanding questions on this particular thread  (note that we're in Gen.Disc., not Classic), let's try to clear them up and move on, okay?  - a.s.

 

Al, the IC handled the St. Louis-Jacksonville car in 1916 and later; the Chicago-Jacksonville cars were handled by another railroad out of Chicago. Think of a well-known Chicago-Jacksonville train that always took two nights throughout its entire operation (though in its very last operation, it did not run north of Georgia, and was simply an overnight train into Jacksonville). When someone tells us fully how it was carried between Chicago and Macon, I will tell what changes were made. Don was right as to what road carried it just north of Macon, but he took the wrong turn 61 miles out of Macon.

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Posted by al-in-chgo on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 10:31 PM

Just a WAG:  Does the L&N figure into this?  -  a.s.

 

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Posted by KCSfan on Thursday, January 22, 2009 2:08 AM

Johnny,

CofG Macon to Atlanta

L&N Atlanta to Cincinnati

PRR Cincy to Chicago

I will hazard a guess and say that when its route was changed from the GS&F it ran CoG between Atlanta and Albany and ACL between Albany and Jax. 

I believe this was the Southland's (or its predecessor's) route until the ACL's Perry Cutoff was opened in 1929. Sometime after that date the Southland was routed down the Cutoff between Albany  and Tampa and St Pete bypassing Jacksonville.

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Posted by Deggesty on Thursday, January 22, 2009 11:48 AM

KCSfan

Johnny,

CofG Macon to Atlanta

L&N Atlanta to Cincinnati

PRR Cincy to Chicago

I will hazard a guess and say that when its route was changed from the GS&F it ran CoG between Atlanta and Albany and ACL between Albany and Jax. 

I believe this was the Southland's (or its predecessor's) route until the ACL's Perry Cutoff was opened in 1929. Sometime after that date the Southland was routed down the Cutoff between Albany  and Tampa and St Pete bypassing Jacksonville.

Mark

Al - in - Chicago asks: Just a WAG:  Does the L&N figure into this?  -  a.s.

Yes, the L&N was very much in it--but not as Mark posited. Mark is right on the routing change that was made after the GS&F came into the Southern fold. The Southland (until the Perry Cutoff was opened) and this train both followed the same route between Atlanta and Jacksonville.

Johnny

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Posted by oltmannd on Thursday, January 22, 2009 1:24 PM

OK,  Time for another SWAG.

 Nashville, Chattanooga and StLouis from Atlanta to Nashville (I think this one has a good chance) 

L&N to Louisville (this one, too)

C&EI to Chicago (I don't even know if the C&EI went to Louisville!)

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Posted by Deggesty on Thursday, January 22, 2009 2:07 PM

oltmannd

OK,  Time for another SWAG.

 Nashville, Chattanooga and StLouis from Atlanta to Nashville (I think this one has a good chance) 

L&N to Louisville (this one, too)

C&EI to Chicago (I don't even know if the C&EI went to Louisville!)

Don, you are almost there! You have the right roads, but did not take one turn that you should have. The C&EI did not go to Louisville.

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Posted by KCSfan on Thursday, January 22, 2009 2:32 PM

Deggesty

oltmannd

OK,  Time for another SWAG.

 Nashville, Chattanooga and StLouis from Atlanta to Nashville (I think this one has a good chance) 

L&N to Louisville (this one, too)

C&EI to Chicago (I don't even know if the C&EI went to Louisville!)

Don, you are almost there! You have the right roads, but did not take one turn that you should have. The C&EI did not go to Louisville.

Johnny

L&N Nashville to Evansville

C&EI Evansville to Chicago

Mark

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Posted by Deggesty on Thursday, January 22, 2009 3:38 PM

We at last have the routing of the Dixie Flyer at the time when the GS&F handled the train between Macon and Tifton, Ga., and the change that was made after the GS&F was taken into the Southern System.

Don: CG north of Macon (½), ACL Tifton to Jax (1), NC&StL Atlanta to Nashville (1), L&N north & C&EI (½)

Al - in - Chicago.: L&N (½)

Mark: CG Macon to Atlanta (½), L&N Nashville to Evansville (½) & C&EI Evansville to Chicago (½) + (extra credit for the first change) CG to Albany & ACL to Jax (1)

The last change made while it was still a through train Chicago-Jacksonville was to remove the CG entirely in the early fifties, and run it over the AB&C (ACL) from Atlanta on south. It is interesting that when the Dixie Flagler was inaugurated, it did not run over the CG, but always over the AB&C out of Atlanta; otherwise, it was straight Dixie Route (Dixie Limited & Dixieland also used this route) from Chicago to Miami.

Looking at who knew what and who guessed what and when you posted, I say that Don did the most. Good work, guys. Now, ask one about some other section of the country.

Johnny

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Posted by oltmannd on Thursday, January 22, 2009 8:12 PM

Electrified portion of Conrail that was not ex-PRR or ex-DL&W. 

a) where was it?

b) who built their locomotives?

c) where did the last survivors of these locomotives operated and for whom?

 

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Posted by KCSfan on Thursday, January 22, 2009 8:51 PM

Don,

a) NYNH&H between New York and Hartford

b) GE ?

c) Amtrak NY - Hartford ?

Mark

 

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 23, 2009 6:47 AM

Finally! A question that I might know!

I'm going to guess:

a) The original owner was Niagara Junction, and Conrail took over them in 1976.

b) The locomotives were GE, and I believe they were built at the Schenectady, NY plant.

c) The locomotives were classified E10B, and spent their last days in Harmon, NY circa 1980/1981. 

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Friday, January 23, 2009 8:09 AM

Unless this question is intended for catenary / overhead electrification only, wouldn't the ex-NYC from Grand Central Terminal north to Harmon - mainly 3rd rail, with a little bit of overhead at the complicated switchwork, etc. - also qualify ?  I'm pretty sure the S-motors ran into the CR era.

The New Haven's main line eventually was conveyed from CR to Amtrak - circa 1983 ? - so you might want to qualify the question with regard to time, too.  Otherwise, that segment might be included (or not).

If it is included, then the locos are EMD's FL9's, last working for ConnDOT or MetroNorth - not sure which, or the divisions between the two.

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Posted by oltmannd on Friday, January 23, 2009 12:00 PM

TrainManTy

Finally! A question that I might know!

I'm going to guess:

a) The original owner was Niagara Junction, and Conrail took over them in 1976.

b) The locomotives were GE, and I believe they were built at the Schenectady, NY plant.

c) The locomotives were classified E10B, and spent their last days in Harmon, NY circa 1980/1981. 

Correct!  (except they didn't start in service on MN until 1983.  They displaced the S1s switching GCT.

I had to double check the NH New Rochelle/Woodlawn Jct to New Haven piece, tho'.  I was pretty sure that that part of the NH went over NY and Conn state ownership on "Conrail Day" (4/1/76).  I double checked a 1978 Conrail system map and it shows CR has having trackage rights, not ownership. Conrail operated the commuter services for NY, NJ, Conn, Mass, PA, etc, up until sometime in 1980 when the owning authorities set up their own operations.

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 23, 2009 3:04 PM

Paul, the FL9s lost their electrical gear quite a while back, although I'm not sure of the exact year. It was probably around when Metro-North ordered the duel-mode Genisis locomotives to replace the FL9s.

Here's my question:

A) What was the name of the Boston & Albany competitor that operated from Boston, MA, west to Northampton, MA, and later became part of the Boston & Maine?

B) What was the project that required diverting the ROW of this railroad onto a different defunct railroad's ROW (bonus points if you can name what it was!) using a 1110 foot tunnel and a 917 foot bridge?

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Posted by ns3010 on Friday, January 23, 2009 5:57 PM

Oooh, I remember this one! Kinda.

A) It was the Massachussets Central

B) Completely forgot, but I remember you saying something about a bike path...

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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 26, 2009 8:15 AM

 

ns3010

Oooh, I remember this one! Kinda.

A) It was the Massachussets Central

B) Completely forgot, but I remember you saying something about a bike path...

A is correct, it was the Massachusetts Central.

Anyone got part B?

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Posted by oltmannd on Monday, January 26, 2009 11:40 AM

All I have is a SWAG:

 Hoosic tunnel.  Housatonic RR.

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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 26, 2009 11:49 AM

Good guess! That does meet the criteria, but that wasn't the Massachusetts Central.

I will add that this whole line in question is currently abandoned.

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Posted by al-in-chgo on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 1:12 PM

 

Has the last question been answered correctly?  -  a.s.

 

 

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 1:19 PM

Part A has, it's the Massachusetts Central Railroad, but I'm still waiting on Part B.

What was the project that required diverting the ROW of this railroad onto a different defunct railroad's ROW (bonus points if you can name what it was!) using a 1110 foot tunnel and a 917 foot bridge?

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Posted by henry6 on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:40 PM

Wasn't it some kind of reservoir around Ware or Belchertown, MA..Quobog maybe.

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:36 PM

Nope. Not the one I'm thinking of.

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Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, January 29, 2009 3:25 AM

Could be the replacement of the Green Line Elevated at North Station with a the new subway (inlcuding a new underground Green Line "North Station")  and realignmnet of the old B&M route into North Station from the line to the west?

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 29, 2009 6:03 AM
Not that recent... This project that I'm thinking of was built between 1897 and 1908, and wasn't in the metro Boston area at all.
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Posted by oltmannd on Thursday, January 29, 2009 3:31 PM

"How about a dam on the Connecticut River?" he said, grasping at straws.

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 29, 2009 3:39 PM

Nope, nothing to do with the Connecticut. You're on the right track though; it was a public works-type project.

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Posted by henry6 on Thursday, January 29, 2009 4:15 PM

Should we move to the Hudson River and the NYC bridge south of Albany...Castleton?....OR...

....Am I too far north and should be thinking Hell Gate  Bridge to Penn Station?

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 30, 2009 6:42 AM

You're in the wrong state. The Central Massachusetts origanates in Boston, MA, and ends in Northampton, MA... It never leaves the state of Massachusetts...

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Posted by oltmannd on Friday, January 30, 2009 7:01 AM

A public works project at the turn of the century, that caused a major RR detour, that involved a bridge and a tunnel.  hmmm.

The bridge and tunnel means it's probably in the middle or western part of the state.

It's too early for it to be a highway project, but it was right in the era of the growth of hydro power, but probably too early for the ACE to be heavily involved in flood control - so maybe a dam for power generation built by a utility or for water for growing cities, like Boston or Springfield?

What other rivers are candidates?  Thames?  Is it even more than a trickle in Mass?

Anybody familiar with any large man-made lakes in Mass?

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

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