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On This Day in Railroad History

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Posted by erikem on Sunday, December 30, 2012 8:47 PM

Understood on the publishing history of the book, though it would be interesting to read what the 1936 edition had to say compared to the 1942 edition. The issue of submarine warfare in WW1 is a lot more complicated than most history books let on. When the Lusitania was sunk in 1915 killing ~200 American civilians, the standard reaction were that the Germans were evil for sinking the ship, however the ship was armed and carrying munitions, so the Brits were also evil in using American civilians as hostages on a legitimate naval target.

It's my opinion that it is legitimate to question whether the US should have gotten involved in WW1, though far from a forgone conclusion that the US would have been better off staying out. The US railroads took a big hit as a result of the US being involved in the war (*cough* McAdoo *cough*), though staying out may have potential downsides as well.

I have much less reason to question the US involvement in WW2.

- Erik

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Posted by John WR on Sunday, December 30, 2012 9:06 PM

erikem
The US railroads took a big hit as a result of the US being involved in the war (*cough* McAdoo *cough*), though staying out may have potential downsides as well.

They sure did.  And they had to borrow a lot of money to bring their physical plants back to the place it was before Wilson took then over.  The debt was a burden during the otherwise successful 20's.  Had they not had it they would have been a lot better off going into the depression.  

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Posted by cacole on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 8:46 AM

And now, let's end the political arguments and get back to the topic at hand.

Arizona, January 1st, 1921:

A damage suit was brought against the Arizona Eastern Railroad alleging negligence after 34 ostriches died or were killed during transit.

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Posted by cacole on Thursday, January 3, 2013 8:18 AM

Arizona, January 3rd, 1924:

117 automobiles became stalled in the mud near Casa Grande.  The vehicles had to be towed to the Southern Pacific tracks, where they bumped over the ties 1 1/2 miles before reaching a stretch of road they could negotiate.

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Posted by erikem on Thursday, January 3, 2013 8:54 PM

California, January 3rd, 1915:

Oakland, Antioch & Eastern's carferry Ramon is put into service as a temporary expedient pending construction of a bridge that never got built.

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Posted by John WR on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 8:58 AM

January 9, 1913.  Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, was born in Yorba Linda, California.  On October 30, 1970 President Nixon signed into law the Railroad Passenger Service Act which created Amtrak.  Private railroads were offered the option of transferring there passenger service to the new corporation.  Many (but not all) of them did and the following May Amtrak began carrying passengers.  

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Posted by cherokee woman on Thursday, January 10, 2013 10:38 AM

From WHAS11.com's Today in History:

1863London's Metropolitan, the world's first underground passenger railway, opened to the public.

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."
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Posted by cacole on Saturday, January 12, 2013 9:08 AM

Arizona, January 12th:

In 1883, the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks were completed so that Tucson could be reached from the East Coast by way of San Antonio, Texas.

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Posted by John WR on Saturday, January 12, 2013 9:49 AM

Was the New Orleans to San Antonio section also complete or was San Antonio reached by some other route?

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Posted by cherokee woman on Sunday, January 13, 2013 9:33 AM

1989 New York City subway gunman Bernhard H. Goetz was sentenced to one year in prison for possessing an unlicensed gun that he used to shoot four youths he said were about to rob him.

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."
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Posted by cacole on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 8:12 AM

Arizona, January 22nd:

In 1903, a head-on collision of the Southern Pacific east and west bound passenger trains at Vail Station (east of Tucson) killed 22 people and injured 45.

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Posted by John WR on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 8:34 PM

January 24, 1854.  Chicago and the east were linked by rail.  

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Posted by cacole on Monday, January 28, 2013 8:38 AM

Arizona, January 28th:

In 1887, the first train robbery in Arizona history took place when two masked men took $20,000 from the Southern Pacific passenger train 17 miles east of Tucson.

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Posted by John WR on Thursday, January 31, 2013 2:50 PM

February 1, 1968.  The New York Central and Pennsylvania railroads merge to form the Penn Central.  The merger would not succeed and would only lead to bankruptcy of the whole system including the New Haven which the Penn Central acquired in 1969.  To maintain their passenger service President Richard Nixon would sign the law creating Amtrak.  

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Posted by cherokee woman on Monday, February 11, 2013 10:12 AM


In 1941, Glenn Miller's Chattanooga Choo Choo was awarded the first gold record, given for sales of 1 million copies.

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."
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Posted by John WR on Monday, February 11, 2013 6:52 PM

Cherokee Woman,  

Was there actually a train from New York to Chattanooga?

John

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Posted by Deggesty on Monday, February 11, 2013 11:03 PM

John, I know of no train that ran just between New York City and Chattanooga. However, there were three trains that carried through Pullmans from New York through Chattanooga. The Tenneesean,which was a Washington-Memphis train (SOU DC-Monroe, N&W Monroe-Bristol, and SOU Bristol-Memphis), was one. A second one was the Birmingham Special, which was a Washington-Birmingham train which ran through Chattanooga (originally, it ran through Atlanta, and, for a time did not go into the Terminal Station), and the Pelican, which was a Washington-New Orleans train, which ran through Chattanooga and Birmingham. The trains ran over SOU rails between Monroe and Lynchburg, where they then changed to N&W rails, but the engines were changed in Monroe, which was a SOU division point. I am not positive that the train crews changed in Monroe; I should have asked the dining car steward, with whom I had a good conversation, when I rode the Birmingham Special from Washington to Bristol in 1968.

In the movie, the train is shown entering Tennessee out in the country, which it could have done only if it went through Asheville, for the station in Bristol is right on the state line, and there are several tracks crossing the street. I may remember to count them when I am in Bristol this April (college reunion).

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Posted by John WR on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 7:42 PM

Johnny,  

Did any of these trains run through either or both of the Carolinas in the early morning?

"Stroll into the dinner / Nothing could be finer / Than to have your ham and eggs in Carolina....."

John

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Posted by John WR on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 7:45 PM

Johnny,  

PS.  I would think that I guy who has his "fare and a trifle to spare" would most likely travel in a coach rather than a pullman car.  I suppose though he may have had a few buck for a berth in an open sleeper.  

John

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Posted by Deggesty on Thursday, February 14, 2013 11:05 AM

John WR

Johnny,  

Did any of these trains run through either or both of the Carolinas in the early morning?

"Stroll into the dinner / Nothing could be finer / Than to have your ham and eggs in Carolina....."

John

No, none of these trains came even close to North Carolina, much less South Carolina. The route south of Washington was through Lynchburg, Roanoke, Bristol, and Knoxville. To go through Asheville would have added 105.2 miles. Now, you could have eaten your ham and eggs in Carolina on the westbound Asheville Special, the southbound Peach Queen or Southerner, the northbound Washington-Atlanta-New Orleans Express on the Southern or on any one of three or four Coast Line or Seaboard trains (none of which would have taken you close to Tennessee).

"Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning; nothing could be sweeter than your sweetie when you greet her in the morning....If I had an Aladdin's lamp for only a day, I'd make a wish and here's what I'd say, 'Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning.'" I'm sorry that I cannot give you the melody.

Johnny

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Posted by John WR on Thursday, February 14, 2013 7:26 PM

Deggesty
I'm sorry that I cannot give you the melody.

Johnny,  

"Ham and eggs" goes well with the song.  My favorite train breakfast was on the Southern Crescent -- eggs, bacon, grits and biscuits -- eaten as you cross lake Ponchartrain.   Unfortunately the Amtak Crescent doen't do grits or biscuits.  However, the coffee is not bad.  

Perhaps you could stop by my house and sing a few bars.  

With best wishes, John

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Thursday, February 14, 2013 8:01 PM

You've mixed your lyrics... Similar wording and similar tune, but different songs.

"Stroll into the diner / Nothing could be finer..."  is from "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", by Mark Gordon and Harry Warden. 1941  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattanooga_Choo_Choo)

"Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina" is from "Carolina in the Morning" by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson. 1922  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_in_the_Morning)

 

 

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by John WR on Thursday, February 14, 2013 9:26 PM

And then there is Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash.

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Posted by Deggesty on Thursday, February 14, 2013 9:44 PM

Semper Vaporo

You've mixed your lyrics... Similar wording and similar tune, but different songs.

"Stroll into the diner / Nothing could be finer..."  is from "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", by Mark Gordon and Harry Warden. 1941  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattanooga_Choo_Choo)

"Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina" is from "Carolina in the Morning" by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson. 1922  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_in_the_Morning)

 

 

No, I did not mix the lyrics; I am fully aware that they are two different songs; it seemed appropriate to me to present part of the state song of North Carolina along with the discussion of breakfast in Carolina. Even growing up in South Carolina, I was aware of the Old North State's song. And, I am somewhat familiar with the music of Glenn Miller, and knew that his band played "Chattanooga Choo Choo;" I could listen to his music all day long.

Johnny

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Friday, February 15, 2013 12:06 AM

Deggesty

Semper Vaporo

You've mixed your lyrics... Similar wording and similar tune, but different songs.

"Stroll into the diner / Nothing could be finer..."  is from "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", by Mark Gordon and Harry Warden. 1941  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattanooga_Choo_Choo)

"Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina" is from "Carolina in the Morning" by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson. 1922  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_in_the_Morning)

No, I did not mix the lyrics; I am fully aware that they are two different songs; it seemed appropriate to me to present part of the state song of North Carolina along with the discussion of breakfast in Carolina. Even growing up in South Carolina, I was aware of the Old North State's song. And, I am somewhat familiar with the music of Glenn Miller, and knew that his band played "Chattanooga Choo Choo;" I could listen to his music all day long.

 
Glenn Miller, the Dorsey brothers, and Benny Goodman.  Good music all day long!

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by cherokee woman on Friday, February 15, 2013 9:33 AM

In 2010, two trains collided head-on in snowy weather during rush hour near Brussels, killing at least 18 people and injuring 55 others.


In 2004, 40 chemical and fuel-laden runaway rail cars derailed in northeastern Iran, producing an explosion that killed at least 265 people.
In 2007, an explosion on a train in northern India and the resulting fire killed 66 people and injured more than 50 others. India's railways minister called it an act of terrorism.

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."
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Posted by cacole on Friday, February 15, 2013 9:35 AM

Arizona, February 15th:

In 1900, five masked robbers held up the Southern Pacific passenger train at Fairbank.  Jeff Milton, the express messenger, was wounded but managed to fight off the robbers and mortally wound "Three Finger" Jack.

NOTE:  Fairbank is now a ghost town along the San Pedro River in Cochise County.  In 1900 it was a thriving silver mining boom town.

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Posted by cacole on Saturday, February 16, 2013 6:35 AM

Arizona, February 16th:

In 1890, a midnight battle developed at the Red Rock, Arizona, railroad station when a band of tramps attempted to capture the Southern Pacific fast freight.

In 1913, the first train to serve Fort Huachuca arrived at the Fort at 4:35 p.m. on the El Paso and Southwestern line.

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Posted by cherokee woman on Monday, February 18, 2013 8:35 AM

n 2003, around 200 people died in a South Korea subway fire set by a man authorities say apparently was upset at his doctors.

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."
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Posted by cherokee woman on Thursday, February 28, 2013 12:32 PM

From Arcamax History & Quotes for February 28th:

1.  The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was chartered.

2.  In 1992, a bomb blamed on the IRA ripped through a London railway station, injuring at least 30 people and shutting down the British capitol's rail and subway system.

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."

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