How the Boston-Detroit sleeper helped design Dulles Airport

[daveklepper]

In 1958 I was working under Bob Newman on the acoustics of Dulles, and a meeting was scheduled on a Monday in Februrary at the office of Earo Saarinen in Troy, Michigan. The mech and elec engineers were also to attend. Bob and I were to fly out Sunday evening from Logan in Boston to Willow Run (Metro had not been opened yet), with my staying at my sister;s home in Detroit and Bob at a nearby hotel. Or possibly my sister had offered hospitality to my boss. Any, a huge storn erupted with all flights cancelled for at least a day. i told Bob on the phone around Noon I was willing to try to get there by train, and he told me to make the attempt. With a Corvair with Positraction I found I could get moving in the heavy snow, made it to South Station and the Sunoco gas station across the stree where I had made parking arrangements in the past, and waited on a long long line at the New York Central window at the station. The one sleeper switched from the New England States to the Woverine at Buffalo was sold out and I bought a coach ticket. By the time I boarded the train, all coach seats were filled. I found a seat in the diner, but then the steward came through and ordered everybody out since only people who were eating were supposed to be seated. So I asked for a meal. So he said service began at 5:30pm. So I said I would wait for service and meanwhile I could study the menu. So I had the diner to myself fof about two hours and at least was seated. After the good meal, forget just what I ordered, but it was good, of course I had to leave. All coach seats were taken so went into the sleeper section and looked for the through car to Detroit, 727 (7 for the Wolverine and 27 for the New England States). The porter told me there was one no-show at Worcester, but there were several people who wanted the roomette, and he was going to leave it up to the conductcor boarding at Albany. I tipped him for the information and he let me sit in the vacent roomette. At Albany, I raced downstairs to the ticket window, showed my puched Boston-Detroit coach ticket, requested the upgrade and specifically roomette 8 in car 727 for Albany - Detroit. He looked me in the eye and asked "Did the Conductor send you to me?" What could I answer? OK, figuring it was the great Conductor in the sky that sent me, I looked right back at him and said "of course." I raced back up to the patform, found a cluster of people, some gesturing, surrounding the short new conductor, and I showed him the ticket. "What a relief" he said. But one of the dissapointed passengers told me I'd better keep the door locked!

[Anonymous]

Another tasty slice of deli in the usually freight only menu. Thanks for the great story Dave.

Mitch