"The Xplorer"

[nanaimo73]

There are some pictures here from http://ohiorr.railfan.net/nyc.html -

Some wonderful photographs of the New York Central Xplorer train sent in to me by George Campbell, taken by his father back in 1956 in and around Columbus:


6 photographs of the New York Central Xplorer passenger train.
The four photos from June, 1956 were taken at Columbus Union Station during
a public demonstration of the (brand new) train. The two photos from August,
1956 were taken after the train was in service. One shows it passing by
Worthington, OH, the other shows an airline stewardess like attendant (they
did that on purpose!) at Columbus Union Station. Note how the car is dented
up after only two months in service! The photographer for all six was Alex Campbell.

The Xplorer was an attempt by the NYC to modernize rail travel and lure
people out of their cars. Needless to say, Columbus Union Station was
replaced by the Columbus Convention Center, highway 670 runs where the yard
used to be, and the Xplorers are long gone---George Campbell


JUNE 1956:

Xplorer engine

Locomotive data display

Car connection

Rear end of train


AUGUST 1956:

Passing Worthington

Xplorer "Stewardess"


SEPTEMBER 1956:

Xplorer train passing directly behind the Ohio Railway Museum, Columbus

[samfp1943]

Anyone ever seen seen this before? It was a new one on me.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archivethumbs.aspx?id=18050

Does anyone have any information on the history of this train? What is doing sitting in the weeds in South Carolina? Is it property of an Individual or a Railroad? Has it been used at all down there? It has to been out of a revenue service ( New Haven) for thirty plus years.   Did Jim Bakker buy this to use at his defunct Amusement Park?

Can anybody fill in the blanks? Thanks!

[tree68]

Most of them were attempts to compete with cars and airlines....

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

The Xplorer was a Train X design, and indirectly Robert R. Young's contribution to the lightweight train craze of the mid-1950's, which also included early versions of Talgo, the Aerotrain, Budd's Tubular design (the Keystone), and maybe some others.  All of them were commercial flops.

[Railfan1]

Anyone ever seen seen this before? It was a new one on me.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archivethumbs.aspx?id=18050