GP7/GP9's were part of the suburban power pool on C&NW prior to the re-equipping with HEP-equipped bi-levels in 1959-1960 so you might be able to find pictures on C&NW Geeps pulling the first 16 bi-levels which predated HEP. I do not think that GP7/GP9's were a regular part of Burlington's passenger pool so Burlington GP's pulling bi-levels would probably be on an emergency basis only with any pictures being correspondingly rare.
There are lots of photos in books of SP GP9s pulling bilevels in the "Bloody nose" scheme, including many where the GP9 is running long hood first. Of course, the Trainmasters were the favorites...
kgbw49 There are a few photos out there of Southern Pacific GPs in the 1950s powering San Francisco Peninsula bilevel commute trains such as this one... There are also photos out there of SP GPs in scarlet nose paint pulling bilevel coaches through the years, but they are not numerous, for sure.
There are a few photos out there of Southern Pacific GPs in the 1950s powering San Francisco Peninsula bilevel commute trains such as this one...
There are also photos out there of SP GPs in scarlet nose paint pulling bilevel coaches through the years, but they are not numerous, for sure.
Still looking for the Q one.
kgbw49 There are photos out there of CNW Pacifics pulling their green and gold bilevels around Chicagoland, and SP Northerns, Mountains and Pacifics pulling their gray bilevels on the San Francisco Peninsula commute trains. But so far, photos of CB&Q steam pulling their stainless steel bilevels around Chicagoland have proven elusive.
There are photos out there of CNW Pacifics pulling their green and gold bilevels around Chicagoland, and SP Northerns, Mountains and Pacifics pulling their gray bilevels on the San Francisco Peninsula commute trains. But so far, photos of CB&Q steam pulling their stainless steel bilevels around Chicagoland have proven elusive.
As elusive as the claimed GEEP on a bilevel train
Hi,
Do you have any idea where I can get i photo of Steam pulling The Bilevels. Thanks
Thanks for he reply. Sure wish I could get my hands on a photo
CB&Q 4-6-2 S-1-A 2833 with a commuter train tied to the tank...
CB&Q 4-6-2 S-2-A 2949...
CB&Q 4-6-2 S-1-A 2867...
C&NW E Class 4-6-2 1538 inbound at Arlington Heights - the way it used to be...
C&NW 4-6-2 944 inbound...notice car spotted in spur across the street...
C&NW Class A 4-4-2 Atlantic 1307...
C&NW 4-6-2 waiting for the outbound rush...
C&NW 4-6-2 inbound to downtown in Oak Park, IL...
schlimm The NorthWestern did some great things back then. There is even a pic of a scoot coming into Wheaton with an SD9 pulling four of the old 60' cars in 1956.
The NorthWestern did some great things back then. There is even a pic of a scoot coming into Wheaton with an SD9 pulling four of the old 60' cars in 1956.
schlimm The NorthWestern did some great things back then. There is even a pic of a scoot coming into Wheaton with an SD9 pulling four of the old 60' cars in 1956. Normal scoot power back then was GP9 with airtanks mounted on the roof.
Normal scoot power back then was GP9 with airtanks mounted on the roof.
I moved to a suburban house facing the CB&Q race track to Aurora from Chicago. When I moveded there I remember well that occasionally CB&Q used steam to pull those Budd High level commutor coaches along with a steam /generator/baggage car and one or two green heavy duty cars on the end. I'm Looking for a photo from those times. I hope You can assist
schlimm Contrary to some posts on another thread, the C&NW did not originate bilevel gallery cars in 1955 with cars 1-16 from St. Louis Car. The CB&Q's first 30 such cars were delivered from Budd in 1950-51.
Contrary to some posts on another thread, the C&NW did not originate bilevel gallery cars in 1955 with cars 1-16 from St. Louis Car. The CB&Q's first 30 such cars were delivered from Budd in 1950-51.
Quick turnarounds are the norm during rush hour with push-pulls. Metra Southwest Service train 834 is scheduled to arrive at Chicago Union Station at 5:04PM and the same equipment departs as train 827 at 5:18PM. The inbound run is occasionally up to about 5-6 minutes late but a late departure on the outbound run is rare.
The SD9 between the two TrainMasters is either 4450 or 4451, which were rebuilt as reserve passenger units in 1973 or 1974, retaining their as-built boilers. SP had used SD7s and SD9s (and an occasional FP7) in the commute pool in the 1950s and 1960s, but these two were the only ones permanently assigned.
To borrow a phrase from the late, great David P. Morgan, "California style"...
And finally a couple of steam-powered commute trains with single level commute cars...
GS-4 Northern...
Early Pacific...
Mountain...
P-8 Pacific...
Electroliner 1935I thought Caltrans (SP) bilevels originally had waukesau enginator airconditioners which I believe were converted to HEP airconditioners.
C&NW's 16 bilevels from 1955 (St Louis) were probably equipped with Waukesha AC as well, since C&NW used it on lots of its other equipment. Train lighting used the same generators as the older commuter cars, whether on steam locomotives or diesels. The 1958 and later cars from Pullman-Standard were all equipped with HEP from the builder, and the St Louis cars were quickly converted.
After earlier stating that CB&Q did not use E5's in commuter service, I recently saw a picture of one leading bilevels and a power car.
daveklepperThis meant that in the power-car days, one could see the power car behind the locomotive on some trains and at the rear of the train on others.
Dave, It was my understanding that the consist was not turned, just the locomotive and that the power car was always on the West. And yes that means you are correct, Westbound, the power car was behind the locomotive and Eastbound, it was at the back of the train. Now, with push-pull, the entire consist can stay together and the only thing changing is the Engineer who has to move to be at the front of the train. I see sometimes when the inbound is late, they can discharge, load and go in five minutes.
They normally allow about 22 minutes at rush hour and they transfer the HEP to shore power due to polution issues for that time but if they are on a quick flip (late inbound), they will skip that.
Now for others to answer: I thought Caltrans (SP) bilevels originally had waukesau enginator airconditioners which I believe were converted to HEP airconditioners. Did the C&NW bilevels originally have the selfpowered airconditioning?
Occasionally, they would not back the train out to the yard, especially mid-day weekday trains. The incoming locomotive would be uncoupled, and the outgoing locomotive attached to the far end. This meant that in the power-car days, one could see the power car behind the locomotive on some trains and at the rear of the train on others.
rcdryeCB&Q's bilevel cars were originally steam-heated, and power cars rebuilt from older commuter coaches or mainline cars took care of lighting on longer consists, with small tap generators working for two car trains.
They were rebuilt from baggage cars and had a generator capable of handling the airconditioner load of the bilevels after they arrived. Later, the bilevels were converted to electric heat and the generators handled that as long as the E's still had steam generators. After Amtrak, the Q replaced the steam generators with HEP generators and retired the power cars.
Back when CB&Q got the bilevels and the E's, they did not have cab cars and they did not operate in a push-pull mode. They trains had to back out of Union Station after arrival, the e had to be y'd or turned and back back in to Union Station. At the old Aurora station, there was a turntable where the locomotives were turned. Downers Grove had a turntable for turning the steamers when it was the end of the line for most commuter trains. Push pull was a great efficiency for the operation.
Here are a few more that I was able to dig up, but steam on bilevels is very elusive.
CNW Atlantic on commuter run...
Pacific...
CNW PM Rush Hour...
Blurry color image with two bilevels...
Another CNW rush hour departure...
Another Pacific-powered commuter train at speed...
Not a commuter run, but a nice shot of an E-4 84-inch-drivered Hudson...
Another shot of steam with bilevels - this one not blurry...
CNW commuter from Kenosha...
Not a commuter run, but an E-4 at Speed with the Los Angelos Challenger...
thanks for the pics. the northwestern with bilevels in the consist is really cool.
does anyone know if there were any instances of steam pulling an all bilevel consist? anyone have pics?
kgbw49Not a commute engine but my all-time favorite Pacific - CNW Subsidiary Omaha Road E-3 Pacific 602 - 75" drivers, a whopping 51,567 tractive effort and factor of adhesion of 4.07...
Thanks!! Always a pleasure to see one of those E-3s. I always wished they operated on the Galena Division.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
The first LIRR bi-level cars weren't gallery cars. The arrangement was more like a coach version of a duplex roomette sleeping car. Note that there is just one aisle level and that you step up or down to your seat.
Actually, the Long Island Railroad experimented with Bi-Level Gallery cars in the 1930's. The prototype is at the Railroad Museum of Long Island in Riverhead, NY.
http://www.rmli.org/RMLI/Riverhead_Site.html
In one of the postings above, the single level car behind the E-Unit is a power car. Note the hump on the roof.
In addition to E-7's used in the commuter and long-distance pool, and the Pacifics, GP-7s did occasaionlly pull commuter trains in the summer of 1952. I rode one with a two-car consist of gallery cars. I was on my way from New York to EMD at La Grange, arriving on the Trailblazer, and using the first outbound Aurora local from the same side of Union Station.
Not a commute engine but my all-time favorite Pacific - CNW Subsidiary Omaha Road E-3 Pacific 602 - 75" drivers, a whopping 51,567 tractive effort and factor of adhesion of 4.07...
Milwaukee Road Baltic 4-6-4 on what sure looks like a commuter consist...
CGW Ten Wheeler - may have been used in commuter service...
Thx for all. I like Q, CNW, IC, CGW, CA&E and MILW.
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