Trains.com

Classic Train Questions Part Deux (50 Years or Older)

849995 views
8168 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    March 2016
  • From: Burbank IL (near Clearing)
  • 13,480 posts
Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Thursday, October 6, 2022 10:19 AM

I'm going to go with Baltimore & Ohio.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,015 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, October 6, 2022 7:18 AM

Which Class One Railroad had the very oldest air--conditioned coaches in entirely in commuter service in rhw laye 1940s and early 1950s.

Hint  They were not built originally for commuter service.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Thursday, September 29, 2022 4:15 PM

So, to recap - NYC had tri-powers in New York (and later Detroit), a pair of dual-powers at LaSalle St, along with CRI&P's lone unit.  MC had four at Central in Chicago.  DL&W had a pair used in freeight service in the Hackensack Meadows.

Michigan Central's Wolverine was handled as an ordinary New York Central train at LaSalle St. beginning some time in the 1920s.  All other MC trains called Central home until 1958.

One of you guys should be able to come up with a question.  I have a couple in storage if nobody wants to ask.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,015 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, September 11, 2022 4:02 AM

Well, I had mentioned Michigan Central and its use  of dual-power at Central Sta., Chicago.  But for some time one Detroit - Chicago Train did use La Sallw Street, MC for a time used both stations and probably assdigned one of its dual powers at La Salle.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,358 posts
Posted by Overmod on Saturday, September 10, 2022 9:48 PM

Not my question.  I referenced the Lackawanna for tri-powers.  The actual answer involves Michigan Central.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,015 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Friday, September 9, 2022 12:15 AM

I'll be happy to wait for Overmod's question

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Thursday, September 8, 2022 2:11 PM

MC 7530-7533 (later 563-566) were assigned to Central Station.  All four were retired before MC trains moved to LaSalle St.

  • Member since
    March 2016
  • From: Burbank IL (near Clearing)
  • 13,480 posts
Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Thursday, September 8, 2022 10:27 AM

Those dual-powers would have been assigned to the Big Four and/or Michigan Central.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 11:25 AM

From Classic Trains "Birds Eye Views" approx. 1940.  Look next to the main station building.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 8:00 AM

Remember that four of the NYCs units were assigned to one of the NYCS components.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,015 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 1:38 AM

A further thought, the B&O at both Mt. Royal and Camden Stations in Baltimore, with the electrification elsewhere being its Staten Island subsidiary.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,015 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 1:31 AM

So the other  railroad must be the IC itself, which did haveelectric freight switchws, and, of course, its electric suburban service is  still with us.

Or was there any railroad outside the IC itself and componants of the New  York Central System that used the IC's Central Station.  UI seem to recall that there vwas one other.  The B&O for a time while Grand Central was remodeled.  But the IC seems the obvious answer.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 8:39 AM

At one of the two stations, the other railroad used electric and later diesel switchers to replace steam for switching.  The electric operation lasted only a few years in the intercity station itself but longer elsewhere.  NYC trains on the Big Four were handled by the other railroad as if they were their own, but with NYCS equipment.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,015 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 7:53 AM

I'm confused, obviously.  The same city must then e Chicago, since La Sall Street Station has been established as one location.  Michigan Central and the Big Four ran into the Illinois Central's Central Station, so that is the other locationj. andcthe Big Four (Chicago Cleveland Cincinnati & St. Louis?) the third railroad.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 6:29 AM

Both locations where dual-powers were used were in the same city.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,015 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 6:10 AM

The other city must be Buffalo, with  Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo the third railroad.   (Michigan Central included Canada Southern.)

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Monday, September 5, 2022 3:14 PM

At both locations the dual-powers were primarily used to move postal and express equipment.  They were comparable in tractive effort to the 0-6-0 switchers assigned to the same stations.  The diesel engine was adequate to keep the batteries charged with the way the engines were used.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,015 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Monday, September 5, 2022 2:10 AM

Enough energy storage for equipment transfer station - yard, or just pulling a cut iout of a siding?

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Sunday, September 4, 2022 3:16 PM

LaSalle did not have any third rail.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,015 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, September 4, 2022 10:53 AM

Was Central dual-power at La Sall battery-and-diesel  Or  wasthere actally some  third rail or catenary?

Had never learned  about this,   Thanks!

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Saturday, September 3, 2022 7:30 AM

The Lackawanna's two tri-powers were used in freight service, running off DL&W's 3000 VDC overhead.  Each was equipped with a single pantograph.

Still looking for the dual-powers.  All of them (NYC, MC and the other railroad's unit) worked in the same city.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,358 posts
Posted by Overmod on Friday, September 2, 2022 4:14 PM

Wasn't the other railroad using tri-powers the Lackawanna?

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Thursday, September 1, 2022 7:16 PM

Now that I have gone back to the books here's some more on tri-power and dual power locomotives:

NYC had 46 tri-powers.  One was built by Alco-GE-IR, all of the others by GE-IR. Except for the Alco carbody, the original was followed exactly.  NYC also had two classes of electrics with the same motors and trucks.

NYC had six dual-powers.  Two of them, lettered for NYC, worked with one owned by another railroad at one passenger terminal.  The other four, lettered for a member of the NYC System, worked at the other passenger station, briefly with Baldwin-Westinghouse electrics owned by another railroad, later with diesels including some GE-IR boxcabs without batteries.  The other railroad did buy a gas-electric-electric from St. Louis Car, but returned it as unsatisfactory.

The other railrod with tri-powers had two of them.  They were the only ones not equipped for third rail.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Thursday, September 1, 2022 10:12 AM

Leaves only one more place NYC used dual-powers.  There was a photo of them at that station a while back in the Photo of the Day feature. Like LaSalle, these were used to switch passenger equipment.

 

  • Member since
    March 2016
  • From: Burbank IL (near Clearing)
  • 13,480 posts
Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Thursday, September 1, 2022 10:09 AM

NYC used dual-powers in Chicago at La Salle Street Station.  Rock Island also had a dual-power at La Salle Street.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,015 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Thursday, September 1, 2022 9:52 AM

The Manhattan operatuion, West Side Line, to St. Johns Terminal at thec 430th Street yard  and station, withv3rd rail lacking south of 609th St., used what were called "oilo-electrics,' and T thought this was what you were referring to.  I believe some could also move, at leat for short distances, by battery power.  But oil-electric ismn't diesel-elecgtrivc, and probably those loconotives had spark-plug ignition and not the diesel's compression-ignition.

I'm not aware of New  York Central electrifications that involve freifght bother than the New York area and  Detroit.  So, if you rule out the West Side, the only other possibities are isolated waterfront operations, freight terminals  reached b car-float.  One was apparently located nwar the Liberty Street DL&W Ferry terminal.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Thursday, September 1, 2022 7:24 AM

The question was about NYC use of Alco-GE diesel-battery(-electrics) . Tri-powers were used in Detroit.  At the other two terminals, NYC used Alco-GE bi-power units at one (the other used electrics and later diesels)  At the other NYC and another owner both used bi-powers.  The non-NYC tri-power was only used for freight service.

I'm not aware of any CSS&SB tri-powers.  North Shore had a pair of battery-electrics (755 and 756) built by GE for freight service.

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 20,015 posts
Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 9:32 PM

New York Central's use of tri-power locomotives in the New York City area, mostly in Manhattan itself, is widely known.  Two NYCentral terminals that saw them regularly did not include Grand Central Terminal, which they visited rarely.  St. Johns Freight Terminasl in lower Manhattan was one, anf the 30th Street Post OLffice Annex Terminal, also the terminal for the West Side two morning southbound snd two evening northbound passenger services, as long as they ran, was the other Manhattan terminal.

I don't know much about other tri-power users, but I suspect that the Central probably used them in the Detroit area during the era of the Detroit - Winsor electrification.  Also, Niagra Junction and South Shore had dual-power locomotives, and the North Shore had battery-trolley-pole electrics.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 5:38 PM

Alco-GE (and earlier Alco-GE-Ingersoll Rand) built tri-power engines for New York Central.  NYC used them in two different places, and sister two-power engines were used in two different railroad terminals.  In one of them similar engines were owned by another station owner.

Name both districts where tri-power engines were used, and the two large stations where two-power units were used.  For extra credit name the other railroad (besides NYC) that had an Alco-GE tri-power.

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • 4,978 posts
Posted by rcdrye on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 5:33 PM

No duck bills.  Just a bunch of deck roof cars.

SUBSCRIBER & MEMBER LOGIN

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

FREE NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter