Merger? What merger? Two tariffs equal one trip By J. David Ingles As railroad mergers were sweeping the land through the 1960’s, passenger services of individual carriers were on a one-way trip to oblivion, culminating in Amtrak’s formation in 1971. For most roads, this couldn’t happen soon enough, and this attitude, couple with the regulatory […]
The Reverend and the Rock Island
As an Episcopal priest serving in Iowa in the 1960’s, I was lucky to have Gordon V. Smith as my bishop. Bishop Smith was always eager to do whatever he could to make life easier and happier for us clergy who were in his jurisdiction. He was fascinated with my interest in railroads, and was […]
The Right Touch
For many years, the Lehigh Valley maintained some offices in downtown Philadelphia, even though this was an off-line point. In the mid-1940’s, the Valley relocated the offices to its building just west of the Bethlehem (Pa.) Union Station. The LV cushioned the hardship of the move by having a special chartered train run each working […]
Welch: Santa Fe’s Arizona Outpost
Before a 1960 line-relocation project, the two main tracks of the Santa Fe Railway’s transcontinental main line split at Supai, a few miles west of Williams, Ariz. The westbound track followed a more circuitous route, enabling trains to more easily climb the steep Supai hill. Twelve miles west of Williams the tracks met again, at […]
Amtrak trains on May 1, 1971
Note: Most trains grouped in pairs. Prior to November 14, 1971, Amtrak did not assign its own train numbers, instead using numbers assigned by the individual freight railroads operating its trains. 101, 104 – Metroliner – New York-Washington (Ex. Sun.)103, 100 – Metroliner – New York-Washington (Ex. Sat. and Sun.)105, 106 – Metroliner – New […]
Classic Trains, Spring 2001
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Selling the service
Chicago & North Western stenciled “The Overland Route” on rolling stock, promoting its favorable connection with the Union Pacific Railroad. J. Michael Gruber collection “KEEP ON TRUCKIN’… BY TRAIN” proclaims the slogan on the side of this Union Pacific caboose, seen in East Los Angeles. Recognizing the public visibility of a moving cross-country train, UP […]
ACL No. 1 Falters
Many years ago, when the Atlantic Coast Line was almost all double track from Richmond to Jacksonville and the passenger-train speed limit was 100 mph, a calamity nearly occurred in an obscure south Georgia swamp. ACL’s raceway occasionally would narrow to single track when encountering a drawbridge over a river, or a wide marsh associated […]
Outfits I Have Known
One of the most memorable aspects of my career in railroad maintenance of way is the “outfit.” An outfit was usually a collection of old revenue cars — both passenger and freight — converted to sleeping, cooking, shower, supply, tool, storage, and machinery transport use. An outfit could be one lone car for a signal […]
Some Water on the Cheap
Water was a problem for both the Clinchfield Railroad and for local residents at Elkhorn City, Ky. The town is in far eastern Kentucky, at the north end of the Clinchfield where it met the south end of Chesapeake & Ohio’s Big Sandy Division, forming a through route for merchandise as well as the region’s […]
Talking to the Man in the Hat
Like many a now-mature railfan, my passion for railroading began at an early age as I haunted the local depot. Many of us also met someone, usually a friendly clerk or an engineer, who inspired us to pursue our passions. For me, Wayne Junction, Pa., in the heart of Reading’s Philadelphia commuter network, was the […]
Last call to dinner
John Kelly Enjoying a meal on board a moving train is an experience that is as popular today as it was in the late 1800s when the first dining cars were introduced on passenger trains. The singular combination of mouth-watering food, good company, and ever-changing scenery remains a selling point of long-distance train travel. “Settle […]
