Good Morning Captain Tom . . .
Looks pretty “normal” around here since my last visit, aside from the fact that Al is among the missing. Hope it is temporary - and yes, I received your e-mail.
Just wanted to show my “face” over here as a measure of support, then head on over to the bar. I have quite a bit to catch up on . . . .
BK in beautiful Alberta, Canada’s high mountain country!
G’day!
Here’s something previously Posted on this Thread and over at the bar . . .
PASSENGER TRAIN NOSTALGIA #45
Here’s something to enjoy regarding the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (Rock Island) from a 1949 advertisement in my personal collection.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Now! Beat the Winter Crowds to
SUNSHINE LAND!
. . . . . . . . . . The Golden State . . . . . . . . . .
Direct – CHICAGO to LOS ANGELES
Serving El Paso, Douglas, Tucson, Phoenix and Palm Springs
A perfect travel combination for your winter holiday – luxurious Golden State streamliner via the low-altitude Golden State Route!
Here’s smooth Diesel Speed; finest of private room and sectional Pullman accommodations; latest type reclining-seat Chair Cars. Coffee-Shop-Lounge, Dining Car, Lounge Car. Through Sleeping Cars from New York and St. Louis. Extra fare – and worth it!
. . . . . THE IMPERIAL . . . Chair Cars
. . . . . and Pullmans to San Diego – Los Angeles.
. . . . . Tourist Sleepers to Los Angeles. Dining and
. . . . . Lounge Cars. No extra fare.
. . . . . . . . . . ROCK ISLAND LINES . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Road of Planned Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Enjoy! [tup]
Tom [4:-)][oX)]
Touched one of my favorite trains. So how about this.
CRI&P/SP
GOLDEN STATE
(January 4, 1948)
The Rock Island / Southern Pacific GOLDEN STATE between Chicago and Los Angeles by way of Kansas City, Tucumcari, El Paso, Tucson, Phoenix, and Yuma became streamlined and diesel powered on January 4, 1948. Never able to match the time keeping of rival Santa Fe’s SUPER CHIEF or EL CAPITAN, or Union Pacific’s CITY OF LOS ANGELES. The GOLDEN STATE route was never able to compete for speed but for direct service to Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, or El Paso the GOLDEN STATE was the train to take. The GOLDEN STATE in spite of its slower schedule to end points than its rivals was never the less a fine train and for many years had operated as an all-Pullman train. On January 4, 1948 the GOLDEN STATE began operating on a 45-hour schedule between Chicago and Los Angeles behind diesel power and advertised as streamlined. The new Red and Silver Paint scheme was introduced at that time with the red running from roof to the bottom of the windows and Silver was the color of the lower half of the cars. Only the Southern Pacific would own diesels painted to match in the red and silver scheme but they were soon repainted in DAYLIGHT colors. All of the lightweight streamlined sleeping cars were pre-war and the rest of the cars were a mixture of streamlined and heavyweights painted to match. The trains would not be completely streamlined until 1949-50. Rock Island operated the GOLDEN STATE behind their power between Chicago and Tucumcari, New Mexico and Southern Pacific assigned their diesels from that point to Los Angeles. An exact consist of the GOLDEN GATE would be difficult to list as they were almost constantly changing. The prewar sleeping cars were of two types 4 Compartment 2 Drawing Room 4 Double Bedroom Cars owned by both the Rock Island and Southern Pacific as follows:
ROCK ISLAND
GOLDEN DESERT
GOLDEN DIAL
GOLDEN DREAM
GOLDEN FLEECE
GOLDEN HOUR
GOL
[#welcome] Al
Great having you back at the bar and over here . . .
Apprecaite the support of this Thread and that Golden State fits right in! [tup]
Tom[4:-)] [oX)]
Arthur Dubin’s “Some Classic Trains” lists a number of the CRI&P cars as being built for the proposed “Golden Rocket” train, and the SP E7s were also intended for this train. The Red and Silver colour scheme was intended for the “Golden Rocket” too, of course.
Dubin’s book gives a set of plans for the “Golden Rocket” and on seeing them, I suddenly realised that a train based on the “Golden Rocket” was built in Australia, and ran as an overnight sleeping car train with leg rest coaches until last year!
In 1946, the South Australian Railways Chief Mechanical Engineer, a MR C.B. Anderson, visited the United States on a study visit, and clearly was able to obtain drawings of the “Golden Rocket” cars, which he used to build a similar train in the SAR workshops in Islington, Adelaide, South Australia. Even the same red and silver colours were used, and although the cars were shorter (75’) and slightly narrower(9’9") (which made lowering the berth in the roomette with the door closed impossible except for very slim passengers!). Like the “Golden Rocket”, the sleepers were “all compartment” or “all roomette”, rather than the 10+6 style more common in the USA. These, built in 1949, were the first roomette cars in Australia. Two differences in the colour scheme were that the roof was black rather than red, and the fluted stainless panels between the windows and letterboard were left unpainted.
The train was called “The Overland” and ran from Melbourne to Adelaide on the 5’3" gauge until 1995 when the line and the train were converted to standard gauge. Even the SAR cab units were all painted like the SP E7s.
Sadly the train was repainted to all silver in 1995, and the sitting cars still run three days a week in each direction between Melbourne and Adelaide with the same train name.
M636C
G’day!
Nice Post from M636C whoever and where ever you are![swg] Anonymity works for some, I guess.
Anyway, your input is precisely what I had hoped would occur on this Thread way back on Page 1 - unfortuantely, far too many simply haven’t participated and we may be coming to the end of the line . . . . Appreciate your thoughts.
So, this is my “day off” at the bar, as the guys are pitching in to provide me with a break. Nice, eh[?] We’ve got a great bunch at “Our” Place! However, we are far more interactive and inclusive than most other Threads on the Forums.
So, let’s see - what’s for today[?] How about another Fallen Flag [?]
ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE!
PASSENGER RR FALLEN FLAG #5
A Fallen Flag from Classic American Railroads:
St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco)
Headquarters: St. Louis, MO
Route mileage in 1950: 5,100
Locomotives in 1963 (all diesel-electric):
Freight: 286
Passenger: 23
Switchers: 102
Rolling stock in 1963: Freight cars – 17,889 Passenger cars – 230
Principal routes in 1950:
St. Louis-Quanah, TX
Kansas City-Birmingham, AL via Ft. Scott, KS
St. Louis-Memphis
Amory, MS-Pensacola, FL
Monee, MO-Paris, TX
Sapulpa (Tulsa) OK-Dallas/Ft. Worth
Fort Scott-Afton, OK
Kansas City-Springfield, MO via Clinton, MO
Monett-Ellsworth, KS
Tulsa-Avard, OK
Nash, MO-Hoxie, AR
Passenger trains of note:
G’day Captain Tom!
Just left the bar and wanted to see what the situation is like over here. A visitor with something interesting to say! Now that is promising . . . . no name or location though? Also noted, no way to communicate via email either . . . makes one wonder. But, I digress.
Nice selections for the past several Fallen Flags. Always enjoy your efforts.
I must be heading back . . . Enjoy the day ‘off’!! [tup]
BK in beautiful Alberta, Canada’s high mountain country!
In keeping with the Frisco theme thought I would add this.
ST. LOUIS
SAN FRANCISCO
(FRISCO)
Streammlined Observations
by Al
The StL/SF owned three lightweight streamlined Observations built by Pullman Standard and delivered in 1948.
The first of these was a 2 Double Bedroom 1 Drawing Room Buffet 21 seat Lounge Observation numbered and named 1350 JOSEPH PULITZER. This was actually one of a pair of identical observations delivered at the same time. The other was the M-K-T owned 1400 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN. These two cars brought up the markers of the jointly owned and operated TEXAS SPECIAL trains when they were streamlined beginning May 16, 1948 between St. Louis and San Antonio overnight. The TEXAS SPECIALS operated over the StL/SF between St. Louis and Vinita, Oklahoma and from there to San Antonio over the KATY. The TEXAS SPECIAL was discontinued on the FRISCO in January 1959 and the train thereafter became a Kansas City - San Antonio train operated by the KATY only. The FRISCO assigned the 1350 JOSEPH PULITZER to the KANSAS CITY FLORIDA SPECIAL off and on for a period after it’s TEXAS SPECIAL days were over.
2 DOUBLE BEDROOM 1 DRAWING ROOM BUFFET 21 SEAT LOUNGE OBSERVATIONS Pullman Standard May 1948 Plan: 4121 Lot: 6769 (Built for and assigned to TEXAS SPECIAL)
StL/SF
1350 JOSEPH PULITZER
M-K-T
1400 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
The other two lightweight streamlined Observations owned by the FRISCO were built at the same time by Pullman Standard as the 1350 JOSEPH PULITZER. These two Observations were Dining Lounge Observations and were assigned to the two consists of the FRISCO METEOR. The METEOR was the StL/SF overnight train between St. Louis - Tulsa - Oklahoma City. Later this service was extended to Lawton, Oklahoma. The two cars delivered in May 1948 to the FRISCO featured a Kitchen Pantry 24 seat Dining Room and 21 seat Lounge Observation. The two cars were numbered and named 1550 TULSA
G’day!
Nice Post from 20 Fingers! - back in “form”" [tup][tup]
My final contribution for the day . . . .
Frisco #2022 [(foto credit: unknown)
Tom[4:-)][oX)]
ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE!
PASSENGER RR FALLEN FLAG #6
Here’s another Passenger RR Fallen Flag from Classic American Railroads:
Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) 
Headquarters: Jacksonville, FL
Route mileage in 1950: 5,528
Locomotives in 1963 (all diesel-electric):
Freight: 170
Passenger: 62
Dual mode (freight/passenger): 234
Switchers: 119
Rolling stock in 1963: Freight cars – 28,847; Passenger cars – 405
Principal routes in 1950:
Richmond, VA-Tampa, FL, via Jacksonville and Orlando.
Wilson-Wilmington, NC
Wilmington-Pee Dee (Florence) SC
Winston-Salem, NC-Florence
Florence-Atlanta
Brunswick, GA-Montgomery, AL
Birmingham, AL-Waycross, GA
Albany-Dunnellon, FL
Jacksonville-St. Petersburg, FLA via Gainesville, Leesburg and Trilby
Dupont, GA-Naples, FL
Passenger trains of note:
East Coast Champion (New York-Miami)
West Coast Champion (New York-Tampa & St. Petersburg & Sarasota)
Tamiami Champion – Predecessor of East and West Coast Champions
Florida Special (New York-Miami & St. Petersburg)
Miamian (Washington-Miami)
Vacationer (New York-Miami)
Havana Special (New York-Key West, FL)
Palmetto (New York-Savannah & Augusta & Wilmington)
Everglades (New York-Jacksonville)
Gulf Coast Special (New York-Tampa & Ft. Myers & St. Petersburg; formerly Havana Special)
Of note: North of Richmond, RF&P and PRR handled passenger trains.
South of Jacksonville,
Good Morning
Like the ACL so her is my contribution.
ATLANTIC
COAST
LINE
Streamlined Observations
by Al
The Atlantic Coast Line owned a total of eight lightweight-streamlined Observations Budd built all and all featured the same interior configuration.
This interior was a Tavern lounge seating 36 followed by the Bar and 21 seat Lounge Observation.
The first two delivered were round end Observations and were delivered by Budd in late November 1939 in time for the new CHAMPIONS December 1, 1939 inaugural. The new CHAMPIONS were initially seven car coach streamliners operating daily service in each direction between New York and Miami. Since three sets of equipment was necessary for daily operation of the CHAMPION the FEC provided the third CHAMPION consist. The PRR operated the CHAMPIONS between New York and Washington, the RF&P operated the trains between Washington and Richmond. South of Richmond the trains operated on their own rails of the ACL to Jacksonville where they were forwarded beyond by the FEC to Miami.
36 SEAT TAVERN LOUNGE BAR 21 SEAT LOUNGE OBSERVATIONS (Round) Budd Company November 1939 (Built for and assigned to CHAMPIONS)
ACL
250, 251
FEC
BAY BISCAYNE
The above two ACL Observations 250 and 251 would be the only two round end types ever owned by the ACL. Observation 250 lasted less that four years being destroyed in an accident in July 1943. The car was subsequently retired and scrapped.
Observation 251 would have its round Observation end squared off and a diaphragm installed in 1952 to match all other ACL Observations.
Budd delivered three-square ended or blunt ended Observations to the ACL in December 1940 for operation mid-train in the expanded CHAMPIONS that now served both coasts of Florida daily. A West Coast section of the renamed TAMIAMI CHAMPION with the new blunt end Observation served Tampa from New York operating indep
G’day Tom!
Well, 20 Fingers beat me to the punch - so to speak! Fine stuff from both of you this morning . . . nothing I can come up with to equal or top it. However, check this out:
Atlantic Coast Line book
Until the next time! [tup]
Lars 
G’day!
Here’s a little something of interest:
Atlantic Coast Line ad (1945) (source unknown)
Tom[4:-)][oX)]
Thanks for the SLSF and ACL posts; has MKT been a “theme” in the recent past, or is it yet to come?
A liitle more on the ACL for those interested.
Atlantic
Coast
Line
(ACL)
Streamlined Dome Cars
by Al
In December 1965 the Atlantic Coast Line leased three dome sleeping cars for the winter from the B&O they were returned in April 1966. These three cars originally built for the C&O and their stillborn CHESSIE never entered C&O service instead they were sold to the B&O. The B&O numbered and named the Strata-domes 7600 MOONLIGHT DOME, 7601 STARLIGHT DOME and 7602 SUNLIGHT DOME. These were originally numbered C&O 1850-1852 respectively. The B&O assigned the three to the CAPITOL LIMITED and SHENANDOAH for service between Washington and Chicago. The CAPITOL LIMITED received one Strata-dome for each of its two consists while the third Strata-dome operated every other day in one of the two SHENANDOAH consists.
The Atlantic Coast Line leased the Strata-domes for the 1965-66 winter season and assigned them one per consist to the winter only FLORIDA SPECIAL between Richmond and Miami. The Strata-Domes were restricted to service south of Richmond due to height restrictions entering Washington from the south off of the RF&P. It is not known if the ACL considered the cars a success or not, but after the merger into the SCL these cars were purchased in September 1969 and once again assigned to winter service in the FLORIDA SPECIAL between Richmond, Virginia and Miami, Florida.
TTFN Al
Where’s the plans for the Pullman passenger cars today, both heavies and light weights??
Hello Captain Tom
I just left the bar and once again find myself dropping by to see what is going on here.
My oh my, that is indeed a rather strange posting from one Sir JanOlov. What in the world do you think he is referring to[?] Perhaps he found himself on the wrong thread.
On to other matters - the Atlantic Coast Line. Surely an interesting chapter in U.S. railroading history, and thanks to your efforts over at the bar with the Fallen Flag and RR from Yesteryear features, I feel as if I “know” that railroad! [swg] Not bad for one who had zero interest in railroading when we first “met.” [tup]
My offering:
Atlantic Coast Line 4-8-4 #1808 (credit: H.L. Broadbelt)
BK in beautiful Alberta, Canada’s high mountain country!
Hiya Tom
Nice ‘steamer’ BK! Never saw that one B4 - you must’ve done some “digging!” [swg]
Not much out there on the ACL, at least that I could find without all kinds of restrictions for use.
Haven’t a clue what that guy was referring to - I noted that he had a bunch of posts all within a short time frame and on our Forum at that… Just the way it goes sometimes . .
Lots JOs out today with their surveys, questions and the like . . . .
Until the next time!
Lars
Nice to see Lars and Budkarr over here today.
Still in keeping with the ACL I offer this.
ATLANTIC
COAST
LINE
Streamlined Sleeping Cars
By Al
The Atlantic Coast Line owned a total of 54 lightweight streamlined sleeping cars. Another 29 lightweight stream-lined sleeping cars were owned by the PRR, FEC, and RF&P and assigned to ACL trains between New York City and Florida. Two of the ACL owned sleeping cars were constructed for assignment to the DIXIELAND a Midwest - Florida streamliner. The ACL not only purchased new lightweight streamlined sleeping cars but also purchased several used lightweight streamlined sleeping cars from other roads, notably the C&O and NYC. Notable streamlined trains of the ACL assigned lightweight stream-lined sleeping cars were the CHAMPIONS, and the winter season all Pullman FLORIDA SPECIAL. Other ACL trains were equipped with some lightweight streamlined sleeping cars as well such as the VACATIONER, and MIAMIAN in later years.
It would be the fall of 1949 before the first lightweight streamlined sleeping cars began arriving on the ACL. These sleeping cars were owned by not only the ACL but by the FEC, RF&P, and PRR whose lines the ACL Florida streamliners transited enroute between New York and Florida. The PRR was responsible for the ACL trains between New York and Washington where they traveled behind the famous PRR GG-1 Electric Locomotives. From Washington to Richmond the ACL trains traveled over the double track mainline of the RF&P before gaining home rails. The ACL double track mainline stretched from Richmond, Virginia to Jacksonville, Florida and was the fastest track on the east coast between those points. Trains were able to operate at speeds of 100 mph if necessary to make up time and to assure on time arrivals, this exceptional track work with ATC installed was completed in the late 1940’s following WW II. South of Washington diesels were assigned to the trains to and from Florida and came from a pool of
G’day!
Now THAT was a looooooooooong Post from 20 Fingers and quite reminiscent of those days where some of the guys went “bonkers” with their requests for Parts 'n Sections. You’re back in the saddle again, eh AL[?] [swg]
Good work! [tup][tup]
Here’s a “nite cap” from me . . . .
PASSENGER TRAIN NOSTALGIA #80
Here’s something to enjoy regarding the Seaboard Air Line Railway (SAL) in a 1916 advertisement from my private collection:
Shortest
Most Attractive Route to
Florida
Georgia
Cuba
and the
Carolina Resorts
Where to spend the winter is answered in our Resort, Hotel, Golf, and Sports Guides. For Excursion Rates
W. E. CONKLYN
General Eastern Passenger Airport
1164 Broadway, New York
Enjoy! [tup]
Tom [4:-)][oX)]