All of this discussion of “chapel cars,” and their religious connotation, brings to mind an incident from decades past.
I was working as the head brakeman on an eastbound road freight when our train became caught in a huge traffic jam at an intermediate terminal. After being stopped for a good long while, the engineer started to complain bitterly about our unfortunate circumstances.
Knowing this hoghead to be something of a “bible thumper” I said to him, “Burr, you know the anti-Christ has already been to earth.”
“Really, and how do you figure that young man?” he replied.
“Well, isn’t it obvious,” I said alluding to our painful situation, " who else could have invented the railroad?"
And for you T.E.& Y. guys reading this, I’m sure you’ll recognize the humor in my reply instantly.
FINALLY !!! Ran across it last weekend whilst looking for yet something else (the Jackson raid of the B&O at Harper’s Ferry story) - and now knowing the answer, it was easy to ask the right question:
Chapels on steel wheels
how Catholic missionaries used chapel cars
by Burghardt, Robert P.
from Trains December 1992 p. 78
chapelcar
But indexed under “chapelcar” ? No wonder I couldn’t find it before . . . [:-^]
Thanks for this thread and all the info posted here! I look forward to reading all the linked articles ASAP.
Inter-denominational services are conducted every Sunday by the ship’s staff (Captain, Cruise Director, etc.).
http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/onboard/experience.jsp
As master of the vessel, a ship’s captain has traditionally lead religious services at sea. If no man of the cloth were available, would that duty fall to the conductor as master of the train?
Victtrol 1, said :
“…As master of the vessel, a ship’s captain has traditionally lead religious services at sea. If no man of the cloth were available, would that duty fall to the conductor as master of the train?..”
Not necessarily a formal religous service [ Unless the individual has been Ordained as a minister]. Any individual ( add Railroad accepted title here…[^o)]) can hold a sort of De Facto Service by quoting an appropriate verse or prayer to a willing assemblege of individuals.
I would bet that somewhere today, there is a quasi-religious service being held by a railroader(s) by simply invoking the name of The Diety, either first, or last name, or using both togeher ( any number of times?) or by appling the adjective ‘HOLY…’ to virtually a wide number of terms. [:-,].
Pg. 78 is a full page interior view photo inside the chapel car St. Paul; the text is on pgs. 79 - 80. It is the story of the 3 chapel cars of the Catholic Church Extension Society of the United States - the St. Anthony, the St. Peter, and the St. Paul. The St. Anthony was a conveted wooden Wagner “Pullman”; the other two were steel cars built for the purpose by Barney & Smith. Of the 3 cars, only the St. Paul survived - as of the time of publication of the article, it was at the Nevada City Railroad Museum, 75 miles southeast of Butte, Montana, where it had been since sometime a few years after 1960 or so, as I surmise from the last paragr