I’ve part of the Monon Covered, that’s not a problem. But it seems the big roads missed us. If you have some info, I’d really prefer some consist info, something I could use to approximate the train in HO.
Thanks!
Good Morning: The “big roads” definitely did not miss Indianapolis. In addtion to the Monon, the following had passenger service at Indianapolis in 1950. Baltimore and Ohio, New York Central, Nickel Plate Road, New York Central, and Pennsylvania RR. NYC and PRR were particularly big players there.
Get a copy of Richard Simons and Francis H. Parker’s Railroads of Indiana. It’s a good place to begin doing your homework. Hope this helps.
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Apeerently, NYC was big. You have it twice. [:D] I’ll look that up, thanks. A lot of the problem I’m runnign into is that the trains I;ve found listed doin’t have any info on them, et tu, The James Whitcomb Riley, Or they say Chicago to Cincinnati, or Colombus, or other points west. But then I can’t tie down if and where they stopped around Indy or they fired across the northern part of the state.
The James Whitcombe Riley was a NYC train; I believe it was named after the poet laureate of Indiana??
As it happens I’m reading “New York Central Railroad” from MBI now. It notes that NYC had large shops at Beech Grove, near Indianapolis (originally built by the “Big Four”), and that many NYC trains went thru Indianapolis, including trains going from Chicago to Cincinnati, and trains from Boston or New York going to St.Louis.
Check out the Greg Scholl’s DVD “New York Central Steam Finale” which shows 1950’s action in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. It includes several schedules showing the different NYC freight and passenger trains during that time. NYC dieselized east-to-west, so the last steam engines to run on the railroad were in that part of the line.
yep and yep. And it lasted into PC time, right up[ to when amtrak merged it into the Cardinal/Hoosier State. And I read it wa possibly an unofical member of the mercury series, sharing the same set. Does that mean same consist and or paintscheme?
You might also try the “Big Four” as trains through Indy. That was the name of the NYC before it came to be called NYC.
Good Morning
James Whitcomb Riley in 1950 had the following consist (all seats reserved)
Train 4 (Chicago-Cincinnati): Reclining seat coaches; observation lounge coach (buffet); diner
Train 4 departed Chicago (Central Station) at 4:40 p.m., Indianapolis 8:20 p.m. and arrived in Cincinnati at 11:10 p.m.
Train 3 (Cincinnati-Chicago) : Reclining seat coaches; observation lounge coach (buffet); diner
Train 3 departed Cincinnati at 8:30 a.m., Indianapolis 9:15 a.m. and arrived Chicago (Central Station) at 12:55 p.m.
Note to the reader: Times look strange because different places were in different time zones along the same route.
Here’s some more NYC material.
Other trains operating Cincinnati -Indianapolis-Chicago included the “Chicago Special,” “White City Special,” “Sycamore,” and the “Chicago Night Express.” There were also two unnamed trains.
Chicago-Indianapolis-Cincinnati trains included the 'Indianapolis Mail," “Cincinnati Special,” two versions of the “Cincinnati Night Express,” and a pair of unnamed trains.
Additiional service operated between Indianapolis and Elkhart via Anderson and Wabash.
Other NYC trains serving Indianapolis included some famous names such as the “Missorian,” “Knickerbocker,” Southewestern Limited," Cleveland-Cincinnati Special," “Gateway,” and the “Cleveland-St. Louis Special.” These were segments of larger routes. NYC also provided passenger service between St. Louis-Indianapolis-Toledo and Detroit.
The March, 1950 Official Guide which was the source for this quick snapshot provides exhaustive information on schedules and consists including types of sleeping cars, coaches, etc. Copies of ORG from back then are not all that difficult to find - they will be a big help in your research on cars and consis
Well, the Big Four was a separate railroad that the New York Central took over early in the twentieth century, the New York Central was the older railroad.
BTW there were two railroads nicknamed “The Big Four”, first the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago Railway which later became the “classic” Big Four: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, which is the railroad the NYC bought in 1906.
Another good book would be “Night Trains” by Peter T. Maiken. The book lists pullman system passenger routes on a state by state basis, with some basic time table and consist information.
Good suggestion - I thought about it but could not remember the dates covered. we’re not getting older!
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