Does anyone know what railroads would have run from Detroit to Cinci in 1965 at Christmas time? They would have probably gone out of the old Detroit Union Station, though the Fort Street or Milwaukee stations might have been used. I took that train as a teenager and am trying to get an idea of what train I was on in 1965.
Any ideas are deeply appreciated.
Thanks
well i have a copy of a story from 1953 that showed a daily toledo cincinnati run on the B&O.and I think they had trackage rights into detroit.or it might have been a nyc train do you remember any towns you went through?
stay safe
joe
Well, according to my August, 1964 “Official Guide”, if you came out of Union/Ft Street (they were the same station), you were on C&O #48, which became B&O #57 at Toledo. This was “The Night Express” leaving Detroit at 10:15PM and scheduled into Cincinnati at 7:15AM the next morning.
According to “The Guide” there was no Milwaukee station. The three stations listed for Detroit were: 1) Ft. Street/Union, 2) Michigan Central and, 3) Brush Street.
Some of Conrail’s predecessors owned right of ways between Detroit and Cincinnati. It might have been Erie Lackawanna, Pennsylvania, or New York Central. Or, as somebody else just said it’s highly possible that it could have been a C&O or B&O train. You might try and find a map of B&O, C&O, NYC, & PRR and see which one directly runs between the two cities.
I’m betting either B&O or NYC, with most of my money on the B&O.
NYC timetable for 1956 shows I realize it could change by 1965. The timetable does not show which station NYC used in Detroit but I would bet it was the Michigan Central Station.
LV Detroit 11:00 AM AR Cincinnati 6:05 PM
LV Detroit 11:35 PM AR Cincinnati 6:45 AM
Combined C&O/B&O 1968 timetable. Fort St Station. (This timetable shows NYC using MC station)
LV Detroit 10:15 AM AR Cincinnati 5:45 PM via C&O 40/B&O 53 The Cincinnatian
Thank you to everyone for their thoughtful input and research. This helps me tremendously. I realized that if anyone knew it would be my brothers and sisters of this forum.
Thank you all.
I rode the train in 1963. It was a B&O train from Detroit to Cincinnati, using trackage rights on the C&O to Toledo, but had B&O power from Detroit, possibly C&O crews to Toledo but I think B&O. In Cincinnati it got hooked on to cars that arrived from Chicago on the New York Central and from Lousville on the C&O and became one of the three C&O name trains, I think the Sportsman but am not sure (others being the Fast Flying Virginian and the George Washington) for both Newport News (across from Norfolk) and Washington with through Detroit-New York and even Chicago-New York sleepers. (Imagine, yes there was a sleeper line that started out on the New York Central and ended up on the Pennsylvania!) I rode it from a visit with Detroit relatives to a project in Bekley West Viriginia, the station stop (met by client) being Prince, West Virginia. This was on one my work-fun trips, I think Boston-New via Owl on the New Haven, then either the Montreal Limited, NYC-D&H or the the Montrealer to Montreal, Pool train (CN-CP joint operation at the time), Montreal-Toronto, CP to Detroit (Michigan Central Station), and B&O-C&O-PRR to Prince and then to NY.
If you could remember anything about any town you went through, had you gone on the B&O, you would have made station stops at Lima and Dayton, possibly Piqua and Sidney, probably Deshler and probably Hamilton. Had you gone the NYC and I’m not sure that the NYC was running this train by 1965, you would have gone via Fostoria, Bellefontaine, Springfield, Dayton, Middletown, and on into Cincinnati. Perhaps that will jog your memory a bit.
Check out Pentrex’ DVD B&O Odyssey to see those trains roll by Emery Gulash![;)]
My June 1965 Official Guide doesn’t show any Cincinnati service for NYC, other than to Chicago and Cleveland.
Dave, your trip sounds like typical C&O-B&O back in the day.
February 2006 trains on pages 76 & 77 there is a shot of the Sportsman leaving Detroit in May 1968. Pulled by C & O 4014. I think by then C & O had control of the B & O but in any case it would have ended up in Cincinnati via the B & O after Toledo. DVD cited in message above does have several shots of these trains arriving and departing Toledo.