PC Train Symbols

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Hi - was looking for some help in understanding endpoints and days of operation for PC train symbols circa 1973 - the trains of interest are BF3, ES1 and NY6. Appreciate any and all help - thanks! Art

2

I was trying to figure out whether you wanted icons for your Personal Computer or symbols that are Politically Correct.

3

Sorry! In this case PC equals the much more mundane topic of the Penn Central. Art

4

The letters stood for the origin and destination of the train. However, I know almost nothing of the code. I do remember E = Enola and V = Selkirk, so EV4 was an Enola to Selkirk train. Other than that,

5

The mother lode!

http://www.multimodalways.org/docs/railroads/companies/PCTC/PCTC%20Freight%20Schedules/PCTC%20Freight%20Schedule%206-1-1974.pdf

6

Activated - [link]http://www.multimodalways.org/docs/railroads/companies/PCTC/PCTC%20Freight%20Schedules/PCTC%20Freight%20Schedule%206-1-1974.pdf[/link] I was going to suggest the Penn Central Technical and Historical Society, and the various PRR websites, but they might have led to this one anyway - and Don beat me to it. Glad that resource has been useful to someone yet again. - Paul North. P.S. - And the answers are ???

7

Geez, that thing in PDF is 290 pages/ 15.66 MB in size. An interesting look at how it used to be done, esp. the “blocks” of cars and en-route switching assignments, etc. Oh - it’s correctly the Penn Central RailRoad Historical Society, at - [link]http://www.pcrrhs.org/[/link] - Paul North.

8

BF3 - Buffalo to East St. Louis

ES1 - Indy to East St. Louis

NY6 - East St. Louis to Selkirk

9

Thanks - I really appreciate you guys steering me toward this amazing reference document! Answers are: BF3 - Buffalo-East St. Louis; ES1 - Indy-East St. Louis; and, NY6 - East St. Louis-Selkirk.

You don’t happen to have knowledge of a similar reference that would help understand endpoints and schedules for L&N 790-series freights in the 1972-73 era, do you?!?

Thanks again! Art

10

Not necessarily. I worked for PC at the time and train symbols did not necessarily indicate origin or destination. For example, SV trains were Super Van (actually Flexi-Van) trains. ML trains were solid multi-level automobile rack trains. The same symbols, with a unique number, were used regardless of the direction, origin, or destination.

Some symbols were related to destination. An example that sticks in my memory was SLX-9; a clean-up train that originated in Selkirk (I think). SLX-9 took anything and everything for St Louis that had not been taken by earlier trains that day. It was noted for getting the worst power and sometimes operating within a couple of hours of its schedule.

11

As this request illustrates. Based on the answers above, all 3 trains have East St. Louis as one of the endpoints - yet none of their symbols - BF3, ES1, and NY6 - have anything in common. Seems almost like a bingo or Wff ‘n’ Proof kind of game . . .

As to the L&N request - sorry, that’s further south than my knowledge works. Try the historical society for it - or get in touch with Ron Flanary, who has written many books and articles about that region.

  • Paul North.
12

When I was looking through the schedules, I noticed that what you say is very true. There was only a loose correlation. E could mean Elkhart or Enola, but not always. Conrail started out with the PC “system” until some time in 1978 when they switched to OD symbols for the merchandise trains. Multilevels kept the ML, Van trains kept the TV (and PRR “Mail”) and the unit trains followed PC practice, too.

For several months in the mid 90’s, Conrail brought back the “SV” designation for the more important intermodal trains to try to get some better visibility in the field to improve performance. Ultimately, it was confusing and dropped.