Possibly others received this very beautiful card. I found that scanning to lighten it for a larger wall-mounted printout improves it and possibly is closer to what the artist intended. I think it was printed too dark on the card.
The caption says it is Mail and Express train 13. But I see a losts of coaches behind the head-end cars. So did not 13 also carry passengers? What was noted in the PRR timetable?
Cannot someone check a PRR timetable, circa 1948, and indicate what it says about No. 13?
Hi Dave,
PRR trains 13 and 14, New York / Pittsburgh despite being tagged as a mail and express did have revenue coach cars assigned and made several local stops between Philly and Pittsburgh, as did the number 85, 13’s Sunday counterpart. Generally two to three coach cars (P-70) were assigned to also accomodate deadheading crews.
Ref: PRR consists and Stegmaier book c.1952.
In 1948, #13 had a number of passenger carrying cars. At this point in time #13 was a New York-St. Louis operation with the following passenger carrying equipment:
Sleeper - (except Saturday) 12 Section-1 Drawing Room - Indianapolis-St. Louis
Buffet Parlor car - Pittsburgh-Cincinnati (via #213 from Columbus)
Pittsburgh-Columbus
Coaches - New York-St. Louis
New York-Cincinnati (#213 from Columbus)
In the 1920’s, #13 was known as the Southwestern Mail. In the April, 1946 Make-up of Trains document it was known as the “New York-St. Louis Express”, but in the June 1948 Official Guide, #13 was unnamed.
Thanks for the reply!
No meal or snack service? “News butcher” perhaps?