THE GREAT PASSENGER TRAIN DRAG RACE
CHAPTER 3
Our return trip commenced in late August. The Chief, #20, had a noon (1201) departure time from LAUPT, providing us the chance to see some scenery passed at night by #17 and/or #18. I was chagrined to find that again our reserved seats were on the right side of our coach. But, as it turned out, this proved most fortuitous the second night out!
Don’t remember anythi
You wrote: East from Kansas City Union Station several railroads shared trackage through an open cut the locals called the “subway." This cut extended for several miles before the individual railroads sharing the 4-track right-of-way went their separate ways. So the stage was set for a real drag race!
Actually, we called it The Ditch. It ran right behind (north) of the KC A’s baseball stadium and going to a game you’d hear every train roar by behind left field. This was not actually shared trackage, but Kansas City Terminal Railway trackage - east toward several junctions where RR trackages began. Thanks for this wonderful story series. The KC parts make me miss the old home town.
Thanks for the additional info, AB. Somewhere along the line I picked up the term “subway” from some now long-forgotten source. I would guess different area fans referred to that depressed right-of-way by different names.
This story reminds of an experience on BART shortly after service to Concord was started. I was on board a Richmond bound train that was leaving McArthur street station within a couple of seconds of a Concord bound train, which made for quite a drag race through the station.
Thanks for your input, Erik. Those fortunate enough to live where light rail transit or heavy commuter rail service is available are lucky.
You’re quite welcome.
Yet another story in a similar vein, was Three Lovely Ladies, by J Golightly in the June 1968 issue of Trains. The author chronicled the daily race between a CSS&SB commuter train and the IC’s Panama Limited.
Am familiar with that story too, Erik; it’s a good one. Have that issue of Trains plus 649 more. (Had to stop collecting Trains at the end of 2001 'cause I flat ran out of room to store them!)
I especially enjoyed J Golightly’s story because around the time it was published I would occasionally catch that particular South Shore train at 115th Street after high school wrestling practice.
Bet you occasionally had unintended “drag races” with intercity IC trains north of Kennsington while riding the South Shore.
In the hey day of B&O passenger service, races occurred frequently between the B&O and PRR leaving Washington Union Station headed toward Baltimore as the lines are parallel for several miles.
The recollections of my father from his experiences before the PRR electrification were that the B&O President Pacific’s would spank the PRR’s K4’s with similar sized trains. When the GG-1’s came the race was no race as the GG-1’s just walked away. When the B&O dieselized it became more of a race, however, the GG-1’s virtually unlimited power source from the catenary still permitted them to win the races handily.
Thanks for that mental picture, BaltACD. I remember a driving vacation trip to the East Coast in the summer of 1960. After visiting an uncle in New Jersey who lived relatively close to New Brunswick, my parents and I elected to take a commuter train from there into New York to play tourist for a day. I remember the old wooden shelter at that time on the northbound side had a sign hanging from the ceiling that said something to this effect: “Note, bell ringing denotes train approaching on track nearest platform.” (In other words, one best stay back of the yellow line in such an event!) While waiting for a commuter train to arrive, the bell rang. A few seconds later a northbound intercity train behind a majestic GG-1 tore through the station on its last lap into New York. A quick glance over the yellow line after it passed revealed a rapidly receding tail sign with the name “Broadway Limited” proudly displayed. I remember wondering out loud how fast the train was going. My dad, who would never be considered a railfan, apparently was nevertheless impressed enough to respond, “I don’t know, but I bet it’s closer to 100 than to 60.”
The approximately 6PM departure of the Washington - Boston Patriot (or was it the Senator?) from Penn Station, New York, coincided with the 6PM with the 6PM dpearture of the New York (GCT) - Springfield “Bankers” giving a wonderful opportunity for a drag race between New Rochelle and New Haven. Often the two trains on the four-track main line would just run parallel to each other, window-to-window with slight movement back and forth depending on the curves . This was a typical experience for me when work at Bolt Beranek and Newman’s 101 Park Avenue office caused me to just miss the 5PM Merchants Limited departure (not figuring on a the traffic light or something) and so instead of spending a quarter or whatever to go to Penn Station, I would board the Bankers and have an across-the-platform transfer at New Haven to the Boston train. This was in the early 1960’s.
Dave:
Cool story. Wonder how many passengers on the two trains were into the “drag race,” and how many didn’t care for such close proximity and like pace of the other train.