The other day I found myself wide awake at 4AM taking in the quietness of the early morning. Sitting alone in the dark on the living room couch, there was barely enough light to see, but I could make out the cover of Classic Trains special issue titled Pullman. It brought back thoughts of long gone exploits of decades past, memories that are now clouded by the mists of time. My first Pullman ride occurred on May 12, 1967, between Chicago and St. Louis. That’s a really strange routing, isn’t it? Well, that was the day I was invited with open arms to help defend the US from the insidious Communists in Vietnam. After spreading my cheeks for an indifferent doctor, we were herded like cattle to the now demolished Central Station where we boarded a train to take us to who knows where.
Feeling like I’m on my way to a death camp, I was happy to see a couple of nice, shiny Union Pacific Pullmans coupled to the rear of Illinois Central # 9, the Seminole, a train I was intimately familiar with during my years at the Univ. of Illinois at Champagne. I made up my mind to find a room rather than a section, something I was successful at. Things are a bit fuzzy now, but I did make friends with my roommate who talked me into going forward to the lounge. For me, it was a BIG mistake…the place was jammed with newly drafted GI’s trying to get drunk before getting killed in the jungles of Nam. And with no place to even sit down, I went back to my room, where I found the berths already turned down. Absolutely exhausted, I turned in for the night.
Somewhere in southern Illino
Neat story! Thanks for sharing it.
Good story. You were a student at UI and Montana?
Yes, and add UNLV to that list. I started out at the U of Ill back in '61 - 62. I didn’t like it much so I transfered to the Univ of Montana, where I graduated with a BS in Forestry with a major in Timber Mgt. I worked in that field until the big crash of '78 which lasted thru at least '82, leaving me with not much of a future in forestry. My wife had graduated from U of Mt too, but had a rough time finding a job in the tight market. We pulled up stakes and moved to Vegas, where she found a job in 3 days and I got skunked. I remember one place I went to look for work and was told the place was closing in 3 days. That wasn’t too far out of line. It took me a while to come to the conclusion that my degree was useless, so I went back to schhol to get a business degree. I graduared UNLV with majors in accounting and IT and wound up on the dean’s list for 2 semesters. So yah, three schools, 2 degrees, and 3 majors.
You were ahead of your time as a non-traditional student and retraining for a different career. Congrats!
I don’t think I was ahead of my time, not at all. I just could see the writing on the wall and I had to do what needed to be done, as I’m a survivor at heart. What was a bit strange tho was to be 45 and the oldest fossil in class. All of my classmates could have been my children! And OMG, it was HARD. I was taking max loads of some the hardest courses imaginable, working 2 jobs to keep the family afloat and still maintain something of family life. I had to petition the Drean of the School of Business to go into overload if I were two meet my goal of a second degree in two years flat. Luckiliy, I was granted the overload. Summer school, max loads during normal semesters…but I met my goal. I wound up getting up at 3AM to cram for an exam because my wife and 13 year old son needed some attention in the evening from a totally freaked out husband and father. It was NOT an easy time in my life, but it was neccessary. My wife went on to pass the CPA exam and my son eventually got his CPA and a Masters in Business. We’re doing OK as old expat geezers retired in Italy and our son is sitting pretty well too. But it’s been a pretty wild ride to say the least. Adventure is our motto…you only have one life…so live it to the max!
You are very modest. Not easy.
I always wanted to recreate the beginning of a Death in Venice and take a ship from Trieste to Venice, rather than arrive by train as I usually do.
When I was in the navy, I took a ship to Trieste and then took the train to Venice. In 1978 in Trieste you could see that the streetcar tracks had been recently paved over and there were two old streetcars that looked like Peter Witts sitting in a train yard as well as several steam engines. I rode my bike to a locomotive service area and there were several steam engines there with the smokebox doors open. I didn’t see any active steam but an officer on my ship, a fellow train buff saw a steam engine switching cars in the harbour area.
Another thing about Italy, I was there in 2004 in Florence and Siena and at every station, the infrastructure of steam was still present- water columns and so forth and there was a 2-6-2 sitting near the Siena station that obvously wasn’t a derelict. An excursion loco I would think .
Yup, not easy is right. Anyway, I’ve been an expat for about 15 years, and as far as I am aware, there are no ships plying between Trieste and Venice. There are summer only vaparettos out of Trieste with stops at Barcola and Miramare, both kind of a suburb of Trieste. To give you an idea of distance, Miramar is the farthest out and is a stop on Trenitalia at KM 7. A few go as far as Sistiana, probably 15 or so KM out. There also is a summer only hydrofoil the goes to some of the tourist island off tha Damatian Coast in Croatia.
I spent 2 weeks in Trieste back in 1968 and wound up on a bluff overlooking the old port. As I was pretty much on a pre-wedding (long story) I could not investgate the steam loco switching down below. After getting married, I flew back to the US with my new bride following a month later. Those two weeks were a blur and I don’t remember much about anything other than my love. Anyway, we stayed in the US until 2005 when we left to retire here. By then, the old port was abandoned and a new one built toward Muggia that could accomodate larger ships. The old port is slowly being renovated but the yard lead to the port has been permanently severed and the yard lies abandoned, the orphaned tracks still in place.
There are really 2 passenger stations here. Trieste Centrale is served by Trenitalia and is the only one used at this time, with around 35 westward trains daily for all destinations. The other station, Campo Marzio, was the western Terminus of the Trans-Alpina Railway that linked Trieste with Vienna v
Really interesting stories everyone. Thanks for sharing.
My journies on a Pullman train have been twice; a week apart. The first was on the ‘North Briton’ Leeds to Newcastle, UK to see family in Northumberland. Being only four years of age and being told to ‘sit still’ was a difficult thing to do.[(-D]
The return journey was much the same. I was just in awe at the opulence. The train staff attending to people’s needs.
One train journey that really sticks in my mind (not on a Pullman service, so I hope you allow me to tell).
From being born I lived with my Aunt and Uncle and two cousins (Jean 8 year old and Margaret 6). We were going to Bridlington (by the sea) for a weeks holiday.
It was a Saturday morning. Everything was packed. A train to catch 9.37am from Leeds City station.
Uncle could not travel until later. He worked a six day week.
There we were, Aunt, Jean, Margaret and I at the station. At only four years of age I could not believe how dark, and very smoky the ticket office area was. My Aunt bought the train tickets and immediately a Porter put our luggage on his barrow, “Which train, Madam?”
“Bridlington,” Aunt replied and off we scurried to the platform.
We boarded the train and stowed our luggage in the racks above. Looking out the window a huge railway clock was staring at us. 09.03. Another two people boarded our compartment; a husband and wife.
Aunt looked on the on the platform. A tea lady was serving teas. There was no queue.
“I’ll get us some tea,” Aunt said and with her handbag got of the train and headed towards the tea lady.
It was now 09.07. Aunt was being served. "CHUFF, CHUFF, CHUFF. The train departed the platform
Great story! Fortunately, there was frequent train service then.
There still is frequent service in the U.K. For example, I went from Waterloo station to the town of Ford on the south coast as there is a huge model train shop next door to the station. I was thinking, how long will I have to wait before the next train to London? I was thinking about the time I took Amtrak from Saratoga Springs, New York to Penn with two trains a day. Looking at the schedule in the station, I saw that trains to London ran ever twenty minutes. I never actually went to the town of Ford, but all that is at the station is a platform with not much around it except for the building with the model shop.
Yes. Just after WW2 nearly everybody took their weeks holiday within a two week period. They also wanted to go to the coast. Therefore extra trains were provided. At the ticket office the officer assumed by the time we would arrive at the platform the 09.07 would have departed, so told my Aunt the train would depart 09.37. The Porter had us racing for the 09.07.
Those were the days.
David
Regarding NorthBrit"s tale, recall that British Pullmans were (are?) the equialent of North American 1st-Class all=parlor trains, not overnight sleeping-car service.
The Brighton Bell . London - Brighton, was DC MU-electric
The Bournmouth Bell was the last in steam, I believe, still so in 1960.
Normal seating was back-back with tables between facing chars. Two seats one side, one on the other.
Tea and biscuts complimentary.
A dream to replicate this Jerusalem - Tel Aviv via the old scenic line (Samson’s Cave) with restored British steam as power.
That would be fantastic!!
The Brighton Belle is currenty being restored to service-I’m sure looking forward to riding it. I had a look at it at the Barrow Hill roundhouse a few years ago and work was well underway. It’s just like restoring an automobile (which I have done) except everything is a lot heavier.
Was thre any connection between the US’s PULLMAN and British Pullman?
The first Pullman Railway Coach to enter service in the UK was in 1874 from Bradford Forster Square to London St Pancras after an assembly of imports from the United States, in an operation pioneered by the Midland Railway, working with the Pullman Company in Chicago. The coach “Midland” was of clerestory roofed design with balconies at both ends. The concept of luxury coaches spread to the other UK railway companies thereafter.
The PCC was formed in 1882 and named after the Pullman concept pioneered in the United States by the American railroader George Pullman. The company entered into contracts with the railway companies to operate Pullman services over their lin
It’s a fascinating and somewhat convoluted story, which should be followed up through the consolidation of CIWL and British Pullman under Lord Dalziel at what I recall as the end of the Edwardian era. There are a couple of European web sites that give the precise chronology, politics, etc. (once you know to search on CIWL and Pullman at the same time, possibly using Nagelmackers and Dalziel as additional search terms…)
TL;DR – not really, not for any part of sleeping-car history most people have any practical interest in here.