In the magazine’s Fall 2010 issue, the centre spread shows a rather good shot of the north-bound ‘Crescent’ near Greenville, S.C. in 1956. Can anyone enlighten me as to the consist of the train at this, or possibly, an earlier stage of its journey. I am planning to model the train as it would arrive at and depart from Montgomery, Ala., and would be grateful for any information on the formation of the cars.
Ian Ogden.
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Here is the consist as shown in the November 18, 1956, Southern Railway System Passenger Train Schedules.
The first car ahead of the passenger cars would have been the baggage-dormitory car; the car in front of that would have been a baggage-mail car.
The 2-drawing room, master room Buffet-lounge is shown next, but I would expect it to actually be next to the diner, which would be about the middle of the train. These cars ran New York-New Orleans.
Also running New York-New Orleans were two 10 roomette, six double bedroom cars (except for the buffet-lounge car, all of the sleepers were of this capacity). Behind the NY-NO cars was the New York-Montgomery car and the Washington-New Orleans car. North of Atlanta, there were two New York-Atlanta cars, and, northbound, there were two Greenville to New York cars (they were carried southbound on the Peach Queen).
Between Atlanta and New Orleans, there were also coaches, which would have been immediately behind the baggage-dormitory car; I am not certain, but I would say that there were at least two, if not three, 52-seat coaches.
I would say that you would have ten cars south of Montgomery and eleven cars north of Montgomery.
But note that the coaches south of Atlanta were definitely NOT Southern Railway coaches, most likely L&N and West Point Route. An occasional sleeper would also be L&N or West Point Route, but those were stainless to match the rest of consist. (I thin the West POint Rooute coaches were also stainless, but not the L&N’s.) A Tuscon red PRR sleeper might show up occasionally, but rarely.
According to Robert Wayner, in his Car Names Numbers and Consists, stainless steel cars were built for the PRR, L&N, A&WP, and WRA at the same time that they were built for the Southern, all for service on the Crescent.
Baggage-Mail: WRA, 1; L&N, 2; SOU, 2
Baggage-Dormitory: SOU, 2; L&N, 2
52-seat Chair car: A&WP, 2; WRA, 1; L&N, 2; SOU 26 (also for use on the Southerner and Royal Palm, some of these apparently were also operated on the Crescent)
58-seat Chair Car: A&WP, 1; L&N, 1
48-seat Dining Car: A&WP, 1; L&N, 1; SOU, 8 (also for use on the Southerner and Royal Palm)
All four Master Room, 2 Drawing Room, Buffet Lounge cars were Southern.
A total of twenty-eight 10 Roomette, 6 Double Bedroom cars were assigned to the Crescent; two were L&N, one was A&WP, one was WRA, and eight were PRR.
Originally, the lightweight Crescent carried a 5 Double Bedroom Buffet Lounge Observation car; these were no longer operated on this train by Fall, 1956. One of these cars was SOU, two were L&N (these two went to the Gulf Wind after they were taken off the Crescent), and one was WRA.