While watching the Yankees play Toronto, today, I got to wondering if baseball teams traveled by train before comercial air travel developed. If so, then how did railroads arrange this? Did they set aside a car or two fcro the team?
They all had to before the development of buses. Even after that the majors usually took the train, basically always in the case of overnight trips, as did some of the minor league teams. The majors normally traveled in a car or two (sleepers when overnight, often parlor when shorter day trips) reserved for them. The minors varied, often depending upon how high up the ladder the league was since the higher the league, usually the farther the travel.
Recall, too, that before commercial air took off (afterthough - pun not intended, but most appropriate), almost all of the major league teams were east of the Mississippi, so travel by train was a logical choice - most trips were well under a day.
Some teams still travel by train. The Philadelphia Phillies routinely travel on Amtrak for trips to New York and Washington.
Nick
What about either NY team vs Boston or Washington and Baltimore vs Philly or any NY team? Does the visiting team also take Amtrak for those trips? Anyone know?
I’m not sure if the Yankees or Mets use Amtrak. However, the players will often take the subway to the games. In fact the subway helped contibute to John Rocker’s “popularity” in New York.
One of the absolute best books I ever read was Al Stump’s Cobb (the version released after Ty Cobb died). Cobb certainly wasn’t loved by his teammates, and they particularly hated his guts when he first came up, since it was common practice for rookies to be harassed and intimidated. “Rookies were there to take a veteran’s job” was the common thought, but they went way overboard with trying to run-off Cobb, and he didn’t back-down at all. They tore-up his glove, sawed-up his bats, threatened to kill him, etc., etc.
He got assaulted in a hotel lobby by one of the Tiger pitchers I think it was, and Cobb beat him up.
There were murmerings around that some of the Tiger players would get revenge on the train (Cobb did have a few guys he could talk with), and Ty brought a loaded revolver into his compartment. He told everyone that he’d shoot the first one who tried to enter his room on the train. Needless to say they didn’t try anything.
Ther was a story that years ago the New York Yankees were traveling at nioght between new York and Deroit . There were a coupke of sports writers still in the palor car when a near naked woman ran thru the car and Babe Ruth was chasing her . One of the writers made the comment Gee sure glad we didnt see that Larry
Before Minnesota got the Twins, there used to be alot of fans from Minnesota that traveled by train to Milwaukee to see the Braves play.
Indeed sports teams traveled by train! Remember the leagues were smaller then, too, so you were geographically confined. MLB: NL: Boston to NY to Brooklyn to Phila to Ptsbrg to Cin to Chi or Stl. and back. AL: Boston to NY to PHil to Wash to Cleveland to Det to Chi to StL. On ice: NHL: Bos to Mtl to Tor to Det To Chi to NY back to Bos. Each city pair trip was usually a single overnighter. Football teams, too, but since they had 7 days to travel city to city it was easier.
I heard a different version of the Babe Ruth story, where BABE comes running through the car stark naked, being pursued by an angry woman with a knife. Again the same remark was made.
NHL Montreal Canadians travelled by nite train from Montreal to New York. They were bussed from the Montreal Forum to Westmount station (first train stop after Mtl). There would be the NYC train waiting for them. If the hockey game went into two, three or four overtimes, The regular pasengers would have to just wait 'till the game was finished.
I could see an article in Classic Trains on baseball and trains. Two of my favorite pastimes covered at once.
ed
There is a lot of discussion of train travel in baseball literature.
Before 1958, when baseball expanded to the west coast, trains were the most common mode of transportation between cities. The schedule had two things you do not see so much any more: travel days and Sunday double-headers to accommodate the missed days from travel.
Of course, that was also when the season was 154 games, and the World Series started right around the first of October and was played during the day. Remember that before 1955, the team that was farthest west was the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League (remember when leagues actually meant something distinct?).
As noted in the first paragraph, almost any baseball literature covering the game before the mid-fifties is likely to have some anecdotes related to team travel on trains.
Even though San Francisco and Los Angeles were hotbeds of interest, the Major Leagues couldn’t expand there until the transportation time came down to something they could live with - which didn’t happen until the 1950’s. Two days and three nights from Chicago or St Louis just wouldn’t hack it. Even the earlier generation of piston-powered aircraft weren’t fast enough.
Chuck
Juat a few weeks ago the Angels were on a road trip playing inter-league games. After a series in Philly they traveled to Washigton DC to play the Nationals. They went via a chartered short train. Apparently that is still common along the NE Corridor.
Jack
Step back to the early 1950’s and one can see that train travel was very feasible, without too much transfering of trains.
National League - Brooklyn, NY Giants, Philadephia Phils, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago, St Louis, and Boston Braves (Milwaukee).
American League - Boston, NYY, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Philly A’s (KC in 1955 or so), Washington, and St. Louis Browns (Baltimore O’s in mid 50’s).
Major League Baseball was contained in a very tight geographic area roughly from Chicago/StL to Boston, north of the OhioRiver/Potamic River.
Sounds like considerable travel by the PRR (mainly NL teams) and NYC (AL teams) with exceptions of course.
I have a 1967 B&O timetable with Brooks Robinson on the cover promoting travel on the B&O. This was after they won the 1966 WS against the Dodgers (Koufax, Drysdale, Osteen).
Funny, I recall the 60’s WS like yesterday and cant tell you about last year.
ed
That reminds me of a college football/trains question: I was born in Wisconsin, never attended the Univ. of Michigan nor ever lived in that state, but I’ve been a wolverine my whole life (Go Blue!). I saw a black & white film showing highlights of a Michigan - Ohio St. football game that was played in 1950 in the middle of a blizzard in Columbus. Michigan (who won that game 9-3) came by train, and the train arrived right at OSU’s stadium. I lived in Columbus for 2 years, but unfortunately at that time, railroad history was a distant third in my priority list behind: 1.) Women, and, 2.) Women who drink a lot. Does anyone know what railroad that was whose trackage came up to the stadium?
The limitations of rail travel were the very reason that for so many years major league teams were all (St. Louis excepted) located in cities east of the Mississippi. Travel time between MLB cities could be no longer than an overnight train trip or at most overnight + 4 or 5 hours the preceding or following day. On most trips the teams would travel in a Pullman car attached to a regularly scheduled train. In those days when on the road MLB players slept in a Pullman one out of every three days and in a hotel the other two. Even as the airlines started to make inroads on rail passenger travel the Pullman Co. advertised that MLB players continued to enjoy the comfort and safety of traveling by train.
Mark
I love the Number 7 train! John Rocker… oops, where’s your career, dude?