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I haven't been on line too much lately, but I came across this essay by Christopher Morley that I thought some of you might like. It's a Project Gutenberg text--the relevant essay starts in the middle of the page.
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Thanks for the link. The Southern Pacific operated a train called The Owl. It was a night train between Los Angeles and Oakland (perhaps also San Francisco). I believe it was the coach counterpart to The Lark which was a favorite of businessmen, including my father, for the overnight trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. I have fond memories of putting him on that train in Glendale and thinking what a wonderful thing it would be to have your own room and your own bed on a train.
Frank in sunny and warm SBA
Ocala Mike Member # 4657
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The subject of that article is, of course, Train #2 on the NYNH&H known as "The Owl" (yes, many other railroads had their own "Owls").
Here was the schedule back around 1951:
Leave GCT @12:30am Arrive NH @2:16am Leave NH @2:25am Stops @ New London CT. @ 3:37am Prov @ 4:58am Back Bay @6:10am And at South Station @6:15am
I believe passengers could board their sleepers at GCT as early as 9:00, and could remain in them at South Station until 8:30. There was a comparable train running overnight in the other direction as well.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Wholly concur Mike, The Owl throughout the fifties would run some TEN 14-4 ("--Point") and 6-4-6 ("--Beach") Sleepers with another two "pick up/set outs" at Providence.
As a teen aged railfan, I can recall wanting to go up to Riverside, CT station at about 130A to see #2 pass through, however my "train hating" Mother and Father would "not exactly" hear of that.
The Owl could make schedule running not faster than 50mph.
I was unaware that the West Shore ever had an Owl - learn something new every day!
Finally, another "Owl" coming to mind was the SP's Oakland-LA via the San Joaquin route and over Tehachapi. By the time I ever got to lay eyes upon it during the '60's, it was down to one Sleeper, two Coaches and an Automat. By contrast during that period, "The Lark" was still quite a healthy TEN Sleepers (plus two Coaches, or however you choose to count one SP articulated set) and a full service "Lark Club" Diner-Lounge.
PullmanCo Member # 1138
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There is a great book, Southern Pacific Passenger Train Consists and Cars:
The Owl was a night train running Oakland to LA by way of the Central Valley (vice the Coast Route). It was a coach/Pullman train, running IIRC a Hamburger Grill, a couple coaches, and a 6-6-4 (American Series) Pullman. I'll check, because if the Owl ran a Hamburger Grill, then the West Coast ran a Snack Car, and vice versa.
George Harris Member # 2077
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"Owl" type service was once available on many routes, some surprisingly short. Generally, these were overnight mail trains that also catered to the “gotta be there at the start of the day” businessman who also wanted to or had an evening commitment the night before. Many allowed the Pullman passengers to occupy the sleepers before departure and after arrival.
Some short ones that come to mind that operated in my neck of the woods, all with the sleepers gone before I got out of high school were: Memphis-Nashville, 10:30 to 6:30 Memphis-Birmingham, about 11:00 to about 6:30. This train for many years had a sleeper that carried on to Atlanta, getting there about 1:00pm. Memphis-St. Louis, 11:00 to around 6:30, via Frisco. Strangely, there was never a decent Memphis-New Orleans night train that I know of. There was also no train out of Memphis with a decent morning arrival time in Atlanta. There could easily have been one as a connection of the Tennessean out of Chattanooga. One of the shortest "owls" that I can think of was between Birmingham and Atlanta, a distance of only 165 miles.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Mr. Pullman, according to Wayner (my Koran for this stuff), the SP ordered 6 Sec-6 RM-4BR Sleepers for the "City". Those cars as delivered bore "American--" names consistent with other roads operating same. However, as they withdrew those cars from the "City" and assigned them about the system, they not only lost their "Armour Yellow" (in favor of Midnight Grey or whatever it was called), but also their names. SP and NP were the two roads coming to mind that held named Sleeping Cars were simply "extraneous". Evidently Amtrak also believes same (well, depending upon "who's on first" on any given day).
PullmanCo Member # 1138
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Agreed, GBN, I didn't want to get into the details too deep. You know I can obsess on passenger trains.
Anyway: The OWL had a Hamburger-Grill. The WEST COAST had a Snack-Lounge.
bill haithcoat Member # 6773
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George, the Tennessean connected with the Ponce de Leon in CHattanooga. In earlier years that would work when the Ponce left at 5 a.m More recent years it left about 7 am pushing your definition of a reasonable arrival in Atlanta.
yukon11 Member # 2997
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Maybe someone can help me out on this one.
I think it was TRAINS magazine (although not sure) that once had a short article on an "owl" train that ran from Denver to the North. I think it went up to Casper, WY and then on up to Montana. I'm not sure of the final destination, possibly Billings. It was an overnight train. I can't, for the life of me, remember the name of the train.
Richard
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Richard, according to May 1961 timetable, unnamed C&S/CB&Q 29 left Denver 940P, arrived Casper 720A, thence continued to Billings arriving there 520P. There was a Sleeper line Denver-Casper but no Dining service (designated Meal Stops were Casper and Worland).
The Wind River Canyon, through which the train traveled, is reported to be scenic.
yukon11 Member # 2997
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I think you have the train I was thinking of, Mr. Norman. The publication, I now think, was the Spring, 2011, issue of CLASSIC TRAINS.
The name I was trying to think of is the "Nightcrawler", which was an overnight run from Denver to Billings. Yes, if it did run through the Wind River Canyon it would have been a very scenic route.
I found CB&Q train No. 30. Maybe that was the northbound rute, and No 29 the southbound train?
If anyone happens to have the Spring, 2011, issue of Classic Trains, maybe they can add more informtion. Thanks for the tip, Mr. Norman.
Richard
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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According to my 1964 CBQ timetable #29 was northbound and #30 southbound, and it had no name (but I like "Nightcrawler"). The equipment is listed as "Reclining Seat Chair Cars".
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Mr. Twin Star, #29 operated WEST and #30 East; therfore the long standing railroad rule of E=Even=East was operative.
yukon11 Member # 2997
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Another bit of information (maybe to add to the confusion?)
It looks like there were two Train #30's. Ak-Sar-Ben? You have to be kidding.
Richard
palmland Member # 4344
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Interesting topic, sojourner. Secondary night trains have always intrigued me. I guess because they were somewhat mysterious - usually not seen, often carried an interesting variety of equipment, and called at unknown cities in the wee hours.
29 and 30 that Yukon mentions is familiar to me as I often saw it walking across campus with my girlfriend (now wife) in Ft. Collins, CO in the late evening. At that point, 1968-69, it was mostly mail and express with a coach on the rear with glowing kerosene lit marker lights. That train was actually a Colorado & Southern train, a subsidiary of the Burlington. Which, I guess, explains why the Burlington could have their own No. 30 - the Ak-Sar-Ben (Nebraska spelled backwards) from Chicago to Lincoln, NE.
It is interesting, as George notes, that the IC never had a good overnight train between Memphis and New Orleans. But then, in the 50's at least, I wouldn't have minded boarding a New Orleans sleeper in Memphis at 9:30pm that was picked in the early morning hours by the Panama Ltd. Northbound, I guess the Creole did the job.
Of course my favorite night train was the nameless No. 101 and 104 on the L&N between Memphis and Bowling Green (connecting to the train to Cincinnati). It carried until mid-60's one of those wonderful 'new' (1953) 6-6-4 Pine sleepers. And linking this to another topic on the forum, one of which was bought by the Iowa Pacific for service on their Pullman Sleeping Car service this fall out of Chicago.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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I should have learned the east-west numbering rule by now, Mr. Norman. I just took a joyride on Northstar Commuter Rail from Minneapolis "up" to Big Lake and back. To us city folk, Big Lake is "up north" (actually a NW compass heading). Map: http://www.northstartrain.org/station_spotlight.html
On the near-empty Sunday train back I got the closest thing ever to a cab ride, by being in the first seat in the coach behind where the BNSF engineer sits in push mode. In our conversation prior to departure I asked if the locomotive was always on the north end of the train. He firmly told me it was always on the WEST end.
He kindly did not pull the curtain between my seat and his cab, so I had an unobstructed view straight ahead, and I could read his speedometer. Most running was at 79 on the same BNSF mainline as the Empire Builder. And I got to see some very stupid kids just make it across the bridge over the Mississippi ahead of the train. That was scary.
bill haithcoat Member # 6773
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I have a December 9, 1951 IC timetable which does show a Memphis to New Orleans set out sleeper.
can board Memphis 9.30 pm Panama Limited lv Memphis 2.28 am arrive New Orleans 9.30am
northbound Northern Express lv New Orleans 8.30 pm ar Memphis 6.35 am off by 8 am
This car had 6 sections four roomettes four double bedrooms.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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quote:Originally posted by palmland: Of course my favorite night train was the nameless No. 101 and 104 on the L&N between Memphis and Bowling Green (connecting to the train to Cincinnati). It carried until mid-60's one of those wonderful 'new' (1953) 6-6-4 Pine sleepers.
There is a "rest of the story" to Mr. Palmland's report.
While it is my understanding that when the 6-4-6 "--Pine" Sleepers were delivered, such were assigned to the Cinci-Memphis sleeper line, by the time I got to ride such during September 1962 as part of a rather diverse NY-Champaign routing (and of course my Father's rants of "why can't you just FLY like everyone else does?"), the car assigned was a heavyweight former 10Sec-2CP-1DR that had been reconfigured to 6Sec-4RM-4BR. The only concession on L&N's part to this equipment "downgrade" (the "--Pine' cars were reportedly needed elsewhere) was that "Coach+Space" would get you a ride (OK; I await a perfectly reasonable inquiry from an Amtrak-era rider to say "Coach+Space; what else is new?").
There does remain the possibility that subsequent to my 1962 ride, "--Pine" sleepers were reassigned until "the end", but I defer to Mr. Palmland on that point.
I never did get to ride an L&N "--Pine"; but did do "walk throughs" on several occasions including at the Bowling Green museum. But based upon my rides in like configured Pullman built NH "--Beach" and CN "Green--" cars, they surely were worthy of Mr. Palmland's raves.
bill haithcoat Member # 6773
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My timetables show for sure that a pine sleeper originally ran from Cincinnati to Memphis.
Later it was replaced by the heavyweight car and was advertised as a Thrif-T Sleeper.
As for needing the pines elsewhere, I would point out that they extended the Pan American's Cincinnati to New Orleans sleeper to run Detroit to New Orleans.
Both the thrify sleeper to Memphis and the Detroit extension on the Pan American were advertised on the same page in the L&N timetable.
So for a brief period of time the Pan ran with a sleeper from Detroit to New Orleans and a 10-6 from New York to Nashville. Kind of exotic when you think about it.
George Harris Member # 2077
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During my brief employment with the L&N I got a ride on the company from Birmingham to Louisville on a Friday night in an upper berth on one of these 6-4-6 sleepers in the Humming Bird. We had to roll out at 4:30am I think it was as there was no drop off car in 1968.
The purpose of the trip was to drive some new Hi-Rail pickups back to B'ham. Why have the dinizens of the Assistant Engineer's group do this? We were salaried so it did not cost the company any overtime payments to have us do this on a weekend. Besides which, we were at the bottom end of teh salaried employees and still working a couple of half Saturdays a month anyway.
The ICRR's Memphis - New Orleans sleeper was definitely gone sometime before 1960.
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