[PRCo] Re: Pennsylvania RR Heritage Passenger Train

Sun May 8 20:25:42 EDT 2011

Correct on more pleasurable.   

But the army got me to places worth visiting.

The Uniform Code of Military Justice said I wasn't allowed to hitch rides.   I only did it on weekends in 1959 ... to ride in the cab of a Gainesville Midland 2-10-0, to ride Atlanta trolley buses, to ride New Orleans 800s and 900s, to ride the International car line from El Paso to Mexico.   Also to photograph the last 17 Dallas PCC cars in the bus yard (the roll signs are now at Arden), one trip to Tulsa Sapupla Union Railway and two journeys to St. Louis.   

Can you imagine the stunned look on the Captain's face when he inspected my wall locker and found two Dallas PCC roll signs?   "What the f--- are they?"   I honestly answered him and said, "Give me a day off and I'll take them to the Railway Express  office and ship them home."   He did and I got a free weekday in Temple to photograph the Katy and Santa Fe.  
Perhaps I was the role model for Beatle Bailey?

On the way from Texas to Germany in 1959, I also got to ride the North Shore, the South Shore, had a week in Pittsburgh, a few days in Baltimore and Washington (rode 1053 on the streets), and turned up in Boston for the Riverside opening.

Then Europe for 24 months.   That was back in the days when Germany was still making do with those little four-axle cars after the war.   The eight-axle (Grossraumwagen, or large room cars) were just beginning to arrive.   I rode the double-deck cars in Glasgow and the remaining 1938 tube stock in London.

And best of all, Dwight ...

No, it wasn't seeing those true PCCs in Rome or the knock-offs in Genoa or the Milan Peter Witts.  

The best was having a chance to pick up a coal scoop and try my hand at firing a British Railways Black 5 on a scheduled passenger train between Glasgow and Mallaig in 1960.  

Even in this continuing world of the Crusades, I have my problems with army servitude.  But I dearly loved the places they sent me.   

I don't regret enlisting.  I would have flunked out of any university environment had I gone right out of high school.   I needed those three years to have the army wake me up.   Some people are a lot better suited to the regimens of education after having military people screaming at you for three years and teaching you that you don't want this for the rest of your life.   

I think it also taught me to keep the eyes open and understand that other people in the world may also have a good life.   Maybe some have a better life than we do.   

End of sermon.   

On May 8, 2011, at 7:57 PM, Dwight Long wrote:

>   Fred   And I'll bet you did not ride in PRR 120 on this trip either.   
> But I have ridden it through my home town!  On the back platform,= no less.
> That mission was somewhat more pleasurable than the one you cite.=   Dwight
> 
> May 8, 2011 03:41:20 PM, pittsburgh-railways at dementi= a.org wrote:
> Back on Octob= er 8th, 1958, I entered the army. The local recruiter (yes,
> guys, RA stood = for ragged ass) gave me a ticket to Harrisburg on the
> Pennsy. My parents we= re on the station platform in Lancaster to say
> good-bye. And dad had one la= st picture of the train disappearing west with
> one of those Pennsy business= cars on the rear end of number 25. 
> 
> That was one hellish long day. = Hours of processing and finally a bus to
> Philadelphia and another bus to Fo= rt Dix. And then standing in formation
> for an hour. Finally some a-hole ser= geant comes out of a building and
> says,"Oh, you guys still here. Well mayb= e we do something." And he sent us
> to dinner at 11 PM for what was left ove= r in the reception center. Then to
> bed at 1 AM. Then they woke us up again = at 4 a.m. to tell us we were in
> thearmy now. 
> 
> Thanks Bob, for the m= emories.
> 
> 
> On May 8, 2011, at 10:27 AM, Bob Rathke wrote:
> 
> &= gt; 
>> Yesterday we took our grandson to National Train Day at Chicag= o's Union
> Station. More than 30 pieces of passenger car equipment was open = for
> inspection on five tracks; there were displays and demonstrations in th= e
> Great Hall, and also short excursions on an Amtrak Superliner which ran t=
> hrough the Amtrak maintenance building on the return trip to Union Station.=
> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Attached are some low- res photos. Y e= s, the station and trains were that
> crowded. The hits of the event were the= PRR passeng er train and the
> Milwaukee Road Hiawatha train. 
>> 
> &= gt; 
>> 
>> The attached photos show the two PRR E8 locomotives, = 10-6 sleeper Little
> Juniata Rapids, lounge Warrior Ridge (1157), and observ= ation car 120. The
> photo of the PRR K4 glass etching is in a room divider i= n one of the cars.
> The 20-page Train Day catalog says that this train is ba= sed in central
> Pennsylvania, but isn't specific about the city. 
>>> 
>> 
>> Opposit e the platform from the PRR train is the A= mtrak Superliner used
> for the excursions. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
> &g= t; It was a day well spent. I'd be interested in hearing about the PRR
> trai= n's stop in Pittsburgh. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Bob 
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -----= Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Herb Brannon" >To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
>> Sent: Saturday, May 7,= 2011 5:30:42 PM 
>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: [FYI Only] Pennsylvania RR He= ritage Passenger Train 
>> 
>> I think, but not sure, they may ke= ep this train in or near Altoona, PA. 
>> Anyone know for sure? 
> &g= t; Here is the current information coming across the wire on the return
> tri= p 
>> for this train: 
>> 
>> *Original info has it leaving = Chicago approx. 8:00am Sunday. Latest info
> has 
>> it arriving in Pitt= sburgh approx. 7:30pm Sunday evening. It was
> travelling
>> at Amtrak = speeds or better on its outgoing trip, and there's no reason to
> 
>> be= lieve it won't be doing so on the return. 
>> 
>> * 
>> On S= at, May 7, 2011 at 18:18, Ken and Tracie wrote:= 
>> 
>>> That train looks like the one we rode in December, 1= 967. Except this one
> is 
>>> a lot cleaner, shiny and several cars = shorter. 
>>> 
>>> Thanks for sharing. 
>>> 
> &gt= ;> K. 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message ----= - 
>>> From: "Herb Brannon" 
>>> To: 
>>> Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 2:= 43 PM 
>>> Subject: [PRCo] [FYI Only] Pennsylvania RR Heritage Pass= enger Train 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> A renovated Pennsylv= ania Railroad passenger train is in Chicago today
> for 
>>>> Nati= onal Train Day. It will be leaving Chicago tomorrow and will be 
>> &gt= ;> stopping 
>>>> at the Pennsylvania (Amtrak) Station in dow= ntown Pittsburgh sometime 
>>>> tomorrow. If anyone in the Pitts= burgh area is interested in looking at 
>>> it. 
>>>> Th= e attached photo was taken when it passed through Cleveland (passing 
> &g= t;>> Cleveland Browns Stadium) on its way to Chicago. I will try to p=
> ost the 
>>>> approximate time the train will arrive in Pittsbur= gh when said times
> are
>>>> posted on the Cleveland/Pittsburgh = rail list. 
>>>> 
>>>> -- 
>>>> Herb Brann= on 
>>>> In Cuyahoga Valley National Park 
>> 
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