[PRCo] Re: Pennsylvania RR Heritage Passenger Train

[Dwight Long]

  Fred   May be a sermon but it's one worth repeating!   You did get some
good "mileage" out of our Uncle's Army.   I have (or more accurately my
brother has custody of) a number of slid= es of those 4 wheel trams in
Deutschland, as well as some more 50s modern e= quipment there.  Our father
went there in 1953 and at our request shot= a number of tram fots.   I've
ridden behind a Black 5, but never in regular service, only on a = preserved
line.  And I certainly NEVER got to fire one!   Yes, I would say three years
well spent.   Dwight
May 9, 2011 12:26:18 AM, pittsburgh-railways at dementia.or= g wrote:
Correct on mo= re 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 an=
d900s, 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 w= hen he inspected
mywall locker and found two Dallas PCC roll signs? "What = the f--- are
they?" I honestly answered him and said, "Give me a day off an= d 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
therole model for Beatle Bailey?

On the way from Tex= as 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 105= 3 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 sti=
llmaking 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 Londo=
n.

And best of all, Dwight ...

No, it wasn't seeing those tru= e 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 fi=
ring a British Railways Black 5 on a scheduled passenger train between Glas=
gow and Mallaig in 1960. 

Even in this continuing world of the Crusa= des, I have my problems with
armyservitude. 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 t= hose three
yearsto 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
forthree years and teaching you that you don't want this for the re= st of
your life. 

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

End of sermon. 




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

>Fred A= nd 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,=3D no
less.
= >That mission was somewhat more pleasurable than the one you cite.=3D D=
wight
>
>May 8, 2011 03:41:20 PM, pittsburgh-railways at dementi= =3D a.org wrote:
>Back on Octob=3D er 8th, 1958, I entered the army.= The local recruiter
(yes,
>guys, RA stood =3D for ragged ass) gave = me a ticket to Harrisburg on the
>Pennsy. My parents we=3D re on the= station platform in Lancaster to say
>good-bye. And dad had one la= =3D st picture of the train disappearing west
with
>one of those Pen= nsy business=3D cars on the rear end of number 25. 
>
>That w= as one hellish long day. =3D Hours of processing and finally a bus
to
&g= t; Philadelphia and another bus to Fo=3D rt Dix. And then standing in
forma= tion
>for an hour. Finally some a-hole ser=3D geant comes out of a b= uilding and
>says,"Oh, you guys still here. Well mayb=3D e we do som= ething." And he
sent us
>to dinner at 11 PM for what was left ove=3D= r in the reception center.
Thento
>bed at 1 AM. Then they woke us = up again =3D at 4 a.m. to tell us we were
in
>thearmy now. 
>= 
>Thanks Bob, for the m=3D emories.
>
>
>On May= 8, 2011, at 10:27 AM, Bob Rathke wrote:
>
>&=3D gt; 
= >>Yesterday we took our grandson to National Train Day at Chicag=3D = o's
Union
>Station. More than 30 pieces of passenger car equipment w= as open =3D for
>inspection on five tracks; there were displays and = demonstrations in
th=3De
>Great Hall, and also short excursions on = an Amtrak Superliner which ran
t=3D
>hrough the Amtrak maintenance b= uilding on the return trip to Union
Station.=3D
>
>>
&g= t;> 
>>
>>Attached are some low- res photos. Y e=3D = s, the station and trains were
that
>crowded. The hits of the event = were the=3D PRR passeng er train and the
>Milwaukee Road Hiawatha tr= ain. 
>>
>&=3D gt; 
>>
>>The attac= hed photos show the two PRR E8 locomotives, =3D 10-6 sleeper
Little
>= Juniata Rapids, lounge Warrior Ridge (1157), and observ=3D ation car 120.
= The
>photo of the PRR K4 glass etching is in a room divider i=3D n o= ne of the
cars.
>The 20-page Train Day catalog says that this train = is ba=3D sed in
central
>Pennsylvania, but isn't specific about the = city. 
>>>
>>
>>Opposit e the platform fro= m the PRR train is the A=3D mtrak Superliner
used
>for the excursion= s. 
>>
>>
>>
>&g=3D t; It was a da= y well spent. I'd be interested in hearing about the
PRR
>trai=3D n'= s stop in Pittsburgh. 
>>
>>
>>
>>B= ob 
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>>
>>
>>-----=3D Original Message ----- 
&gt= ;> From: "Herb Brannon" >To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
&gt= ;> Sent: Saturday, May 7,=3D 2011 5:30:42 PM 
>>Subject: [PRCo= ] Re: [FYI Only] Pennsylvania RR He=3D ritage Passenger
Train 
>>= 
>>I think, but not sure, they may ke=3D ep this train in or near= Altoona,
PA. 
>>Anyone know for sure? 
>&g=3D t; Here= is the current information coming across the wire on the
return
>tr= i=3D p 
>>for this train: 
>>
>>*Original inf= o has it leaving =3D Chicago approx. 8:00am Sunday. Latest
info
>has= 
>>it arriving in Pitt=3D sburgh approx. 7:30pm Sunday evening. = It was
>travelling
>>at Amtrak =3D speeds or better on its= outgoing trip, and there's no
reasonto
>
>>be=3D lieve i= t won't be doing so on the return. 
>>
>>* 
>>= On S=3D at, May 7, 2011 at 18:18, Ken and Tracie wrote:=3D 
>>>>>That train looks like the one we rode in December, 1=3D 967.= Except
this one
>is 
>>>a lot cleaner, shiny and sever= al cars =3D shorter. 
>>>
>>>Thanks for sharing. = 
>>>
>>=3D ;> K. 
>>>
>>&gt= ; 
>>>----- Original Message ----=3D - 
>>>From: = "Herb Brannon" 
>>>To: 
>>>Sent: Saturday, May 07= , 2011 2:=3D 43 PM 
>>>Subject: [PRCo] [FYI Only] Pennsylvania= RR Heritage Pass=3D enger Train 
>>>
>>>
>= >>>A renovated Pennsylv=3D ania Railroad passenger train is in Ch= icago
today
>for 
>>>>Nati=3D onal Train Day. It wil= l be leaving Chicago tomorrow and will
be
>>>=3D ;> stoppi= ng 
>>>>at the Pennsylvania (Amtrak) Station in dow=3D ntow= n Pittsburgh
sometime 
>>>>tomorrow. If anyone in the Pitts= =3D burgh area is interested in
lookingat 
>>>it. 
>&gt= ;>> Th=3D e attached photo was taken when it passed through Cleveland=
(passing 
>&g=3D t;>> Cleveland Browns Stadium) on its wa= y to Chicago. I will try to
p=3D
>ost the 
>>>>appro= ximate time the train will arrive in Pittsbur=3D gh when said
times
>= are
>>>>posted on the Cleveland/Pittsburgh =3D rail list. = 
>>>>
>>>>-- 
>>>>Herb Bran= n=3D on 
>>>>In Cuyahoga Valley National Park 
>>= 
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>>>>
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