[PRCo] Re: Troop trains

[Dwight Long]

   Fred   How the hell did you make St Louis from Ft. Hood and back on a
three d= ay pass hitchhiking?   Methinks the only way one could do this is
ifone flew.  That's a= bout an 800 mile trip, one way.   Dwight

May 11, 2011 01:52:36 AM, pittsburgh-railways at dement= ia.org wrote:
Oh yes. Rolla= . Last traffic light on US 66 for a hundred miles or more
going west from S= t. Louis! 

How I know. Well, in May 1959 I had a three day pass and = hitched from Fort
Hood up to St. Louis to ride the trolleys. On the way bac= k on Saturday
night, I went out to somewhere near Kirkwood or Manchester an= d raised the
old thumb. A car stopped with three young ladies. They took me= to Rolla
telling me it was the last traffic light. 

Damn that one i= n the back seat next to me was hot. 



On May 10, 2011, at 8:4= 3 PM, Dwight Long wrote:

>Bob On my trip to Rolla I had spent th= e day riding the IT suburban
>service=3D and fotting SLPS before hea= ding west to Rolla. The Dog on
whichI
>ro=3D de had no restroom--it= was an early version of the Highway Traveler
>series--and I well re= member the rest stop on my trip. It was at a p=3D
lace
>called "The = Diamond," or something close to that and I think it =3D was
on
>theo= ld Rt.66. I was in desperate need of it, at any rate, hav=3D ing been
&g= t; lulled into a belief that the bus would have a restroom by virtue =3D
of= the
>fact that the one I rode into STL DID have such a facility! An= d yes, that
>is the preferred pronunciation of Rolla! Dwight
>= 
>May 10, 2011 04:20:13 AM, pittsburgh-railways at dement=3D ia.org wr= ote:
>
>I remembe=3D r stopping at the Post House in Rolla (R= AWL-Luh) on a
>cross-country=3DC3=3D82&n=3D bsp;Greyhound trip i= n 1962. 
>
>
>
>Bob 
>
>
>= 
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Her= b Brannon" To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
>Sent: Monday, May = 9, 2011 9:46:=3D 25 PM 
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: Troop trains 
>>I haven't heard that tow=3D ns name mentioned in quite a few years.= 1957
was 
>almost a decade before=3D my time there but I doubt if i= t changed very
much. 
>On Mon, May 9, 2011=3D at 21:02, Dwight Long = wrote: 
>
>>=3DC3=3D82&n=3D bsp; =3DC3=3D82 =3DC3=3D82= Herb =3DC3=3D82 Back in 1957 I
was returni=3D ng
>east from Rolla, = Mo., on the 
>>Frisco's loc=3D3D al passenger train=3D , and we w= ent into the hole at
least
>once, 
>>and I think tw=3D3D i= ce, =3D for a very long troop train. =3DC3=3D82 I
learned
>laterthat= it 
>>w=3D as headed =3D3D to Ft. Leonard Wood. =3DC3=3D82 Dwigh= t 
>>
>>Ma=3D y 9, 2011 05:29:17 PM, pittsburgh-railway= s at dementi=3D3D a.org
wrote: 
>>=3D In the Summer=3D3D of 1964 I h= ad a "seasonal" job with the City of
Akron,
>>Street 
>>= &Hig=3D3D hway Dept, as a laborer on a McAdam pavi=3D ng crew. We had =
athree
>day 
>>job,=3D3D in mid-August, on a city stree= =3D t which ran along side the
main 
>>east-westrailroad tracks. = These tr=3D acks served the Eire-Lackawanna, 
>>Baltimore 
&gt= ;> &=3D3D Ohio =3D 
>>and the Pennsylvania railroads. Ever= y day we worked on that street=3D
=3D3D we
>saw 
>>troop t= rain after troop train headed westbound. All th=3D e trains
us=3D3D ed
&= gt; the 
>>1930s Pullman cars you speak about. Just a f=3D ew mon= ths later in
Ap=3D3D ril,
>
>>1965 
>>I 
>= >departed, l=3D ike your brother, on a TWA flight headed for BCT =3D3D =
and AIT,
>as a 
>>=3D Combat Engineer, at Ft Leonard Wood,= MO. 
>>
>>
>>
>&g=3D t; On=3D3D S= un, May 8, 2011 at 22:52, Bob Rathke wrote: 
>>>
>>= =3D ; >A couple of follow-ups, Fred: 
>>>
>>>>>&g=3D t; 
>>>=3D3D - In March, 1963 I took my = brother to Greater Pittsburg=3D h
Airport
>where 
>>he>= boarded a TWA Constellation for his inductio=3D n in the Army at Ft.
Kn=3D3= D
>ox. 
>>>Attached is a photo of my broth=3D er about = to enter the door,
look=3D3Ding
>back 
>>>toward the c= amera=3D . 
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>&= gt; By 1964=3D3D -67, th=3D e Defense Department was sending a greater
numb= er of 
>>>Pittsbu=3D =3D3D rgh inductees to basic training on = trains from the PRR
and
>P&LE >>=3D3D stations. I took pho= tos of the 1930's Pullman cars kept in
th=3D
>ose
>>statio= ns>for use on the inductee trains. 
>>>
>=3D >&gt= ;
>>>
>>>- L=3D3D ast Fall, my uncle told me abou= =3D t his rail trip to basic
training
>in 
>>1942> (pre= viously, he had =3D never talked about his WWII experiences).
His 
>&= gt; dad=3D3D 
>>
>=3D >>accompanied him to the P&amp= ;LE station that day where he boarded
=3D =3D3D a
>B&O
>&g= t; train 
>>to 
>>>Washington, D.C., and=3D then on = to an Army base in=3D3D the South. Hhe
said
>his 
>>>pa= rents=3D (my grandparents) didn't know that=3D3D he enlisted in the
Army -> they 
>&=3D gt; >always thought that he had been dra= =3D3D fted. 
>>>
>>=3D >
>>>
>= >>Last Fall he talked freely about his =3D3D e=3D xperiences in the =
U.S.and
>Pacific 
>>>1942-45, and I furiously to=3D ok= n=3D3D otes on everything he said. 
>>>
>>>
&= gt;> &g=3D t; 
>>>Bob 
>>>
>>=3D= 3D >
>>>
>>=3D >
>>>
>>&= gt; 
>>>
>>>
>>>=3D 
>>>= 
>>>=3D3D ; 
>>>
>>>
>>&gt= ; =3D 
>>>
>>>----- Original Message ----- 
&g= t;> &=3D3D g=3D t; From: "Fred Schneider" 
>>>To: pitts= burgh=3D3D -railways at dementia=3D .org 
>>>Sent: Sunday, May 8,= 2011 10:40:38 AM 
>>>=3D3D ; =3D Subject: [PRCo] Re: Pennsylv= ania RR Heritage Passenger
Train
>>>=3D 
>>&=3D= 3D gt; Back on October 8th, 1958, I entered the army. The lo=3D cal
>= recruiter 
>>(yes=3D3D , 
>>>guys, RA stood for rag= ged ass=3D ) gave me a ticket to Harrisburg on
=3D3D the
>
>&g= t; Pennsy. 
>>>M=3D y parents were on the station platform in = Lancaster to=3D3D say
good-bye.
>>>And dad had one last pictur= e of the train disappeari=3D3D ng west w=3D
ith one
>of 
>>= >those Pennsy business cars on the rear end of n=3D3D =3D umber 25. >>>
>>>That was one hellish long day. Hours o=3D f = processin=3D3D g and
finallya bus
>to 
>>>Philadelphia= and another=3D bus to Fort Dix. An=3D3D d then standing in
>formati= on 
>>for 
>>=3D >an hour. Finally some a-hole serge= =3D3D ant comes out of a building
and s=3D
>ays, 
>>>"O= h, you guys still here. Wel=3D3D l maybe we do something.=3D " And he
sent> usto 
>>>dinner at 11 PM for wha=3D3D t was left over= =3D in the reception
center.Then
>to 
>>>bed at 1 AM. = Then =3D3D they w=3D oke us up again at 4 a.m. to tell us
we were
>i= n 
>>>the army now.=3D =3D3D 
>>>
>>>= Thanks Bob, for the memories. 
>>>=3D 
>>>
&g= t;>> -- A=3D3D ttached file removed by Ecartis and put =3D at URL bel=
ow-- 
>>>-- Type: im=3D3D age/gif 
>>>-- Size: 1= =3D 88k (192970 bytes) 
>>>-- URL : 
>>>http:=3D3= D 
>>// =3D 
>>lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-rail= ways/TWAConstJackStairs63.=3D
>jpg.gif=3D3D 
>>
>&gt= ;> 
>>>
>>>
>>>=3D 
>>>>
>>-- 
>>Herb Brannon 
>>In Cuyah= =3D3D o=3D ga Valley National Park 
>>
>>
>>>>
>>
>&g=3D t; 
>
>
>-= - 
>Herb Brannon 
>In Cuyahoga Valley National Park 
>= 
>
>
>
>
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