Post by JNXT 7707 on Aug 23, 2024 9:30:19 GMT -5
Browsing through FB today, some pretty good sites there among all the silliness. We have talked about how a lot of passenger trains were in actuality quite different from the matched sets that are so prevalent in the model world. While those elite named trains existed, the bulk of the traffic consisted of rougher workhorses that had interesting power lashups and mostly head-end cars.
Here is a classic I found on the L&N Historical Society page:
"An E6A/GP9/FP7 power set was ready to roll from Louisville Union Station on Thursday, June 19, 1965 with Cincinnati-bound train No. 4. Trains 1 and 4 were basically mail and express locals plying the L&N main between Montgomery and Cincinnati, remnants of the days when the train ran all the way to New Orleans as the "Azalean." A single coach handled the passengers, but the balance of the train was made up of express boxes, baggage, and mail cars. At the time, Louisville railfans could catch No. 4 for a 9:40 AM departure, arriving at Cincinnati Union Terminal at 1:30 PM (there were seven flag stops enroute). An understanding Cincinnati Division conductor would allow you to look out of the open top half of the rear vestibule door to enjoy the ride, and catch meets with other trains (including No. 99, the southbound "Pan-American" at Campbellsburg, if both trains were on time). After a day of railfanning in Cincy (on foot, of course), you could then catch No. 5--the L&N's New Orleans-bound "Humming Bird"--at 6:45 PM, arriving back in Louisville at 9:50. If you had enough cash left over, the best way to cap off a day of train riding and photography was a scrumptious meal in the "Bird's" diner. For the truly hardcore, companion train No. 1 departed CUT that evening at 11:15 PM, with an arrival in Louisville at 2:45 AM. No meal service, though."
Here is a classic I found on the L&N Historical Society page:
"An E6A/GP9/FP7 power set was ready to roll from Louisville Union Station on Thursday, June 19, 1965 with Cincinnati-bound train No. 4. Trains 1 and 4 were basically mail and express locals plying the L&N main between Montgomery and Cincinnati, remnants of the days when the train ran all the way to New Orleans as the "Azalean." A single coach handled the passengers, but the balance of the train was made up of express boxes, baggage, and mail cars. At the time, Louisville railfans could catch No. 4 for a 9:40 AM departure, arriving at Cincinnati Union Terminal at 1:30 PM (there were seven flag stops enroute). An understanding Cincinnati Division conductor would allow you to look out of the open top half of the rear vestibule door to enjoy the ride, and catch meets with other trains (including No. 99, the southbound "Pan-American" at Campbellsburg, if both trains were on time). After a day of railfanning in Cincy (on foot, of course), you could then catch No. 5--the L&N's New Orleans-bound "Humming Bird"--at 6:45 PM, arriving back in Louisville at 9:50. If you had enough cash left over, the best way to cap off a day of train riding and photography was a scrumptious meal in the "Bird's" diner. For the truly hardcore, companion train No. 1 departed CUT that evening at 11:15 PM, with an arrival in Louisville at 2:45 AM. No meal service, though."
