A friend of mine, Jim Burd, was at Dyer, Indiana on 12/12 and caught Amtrak Train 50 (the Cardinal) at its regular stop in Dyer, Indiana. On the rear end that night was ex-New York Central streamlined observation car Babbling Brook with a bit of Christmas cheer in the car (see photo). Got me to thinking of memorable Christmas journeys that we may have taken, or heard about, or read about. I'll try to post one if I can find it again on the internet. In the meantime, consider this thread as an adjunct to the new thread on Christmas Traditions and the old (redone) thread on Christmas carols and steam "Christmas Eve Listening".


Les

Well, I can't seem to find the story I had seen on the internet about a family riding the Peoria Rocket into Chicago and going to Marshall Field's department store and eating under the magnificent Christmas tree in Field's famous Walnut Room restaurant. So, since I started this thread (and will perhaps end it here), I thought I would mention my most memorable Christmas journey. A minor one perhaps, but one I won't forget. It also involved the Rock Island, but nothing so luxurious as on one of the Rockets! My railroad Christmas journey involved one of the old 1920's era 2500 series commuter coaches on a Rock Island commuter train, probably with an RS3 or BL2 up on the head end. It was sometime in the mid to late 1960's, in the days when the railroad ran scheduled commuter trains, and no others. It was Christmas Eve Day and, like a lot of other employers, the place I worked at let us out early. Got to LaSalle Street Station to catch an early afternoon train only to find it packed. The 2500 series coaches had open platforms and the platforms, and the steps themselves, were packed. I stood around for a moment, trying to figure out what to do, and then the train started moving out and I stepped onto a very tiny space on the bottom step. There was room....barely. In those days I was "tough"; wore a trench coat over my suit coat, and no warm lining. No hat of course. I don't know what the temperature was, but I do know it was COLD! Hung onto the hand rail for dear life. I never did see the conductor or trainman; I'm sure he never was able to get all the way through the packed car. I rode the train almost all the way to Washington Heights on that bottom step. Only when they started discharging passengers was I able to move up a few steps. So there you have it...my most memorable railroad journey.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the thought of being able to travel first class by rail to wherever you would like to be going!

Les

Not Christmas related, but on a visit to the GTW's Brush Street Station in Detroit (late 1953 or early 1954) I watched a commuter train leave as a tardy passenger grabbed the handrails of a coach and pounded on the door while the train was getting under way. Fortunately a trainman opened the door and let him in as the train was rounding the curve northward out of the station. I believe it was colder weather, since the man was wearing an overcoat. I think he lost his newspaper in the process, but it was a close call. Your story reminded me of the incident.

Hi,

During my senior year in High School (1972-3), Mom, Dad, and my sister drove up to Harrisburg, PA (Mom's family) for Christmas. I do not recall why, but I left a few days later on the Southern Crescent (Southern Railway) for the trip up to Philly and changing trains to go to Harrisburg.

I boarded in cold Atlanta, GA (temps in the 40's at night) and saw Christmas lights all the way to South Carolina. The only thing green out there were the loblolly pines. Since the train left about 8PM, I went to bed and fell asleep somewhere in the Carolinas.

I do recall partially waking during station stops (No one was rocking the crib? <GRIN>). Sometimes I'd awaken enough to peep oout the windows into freight yards or towns.

I awoke about 6:30AM in Virginia. If I recall correctly, there had been a storm in Virginia and Maryland. The creeks and rivers were swollen. A white blanket was laid over the land and the car headlights wondered down two lane roads breaking a path in the snow.

As I ate eggs, toast, grits and bacon in the dinner, I saw the sun come up over the horizon and the Christmas Lights in the towns slowly went out for the day. A beautiful sight.

As the night seemed to conceal the disturbances of man, the day brought out the sharp relief of the man made alterations. The snow plows and dirty snow and all the other items. Freight trains waited as we passed them on our northward journey.

The Atlanta architecture the previous day being not older than the Civil War, had given away to deep south rural as night had fallen. The journey through Virginia had the architecture of the south slowly change to that of the northeastern style of row houses the closer to we got to Washington DC. Names from history like Culpepper and Manasses were the depot names.

As we finally turned a little to the left (west), a fill came up on our right (east) and the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac dropped down to meet with Southern. A huge railroad hump yard to the east showed its presence as Southern and RF&P joined. The western side was Alexandria VA and the depot and town there. It was hard to see out the other side of the sleeper if the person across the isle had their doors closed.

Watching the action of the switchers or shifters moving freight cars around was fun.

As we departed moving closer to the Potomic River, overhead wires showed up and Penn Central electrics showed up with freight trains along side B&O, SCL, and RF&P diesels.

The GG1's were (and are) my most treasured memories of the time. Sleek and timeless and futuristic in appearence, the earliest was built in 1934 and the last was to be retired in less than 10 years.

As we crossed the Potomic, the river was flowing but no boats were out. The view across to the other side of the river showed the magnificence of the view. As we entered DC on a viaduct, spurs to coal trestles and other industries were evident of a lively working city. All signs of the south had been left in Virginia. Several Federal Government buildings were passed before the passenger train left the B&O freight main and entered a tunnel to gain access to Washington Union Terminal.

We popped out of the tunnel with passenger steps on the platforms and pulled up a long platform. To the right across the tracks were the Railway Express Agency warehouses.

With no fear of mad bombers, I walked down the platform and up the train to the head end where the four beautiful Southern Green and White (some tell me it had been Green and Aluminum) E8s were being uncoupled from the train and a single Amtrak GG1 replaced them.

To the left (west) of the platform was a raised platform and cut stone retaining wall that supported a single ended stub terminal of about 6-8 tracks I'd guess. Over the years I saw Metroliner MUs, Silverliner MUs and regular car and engine passenger trains on those stub tracks.

Leaving Washington DC, we passed a large coach yard and engine service facility on the west (left) side of the train. The hardwoods were bare of leaves and there were no large farming areas like back in Georgia. Farms were there but had a distinctly different look to them. The archetectural style was changing rapidly to what I always thought of as northeastern or Pennsylvania Dutch (two different styles). Row houses were common and separate homes except for newer construction was rare. Built in a time when walking was the major way to move in a city. An extra 100 feet when in the freezing cold was not neglidgable was important. The temperatue high was about 40 in Baltimore (compared to a temperature low of about 40 when I departed Atlanta).

My memory of Baltimore is weak other than the station was in a walled off "canyon". It was mostly tunnel.

There was a long bridge (two track) that I later learned was the Susquehanna River seemed to go on for ever. I think I saw an ocean going ship on it but am not sure since the Susquahanna at Harrisburg was a mile wide but 10 feet deep. The Cheasapeke Bay was interesting from this viewpoint.

The view of Wilmington was from a viaduct above and near the water front. A few ships were down by the docks. A PRR shifter was switching some cars down below at dockside.

Just north were the Wilmington Shops with electric cars and locomotives there being repaired and serviced. It was the first time I had seen a transfer table.

We entered Philladelphia along the river (Delaware?) and into an area that reminded me of a near abandoned lower level parking garage. This was 30th Street Station. Later memories were the freight Highline bypassing the station. The coach yards were on both north and south of the station.

Climbing the stairs of the station brought me into the main waiting room that seemed larger than Atlanta's Terminal Station (torn down in about 1973 - Amtrak did not service Atlanta, The Georgia Railroad Mixed ran out of Union Station, and Southern's Southern Crescent stopped at what had been intended as a suburban station (known as Peachtree Station by Southern and Brookwood Station by locals)). The statue made by PRR of an angle holding a fallen soldier for the fallen war heros was an impresive sight.

The wait was a couple of hours and I climbed more stairs to the platform to get the connection to Harrisburg. There were three or four silver passenger cars at the platform but no locomotive. I figured that they would bring a locomotive up and couple on. I had seen no other movement on the top level track when the cars started moving. I looked around and wondered where the locomotive was. I later found out that they were electric MU cars. (To spoil the tale a little, I think this experience was actually in about 1965 when we went to the New York World's Fair but I did experience the surprise).

We headed through Bryn Mar and Pottstown and Lancaster and Hummeltown and Steelton and into Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania Dutch was amazing and unfamiliarly familiar to me. Having been to Harrisburg before and down to Lancaster it was familiar but having lived in Atlanta since 1961 it was also strange and fun. I recall the barns with the hex symbols on them and the horse and buggies occasionally showing up.

The big Penn Central electrics and diesels slamming by and the (I think) pre-SEPTA Penn Central commuter rail was amazing and exciting. The high speed fly-overs were a very dramatic view of railroading at its highest level. Nothing like that in Atlanta. The electrified PRR was the pinnical (to me as a 17 year old) of railroading at its finest and best.

As the train came to a stop in Harrisburg, it was the end of a journey and an exciting trip. We took many train and automobile trips to and from Harrisburg over the years. The winter of 1972-3 may have been my first solo trip by intercity train.

I rode back with Mom and Dad and my sister in the automobile after the holidays.

An exciting adventure. Some 13 members of Mom's family hired on to the PRR before PC and so my interest in railroading came from my other's milk.

Merry Christmas

Doug vV