Nostalgia & History > FoggFile: Last run of C&S 'Night Crawler' 9/2/67

Howard Fogg captured these views of C&S Train #30, affectionately known as 'the Night Crawler', at Boulder, CO, on it's last run on Sept. 2, 1967. This was a Denver-Billings, MT train.

Note the box car roof watcher ...

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Very nice! Was this the train that ran through Alliance, Ne?

wpdude Wrote:
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> Very nice! Was this the train that ran through
> Alliance, Ne?


no, ran on the C&S Denver to Billings through Northern Colorado, Wyoming and on to Billings

One has to wonder if this was the same train in both photos, although
I'm assuming it is. Note the second baggage and heavyweight RPO baggage
added ahed of the coach, which appears to be a silver painted heavyweight.
I say this because the coach in the first photo appears to be a lightweight.
Still, classic photos of a seldom shot operation.

For those who have access to the CLASSIC TRAINS website, there was an
article on this train a couple of years ago worth reading.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

ntharalson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One has to wonder if this was the same train in
> both photos, although
> I'm assuming it is. Note the second baggage and
> heavyweight RPO baggage
> added ahed of the coach, which appears to be a
> silver painted heavyweight.
> I say this because the coach in the first photo
> appears to be a lightweight.
> Still, classic photos of a seldom shot operation.
>
>
> For those who have access to the CLASSIC TRAINS
> website, there was an
> article on this train a couple of years ago worth
> reading.
>
> Nick Tharalson,
> Marion, IA

Nick:

I was wondering the same thing before I posted these, as I couldn't figure out the platform in pic 2. I only remember a platform like that on the west side of the tracks, same as the depot, which would make the train in pic 2 heading 'west', compass north, while the first pic is clearly heading south (east on the C&S then). The info was from the slides.

Maybe the train was picking up a car and what we see is a switching move and engine was wyed?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/13 06:54 by valmont.

OK, found this one, same day and what it does show is a second platform, it is also a morning shot

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Looks like it picted up another Bagg-RPO, which I assume would be deadheading. First picture looks to have a light weight coach, second picture a heavy weight coach.

valmont Wrote:
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> wpdude Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Very nice! Was this the train that ran through
> > Alliance, Ne?
>
>
> no, ran on the C&S Denver to Billings through
> Northern Colorado, Wyoming and on to Billings


I think the train that ran through Alliance was the one that CB&Q annulled halfway through it's trip after receiving the ok to discontinue in 1967. Passengers were transferred to a bus for the remaining miles. It caused quite a firestorm of controversy and CB&Q got quite an earful from the press, governing agencies, and passengers. Stupid is as stupid does. I believe this type of action was not repeated.

Thanks for the photos of a train I have been fascinated with and never got to see.

Keith Turley
Ontario, California

Nick: It was a good,complete story of the little train. The train sported one sleeper, no diner and must have a rare treat to ride. There were some shots of the train in that article to so if any of you can, try to read it as it is nostalgically done and accurate. I was glad the train lasted as long as it did.

Phil Blommendahl
Getzville, NY

ATSF3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> valmont Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > wpdude Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Very nice! Was this the train that ran
> through
> > > Alliance, Ne?
> >
> >
> > no, ran on the C&S Denver to Billings through
> > Northern Colorado, Wyoming and on to Billings
>
>
> I think the train that ran through Alliance was
> the one that CB&Q annulled halfway through it's
> trip after receiving the ok to discontinue in
> 1967. Passengers were transferred to a bus for the
> remaining miles. It caused quite a firestorm of
> controversy and CB&Q got quite an earful from the
> press, governing agencies, and passengers. Stupid
> is as stupid does. I believe this type of action
> was not repeated.


You are probably right that it was the Billings-Alliance-Omaha train that got this treatment, but it wasn't in 1967. I rode it from Billings to Omaha in June 1969 (my last night in an upper berth of an open section), and it continued for at least a few months afterwards.

The early 1960's ETT that I have shows the north and south version of the Denver-Billings, MT train meeting in Horse Creek Canyon somewhere's around 03:00 am. It would have been an interesting ride through a couple of interesting areas but lots of tumbleweed country and lots of darkness.

Classy power for an overnight mail train.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/13 11:03 by TCnR.

Thanks for this look back Vince. I had the great privilege of riding this great little train either in 1959 or 1960, not sure which year. My father and I went from No. Illinois to Worland, WY via Billings. Got on the NCL in Savanna, Il and off at Billings. Had lunch in the NP commissary/restaurant and then got on the Night Crawler to Worland. If my memory serves me correctly we got into Worland about 5:30pm or there about and it was a meal stop for those interested in getting off and walking a block up town to the Washakie Hotel for supper. A few days later, we re-boarded the n/b and went back to Billings arriving too late to catch the e/b NCL, so had to spend the night in Billings, leaving on the train the next morning to go back home. I know the rider coach on 29/30 was a heavyweight as it had the older style seats, and had lots of head-end traffic. Best part of the ride I remember was Big Horn Canyon between Greybull and Lovell.

KC

On August 28-29, 1999 I rode a special "Buy Miles" passenger train over that line from Denver that was comprised of Amtrak power and private cars. We overnighted in Casper and consequently got to see the entire route in daylight. At Laurel, we turned west and tied up for the night at Livingston. Besides Wind River Canyon, there's scenic Sheep Canyon, north of Greybull, where CB&Q took a famous publicity photo of FT diesels pulling a string of tank cars. North of Wendover in central and northern Wyoming, BN and BNSF have really spruced up the line with lots of welded rail and concrete ties, but it appears to be an underutilized line with just a handful of movements in a twenty-four hour period.

http://www.wyohistory.org/sites/default/files/images/cbandqoiltrain.jpg



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/13 21:06 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

Isn't the roof walker standing on the UP spur into town left over from the narrow gauge days? For the years I lived there I only railfanned this area a couple of times.

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7

The Classic Trains issue which contains the cited article is the Spring 2011 edition, pp 34-40. Tried several different search terms on the Classic Trains website with no luck, so did a "digital" search, i.e, let my fingers do the walking through my archive of the magazine until I found it. Good article, with lots of additional photos.

ntharalson Wrote:

> One has to wonder if this was the same train in
> both photos, although
> I'm assuming it is. Note the second baggage and
> heavyweight RPO baggage
> added ahed of the coach, which appears to be a
> silver painted heavyweight.
> I say this because the coach in the first photo
> appears to be a lightweight.

Just guessing here, but I suspect the order of events went something like this. Fogg showed up at the Boulder depot and took the third picture in this thread, showing the two lightweight baggage-RPO's sitting on the track closest to the depot. Then the "night crawler" arrived on the second track with 9964, two heavyweight baggages, a heavyweight RPO, and a silver-painted heavyweight coach. The 9964 and the first heavyweight baggage cut off their train and backed down the first track onto the southernmost baggage-RPO. That's what is shown in the first photo - 9964 and the heavyweight bag picking up one baggage-RPO, the second baggage-RPO visible in the distance, and the rest of the "night crawler" casting the shadow on the platform and people on the right. In the second photo (chronologically last), the 9964, baggage, and baggage-RPO have tied onto the rest of their train and are highballing toward Denver.

wonder if they are using the rpo's for milk?

BobB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ATSF3751 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > valmont Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > wpdude Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > Very nice! Was this the train that ran
> > through
> > > > Alliance, Ne?
> > >
> > >
> > > no, ran on the C&S Denver to Billings through
> > > Northern Colorado, Wyoming and on to Billings
> >
> >
> > I think the train that ran through Alliance was
> > the one that CB&Q annulled halfway through it's
> > trip after receiving the ok to discontinue in
> > 1967. Passengers were transferred to a bus for
> the
> > remaining miles. It caused quite a firestorm of
> > controversy and CB&Q got quite an earful from
> the
> > press, governing agencies, and passengers.
> Stupid
> > is as stupid does. I believe this type of
> action
> > was not repeated.
>
>
> You are probably right that it was the
> Billings-Alliance-Omaha train that got this
> treatment, but it wasn't in 1967. I rode it from
> Billings to Omaha in June 1969 (my last night in
> an upper berth of an open section), and it
> continued for at least a few months afterwards.


Yes, it was 1969. Thanks for the correction.

The operating crews (enginemen, conductors and brakemen)on BN passenger train 30 appeared in the shots above were based out of Denver and worked the round trip between Denver and Cheyenne (WY), overnight in Cheyenne.